Experiences with flying around larger objects

[Jeroen van Craaikamp]

I know i should always keep the inspire in line of sight when flying. I was wondering: If DJI would bring out firmware that would allow to circle around a Point of Interest, wouldn't that object interfere with the signal between drone and controller (of v.v.) if the object sits between drone and pilot? If that object is higher than 20 meters and the signal would get lost, wouldn't that be asking for the drone to crash straight into that object on "Return to Home?"

To some extend i guess the signal bends slightly around an object. Most likely the larger the object, or the further away, the larger the chance on loss of signal. What do you think is a good practice or a rule of thumb to stick to? Have you flown an standard-I1 arround objects: if so how far were they away from the controller and how big were they?

 

[Kilrah]

You should be in direct line of sight, i.e. above the object you're flying around of if it's that big.

 

[DaBone]

Yes, you can lose the signal and RTH activates. But RTH can be set at a height of your choice. So if you know you have a house or objects which is 20m high, then you can usefully set RTH to 30m or even 50m as standard.

As Kilrah says, you should be in direct line of sight. But sometimes it is good to have set the RTH hight.. if you not already done so.

 

[Jeroen van Craaikamp]

Klirah, I like your logic: If one stand on top of an object, even if one flies around it, you can keep the drone in sight and nothing will come between object and drone. Whether the owner of the property will appreciate it if a hobby pilot climbs on top of his dutch windmill is doubtful Maybe in this case the best thing to do is to relocate the pilot and make multiple shots from different positions. This point of view does make the new IOC-POI feature a bit useless, unless if the POI route is an auto-pilot route that does not require drone-controller contact.

DaBone: your recommendation makes perfect sense to me. Up to now i have used 20m height for RTH. I will set it to 50 meter, as you recommended. The extra time to do a RTH via 50meter is approx. 20 seconds longer compared to a RTH on 20 meters height. The extra 20 seconds will not make much difference on the battery. If I reduce the wait time above Home from 15 seconds to 5 seconds, half of the lost time is regained. It is highly unlikely that i will hit anything travelling horizontally at 50 meter height in the lowlands.

Thanks for the tips.