Takeoff location?
What are the implications of the "Takeoff Location" selected.
What if it the actual does not match?
How does the craft move from actual take off spot to the shown Approach location: straight line (where one has to avoid intervening obstacles or vertical first and then horizontal?
What happens if on ignores any Takeoff location consideration at all. With other programs/apps I found it safest to takeoff,and then rise high enough to clear any obstacles between there and the first WP. Then I would initiate the mission. Last WP was always above landing point, with manual landing. Found this approach to be the safest.
Are there safeguards to avoid loading a plan that is located outside the flight envelope of the craft. Once loaded one that was in a neighboring state and wondered why the craft was on "fly away path"!
I know I ask a lot of questions, but until the documentation catches up I need to to avoid the negative consequences of erroneous assumptions.
Thanks,
Greg
Comments
11 comments
It is just a point that the interface uses to show where the plan is on a map (when in a list) and also to render a line from to the first position in the plan.
If you want it to mean more, you have to select "Specific Area" for "Takeoff Restriction" in the Plan settings. This puts a geo bound around the takeoff location to ensure that the pilot actually starts the mission from a specific ground coordinate (since all the altitudes are currently measured above takeoff location - ATL).
The safety mechanism comes in to play with the other control you referenced - the above and below options on Destination component. The default is -15ft below, meaning that if your first component is at 100ft, the drone will takeoff and fly to 85 straight up first before it heads to the first point.
In all cases, is the RTH GPS location always set to where ever the drone actually launches from?
Dronelink doesn't change RTH location. It assumes the firmware sets it when the drone powers on, or that you do it in DJI GO before using Dronelink. Open to creating a command that allows setting the home point, which could be interesting as this would allow setting multiple rally points.
That is a tough call. If it was miss set a RTH could end up badly Options are nice; some can get you in trouble.
Jim, assume I'm a noob (cause it's true).
I have a Mavic Air. If I walk out to the park today, and start flying immediately with Dronelink, then hit RTH, is my Mavic going to hare off to the south, trying to fly a few thousand km to another country because that's the last place I flew it...
Or will the Mavic Air automatically set a home point when Dronelink commands it to launch?
I say this as a compliment -- I think you underestimate how much faith we noobs put in you smart guys to look after us in these ways. I have only a vague idea how my MA knows where to land, and no clue at all whether it's the drone that decides to set that point, or the controller, or the software, or the whimsical decisions of nearby tree fairies.
I've been leaning towards the fairies lately, because the home point is often quite a ways (2m) from where it took off, usually in the direction of a nearby tree. The inference is obvious.
I'm sorry for asking for hand-holding, but I'm flying in a large park in a city. The MA is quite capable of reaching places it shouldn't be... like flying over the President's Palace just across the river. I'm just a little paranoid about predictability right now, because I haven't used Dronelink in the field yet.
You may want to check out DJI's documentation on RTH functionality. TLDR: DJI's firmware automatically sets the home point to the first valid GPS coordinate the drone receives after powering it on, and Dronelink does not change this. We are thinking about adding a Home Point command to allow users to create rally points, and we are also going to add a home point icon to the map in the flight dashboard so you can be sure the home point is correct. If you need to change the home point, you have to do this in DJI GO at this time.
I don’t believe the Air has Precision Landing, so within a few feet is usually considered a good result. There’s a need to wait for the drone to capture GPS and then set its Home Point before flying away from the launch/TO location (whether hand or ground). The really accurate RTH is only available as far as I know on the Pros and above, and even then, only works if one follows the instructions and ascends vertically to 7m before moving horizontally.
"It is just a point that the interface uses to show where the plan is on a map (when in a list) and also to render a line from to the first position in the plan."
Does this mean that if I do not place a "Specific Area" take off restriction that I could take off where desired and aircraft would ascend to the starting altitude and then traverse to mission start location? I.e it doesn't matter the length of the dotted line; the bottom point of the purple plan icon doesn't need to be my launch point?
Thank you.
You got it. Just remember the part about actual Take Off Location being the basis for all subsequent altitude settings.
I see in your comment a year ago you were open to creating a command to set the home point, was that implemented or was nothing done on it?
Still on the drawing board.
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