Take of in Angle - fly in Smart mode?

[Photo]

Gwhuntoon, wrote in an another thread that many H pilots and Yneec recommend (?) to start and land in Angle Mode (of course) but FLY in Smart mode. I have had my H for commercial purpose for 1,5 year and Always been flying in Angle all the time. Is there any disadvantages to FLY in Smart mode, as long as you remember to land in Angle ofcourse. As I often fly and shot videos in narrow areas it would be easier to fly in Smartmode as I'm not the most, perfect skilled pilot - yet. I will be happy for any comment.
Best from Sweden

 

[PatR]

There is nothing wrong with using Smart mode for take off, landing, or in flight as long as you remember the Smart Circle limitations. Outside of that the most critical thing to remember is that Smart mode is totally reliant on GPS and Compass data for the relativity fix so loss of either requires an immediate shift to Angle mode if you want to retain control. Smart mode also reduces max aircraft speed so many might find it helpful in keeping the speed down, allowing them more time for control input decision making.

Smart mode is there primarily to assist inexperienced operators and used correctly does much to help them gain experience and confidence with aircraft orientation. It can also be extremely useful in some video applications. Smart mode need not be feared, just understood and respected. We are given the tools and only need to use them correctly.

 

[Steve Carr]

Smart mode was quite useful with the Q500 because the camera was fixed in forward view. Using smart mode allowed you to yaw the aircraft to change the camera view but still maintain the same flight path heading. The same can be done with the H, but the camera pan function takes the place of this maneuver.

 

[Photo]

Smart mode was quite useful with the Q500 because the camera was fixed in forward view. Using smart mode allowed you to yaw the aircraft to change the camera view but still maintain the same flight path heading. The same can be done with the H, but the camera pan function takes the place of this maneuver.

Thanx Gwhuntoon and Steve Carr.. does it mean that the H will " fly away" in Smart if I loose the signal and GPS? And is it more "dangerous" to fly in Smart mode with DBS/Itelite antenna?

 

[Dr Delta]

I did my first flights as a novice RC pilot (never had any RC experience but the glider I have destroyed a small hundred years ago) in Smart mode, take off, fly about and land. Works perfectly as long as you know the rules (by reading the manual thoroughly).

Never tried the Auto-take-off tho.

 

[gwhuntoon]

Thanx Gwhuntoon and Steve Carr.. does it mean that the H will " fly away" in Smart if I loose the signal and GPS? And is it more "dangerous" to fly in Smart mode with DBS/Itelite antenna?

I won't get into the various possible causes of fly aways but no, it shouldn't fly away if it looses the GPS but you as the pilot are now in full control of the drone. Without GPS the return to home function won't work. This is why I stress, learning how to fly without all of the other automated assists, i.e. Smart Mode. If however you've lost the signal, the Typhoon H should RTH automatically until control signal is reestablished, then the Typhoon H should just hover waiting for control inputs from the ST16 ground station.

I have heard of one instance where the Typhoon H lost signal to the Wizard controller and auto landed but IMHO this probably occurred due to a low battery in addition to the loss of signal. Whether or not the two are related, I don't know.

 

[FlushVision]

...snip>... Without GPS the return to home function won't work. ...<snip>...

gwhuntoon. I used the above quote to put my text into context. My post isn't directed at you but to anyone reading this who is interested.

It depends on whether GPS has been switched off or is not working because it is faulty. So long as the GPS was on and operating correctly at the time of take off then if the aircraft subsequently loses GPS (It has been switched off at some point during the flight) and then loses control signal, the aircraft will return to the last known position of the ST16. This assumes that GPS is just switched off and not suffering from a fault (When you switch GPS off it is still working...just not stabilizing the aircraft). If the GPS is not working because it is faulty and RTH is initiated, then tears will probably be shed.

Return to ST16 with GPS switched off and loss of control signal has been proven in the U.K. since demonstrating Return to ST16 (if using a H) is a requirement of the Operational Assessment of pilots looking to obtain a U.K. remote Pilot's Certificate and gain a CAA PfCO.

I hasten to say that I didn't use a H for my Operational Assessment (I used a P2V+) and I did my assessment before that rule was introduced (When I did mine you could demonstrate RTH with the GPS switched on) so I haven't any first hand experience, but it's what more recent pilots doing the assessment using a H have reported.

 

[Steve Carr]

It depends on whether GPS has been switched off or is not working because it is faulty. So long as the GPS was on and operating correctly at the time of take off then if the aircraft subsequently loses GPS (It has been switched off at some point during the flight) and then loses control signal, the aircraft will return to the last known position of the ST16.

Good information FV. I have never tried it, but it's nice to know that feature. It shows that a programmer somewhere was thinking about all the possibilities when writing the firmware.

 

[FlushVision]

Good information FV. I have never tried it, but it's nice to know that feature. It shows that a programmer somewhere was thinking about all the possibilities when writing the firmware.

In the almost two years that I've had a H480 I've only ever initiated a RTH just once (just a month or so ago) and that was with GPS switched on. I'd been flying less than 500 feet away...normally well within VLOS but my ST16's screen froze and I'd lost sight of it...this sometimes happens if you look away from the aircraft to glance at the screen. Since I didn't have the benefit of the screen to give me an indication on where the aircraft was I initiated RTH. Worked wonderfully.

By the way, the screen freeze was part and parcel of a corrupt video file which subsequently prevented me from building a summary of the flight, and later flights, in Tuna's UAV Toolbox. After a discussion with Tuna via messenger we got it sorted out simply by just deleting that corrupt file.

 

[Vegasrobbi]

Both Smart and Angle modes rely on GPS for positioning so there are similar risks, I almost always take off and land in angle mode.

I'm usually on a narrow trail and and prefer traditional stick inputs. After 40 Years of flying RC I'm accustomed to normal stick inputs even if I'm nose in, I find Smart mode can be confusing. There's been cases where guys walk towards the H in Smart mode and don't understand the H will move away and they consider it a fly away.

I often take off within the Smart circle so flight characteristics are odd in Smart Mode and you cannot fly near yourself if you want to land.

Finally I usually walk about 10 ft to get into my vehicle after takeoff and in the Smart mode the H will follow you, remember Smart mode is also the Follow mode. I would prefer the H to stay where it's at until I am seated in my vehicle.

Once in my vehicle I switch to Smart mode and begin driving. The H is awesome in Smart/ Follow mode.

Lost GPS is a thing of the past with my H. During testing my H always returned to about 20 feet of the Wizard or controller when they were switched off, it didn't matter whether I was in Angle or Smart mode.

Like Pat said if you are a beginner and you fully understand the characteristics of the Smart circle and the Smart mode it can be helpful. If you don't the Smart mode can cause more harm than good with the H following you and unusual stick inputs within the Smart circle.

 

[AveryBadman96]

I use smart mode only after I program with tunas UAV Toolbox program. And I sometimes use return to home as an auto feature when I know my direct does not have any obstructions between where i flip the switch to home keeping in mind my set altitude is above any obstructions. I use this as a lazy way to record video returning to home and I can control video when returning. I turn it off when I get close and switch to angle mode. I honestly never, and will ever take off or land in smart mode.

 

[Rimulator]

Smart move is evil. I accidentally put it on smart mode flying around a property. Trees border the property, but the Typhoon is rock solid. Then I noticed something weird. I pushed right stick forward. It was facing me, 200' away. It slid away a few feet. I released the stick. Before I had a chance to process what happened, I recalled two things.

I figured I could flip it home. If wind was blowing it, it would still come home. I should have.

I instead tried to fly again. I was 6 feet from the tree line, setting up for a sweeping pass over a tennis court. Instead, my beloved typhoon caught a branch as forward stick pushed it away.

It dropped 100', hitting every branch on the way down.

My fault. I allowed someone to distract me, and I did not double check and reset when things did not seem right.

Gimbal, three arms, landing gear and possibly unseen damage. Glad I have YES. Will remember to disable Smart when I get the craft fixed.

 

[PatR]

Smart mode works great when used correctly. Two things often make it appear dangerous. The first is laking full comprehension of how the mode works. The second is our memory in forgetting what mode we are in. Both issues are fairly easy to resolve.

We can read about the mode and learn about it. We can perform preflight actions to establish controller switch positions and periodically touch the flight mode switch during flight to verify the flight mode. As we put time in our systems we develop familiarity with the controls that allows us to verify control conditions with just a touch that does not take our eyes from the aircraft.

 

[rdonson]

The most disconcerting aspect of Smart Mode vs Angle Mode is aircraft orientation with regards to the sticks.

 

[CraigCam]

It’s been a Yuneec thing with the 350 and the Chroma. I never understood how it was supposed to teach you. The only thing that made sense was in case of orientation loss, heading doesn’t matter and you could just stick back to reverse to yourself.

With the H and the green arrow, that’s now less of a problem. In my opinion, smart mode is only for use in watch me and follow me (with or without Real Sense) and it should not be engaged unless you are above immediate obstacles and you are looking at the ship. That way, if you notice unexpected movement, you can flip back too angle mode and not suffer the consequences. If you up your Geo fence limit in smart mode via the GUI, you can lock in at some higher altitudes and have it fly above you faithfully while walking around. It’s a super useful for action like car chasing. I’m amazed at how well it can track from above in smart mode.

 

[PatR]

The mode allows beginners to fly without crashing or not losing the ability to fly back. The rotational position of the aircraft, or relationship of the nose of the aircraft to direction of flight, is irrelevant as the aircraft is slaved to the location of the controller. Both DJI and APM have similar flight modes where aircraft orientation is not relevant to flight direction. Pushing the stick forward will always make the aircraft fly “away”. Pulling the stick back will always bring the aircraft back “home”. Right and left stick function similarly, with all the right stick controls ignoring yaw, the one control function that screws up newbies without fail.

Will the “Smart” or otherwise named “Home” mode teach people how to fly correctly? The answer to that is no but it will allow people without flight skills to “buy and fly”, something critically important to companies that want to generate the most profit possible. Once someone buys the product it becomes a personal decision to explore the flight modes, learn the controls, and become proficient with their aircraft, or not. But they bought and made the seller happy, which was and still is the #1 priority of all businesses selling a product or service. The customer is not and never has been #1, they are in truth a money tree to be picked at every opportunity.

We can use trucks and automobiles and find marketing and features that serve a similar purpose. How many people would not be driving a car if they only equipped them with a standard transmission? The trucking industry pushed for the development of automatic transmissions for the same reason. A shortage of drivers that could operate 12, 15, and 18 gear transmissions, two stick transmissions, and multi speed rear ends required a simple, easier means of shifting gears. Doing that opened the door for a lot of uncoordinated people to fill the driver seats. All they had left to do was learn to back up and set up for the turns. For experienced, skilled multirotor operators the flight modes become “tools” to be used as conditions suit or require. They have to mentally “shift gears” when changing modes to maintain situational awareness.

 

[Vegasrobbi]

Another confusing thing about Smart mode is it is also Follow mode. So you get disoriented and walk towards the H and it moves away.

It would be nice if Follow and head lock were separated.

 

[Mechanikos]

I figured out how to switch the "Smart" mode to the middle position thanks to this forum, and now have the "Angle" mode up top. It makes it easier for takeoff to flip everything forward and know it's ready.

 

[Charmetz]

Thanx Gwhuntoon and Steve Carr.. does it mean that the H will " fly away" in Smart if I loose the signal and GPS? And is it more "dangerous" to fly in Smart mode with DBS/Itelite antenna?

I think that might of happened to me. I took off,hovered for a minute, throttled up a little and the typhoon took off 100 miles an hour horizontally and crashed..