First (almost) fly away

[roswellj]

Hi Guys,
So I went out today to get some shots of an old convict era village near my house. there is a magnificent sandstone bridge that I wanted to get a shot of flying over. I'll preface this by saying that the bridge has no (or very very limited) metal in it and sparkles was never actually anywhere near it.

I did all my preflight checks including checking for magnetic inteference and making sure it was responding well to all controls
So I sent sparkles up to about 40m from about 200m from the bridge.
I began to head towards the bridge when I got a message saying 'Magnetic filed interference exit p-gps' and then another saying weak gps signal and then it went into ATTI mode. It then banked to the right and began to just drift off into the distance. Initially I panicked but then I quickly realised that it was still responding to the remote. Thankfully it was in line of site so I gently guided it back to directly above me then droped the altitude so that if it took off again it would at least clip a tree and I could try to catch it. As I brought it back everything kicked back in and seemed fine.
I had 15 satelites at the time.

So after this I took it to a wide open cricket field with no metal or any other interference. Started it up, all good, no errors. Flew about 30m away and I had the same warnings and same issue it just started to drift across the field.

I took it back, landed it and recalibrated the compass and for the next half hour I was flying around with no issues.

So my question is what the hell went wrong? Nothing had changed since my last flight and there was no metal or anything around. Surely if there are compass issues that recalibrating seems to have fixed there would be a warning in the app to recalibrate? If it's going to do this how can I trust flying it a few hundred metres away and ever getting it back?

 

[msinger]

So my question is what the hell went wrong?

It sounds like you took off near a magnetic metal object. If you'd like someone to confirm, then upload your DAT flight log to dropbox.com and post a link back here. It'll contain additional details that'll explain what happened. If needed, you can find instructions for retrieving the DAT file here.

Surely if there are compass issues that recalibrating seems to have fixed there would be a warning in the app to recalibrate?

The DJI GO app does not always display a warning when a magnetic metal object is near the compass.

If it's going to do this how can I trust flying it a few hundred metres away and ever getting it back?

Before taking off, take a look at the red aircraft symbol on the aircraft attitude indicator (see the image below) at the bottom, left corner of DJI GO. If the aircraft is not pointing in the correct direction or is slowly spinning on the indicator, that is an indication that something is negatively affecting the compass. Move the Spark to a different location and recheck the aircraft attitude indicator.

 

[roswellj]

Thanks, I will download the DAT file once the batteries are recharged and post.

It is possible it took off near metal as there was a picnic table nearby, probably 5 metres or so.
would that then effect it for all future flights? At the oval I took off in the middle of the ground, no metal for 30metres in any direction then.

 

[msinger]

It is possible it took off near metal as there was a picnic table nearby, probably 5 metres or so.

5 meters is too far away to affect the compass. From tests I've done, the object (if it's small) has to be within at least ~1 foot of the compass. I haven't done any tests with large metal objects, so I'm not sure how much the size of the object changes that distance.

 

[Sparkbart]

Good on you for having a checklist!

I've been flying my Spark for awhile. I took off from a "good" interference free area. I got near what I thought was just a high dirt mound when I got the same type of warnings you did. Since I have experience flying FPV drones and all my AP drones in ATTI mode, I simply kept flying it.

I rose higher above the mound and GPS returned. I thought it an anomaly and approached the mound again. Sure enough same warning and in ATTI mode. I just then flew away and GPS returned. Apparently there is/was some large metal objects buried in the mound...

Sounds like it worked as it should and there might have been some large metal objects near-by. Good job not panicking.

I do have a suggestion. Learn to fly your drone in ATTI mode OR learn to fly drones that don't have GPS just in case what happened to you happens again. While I can't put the Spark in ATTI mode I can do it with some of my other DJI drones and have done so.

I've read on this forum and in the Mavic forum where people will say that the Drone when into ATTI mode and they lost control and could not control the drone. The reality was, they didn't know HOW to control a drone with GPS. It still flew as it should just in ATTI mode which means its gonna drift... People need to learn how deal with that situation.

Buy a 100 buck drone that has no GPS and learn to fly without. It will drift in all directions. It will teach you how to really fly a drone. So when something happens like that again, there is no panic or concern what so ever. You'll know what to do...

Hi Guys,
So I went out today to get some shots of an old convict era village near my house. there is a magnificent sandstone bridge that I wanted to get a shot of flying over. I'll preface this by saying that the bridge has no (or very very limited) metal in it and sparkles was never actually anywhere near it.

I did all my preflight checks including checking for magnetic inteference and making sure it was responding well to all controls
So I sent sparkles up to about 40m from about 200m from the bridge.
I began to head towards the bridge when I got a message saying 'Magnetic filed interference exit p-gps' and then another saying weak gps signal and then it went into ATTI mode. It then banked to the right and began to just drift off into the distance. Initially I panicked but then I quickly realised that it was still responding to the remote. Thankfully it was in line of site so I gently guided it back to directly above me then droped the altitude so that if it took off again it would at least clip a tree and I could try to catch it. As I brought it back everything kicked back in and seemed fine.
I had 15 satelites at the time.

So after this I took it to a wide open cricket field with no metal or any other interference. Started it up, all good, no errors. Flew about 30m away and I had the same warnings and same issue it just started to drift across the field.

I took it back, landed it and recalibrated the compass and for the next half hour I was flying around with no issues.

So my question is what the hell went wrong? Nothing had changed since my last flight and there was no metal or anything around. Surely if there are compass issues that recalibrating seems to have fixed there would be a warning in the app to recalibrate? If it's going to do this how can I trust flying it a few hundred metres away and ever getting it back?

 

[msinger]

I've read on this forum and in the Mavic forum where people will say that the Drone when into ATTI mode and they lost control and could not control the drone. The reality was, they didn't know HOW to control a drone with GPS.

That's true in some cases. However, when the compass is not performing as expected (like in the OP's story above), the Spark is not going to fly like a normal DJI drone flies when manually switching to ATTI mode. Not even a $100 drone could prepare you for such a situation.

 

[nutsnbolts]

That's true in some cases. However, when the compass is not performing as expected (like in the OP's story above), the Spark is not going to fly like a normal DJI drone flies when manually switching to ATTI mode. Not even a $100 drone could prepare you for such a situation.

Is there a good website, video or checklist that someone can share for a newbie? Something that everyone should always do before flying? I'm waiting for my Sparks and Mavic pro platinum to arrive and I have anxiety that this fly away will happen. At least at some point in my drones life.

If there was a song and dance that is expected before flight please share.

 

[msinger]

Is there a good website, video or checklist that someone can share for a newbie?

Here are some things you should dive into before attempting to fly your Spark:

• Spark Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• DJI GO Manual
• Firmware Update Instructions
• Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
• Tips for Avoiding a Crash
• Worldwide Drone Regulations
• Spark-Help.com (lots of Spark tips & accessories)

And, some additional things for your Mavic:

• Mavic Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• Firmware Update Instructions
• MavicHelp.com (lots of Mavic tips & accessories)

Something that everyone should always do before flying?

Here are a few key things to check before every flight:

• Make sure the Mavic battery is fully charged
• Make sure the Mavic battery is snapped into the aircraft properly (so it does not disconnect or fall out mid-flight)
• Make sure the Mavic remote controller & your mobile device are sufficiently charged
  
• Inspect the props carefully to ensure they are not damaged & are properly attached
• Double-check your RTH Altitude in DJI GO to ensure it's set higher than all obstacles in the flying area

 

[nutsnbolts]

Here are some things you should dive into before attempting to fly your Spark:

• Spark Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• DJI GO Manual
• Firmware Update Instructions
• Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
• Tips for Avoiding a Crash
• Worldwide Drone Regulations
• Spark-Help.com (lots of Spark tips & accessories)

And, some additional things for your Mavic:

• Mavic Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• Firmware Update Instructions
• MavicHelp.com (lots of Mavic tips & accessories)

Here are a few key things to check before every flight:

• Make sure the Mavic battery is fully charged
• Make sure the Mavic battery is snapped into the aircraft properly (so it does not disconnect or fall out mid-flight)
• Make sure the Mavic remote controller & your mobile device are sufficiently charged
  
• Inspect the props carefully to ensure they are not damaged & are properly attached
• Double-check your RTH Altitude in DJI GO to ensure it's set higher than all obstacles in the flying area

Thanks I expect to be doing a lot of reading for the next several days before flying.

 

[Spark 317]

I'm waiting for my Sparks and Mavic pro platinum to arrive and I have anxiety that this fly away will happen.

Fly the Spark and if it gets away from you, send the Mavic for a rescue mission.

 

[lotusteve]

wha

It sounds like you took off near a magnetic metal object. If you'd like someone to confirm, then upload your DAT flight log to dropbox.com and post a link back here. It'll contain additional details that'll explain what happened. If needed, you can find instructions for retrieving the DAT file here.


The DJI GO app does not always display a warning when a magnetic metal object is near the compass.


Before taking off, take a look at the red aircraft symbol on the aircraft attitude indicator (see the image below) at the bottom, left corner of DJI GO. If the aircraft is not pointing in the correct direction or is slowly spinning on the indicator, that is an indication that something is negatively affecting the compass. Move the Spark to a different location and recheck the aircraft attitude indicator.

View attachment 2015[/QUOT
whats the small white triangle for at the top of the radar ?.

 

[msinger]

wha

Huh?