pre Spark arrival Sport mode Q...

[BrianP]

watching a youtube vid about spark and an interesting topic came up...

The vlogger said 'film until about 15% battery life left then switch over to Sport Mode and return quicker than normal mode...'

My Q is: doesn't Sport mode drain the battery quicker and thus cause an issue where the spark is further away, when the battery goes critically low and lands the spark, than if you remain in P mode?

thanks for any help understanding managing battery life and P mode vs Sport mode.

 

[msinger]

doesn't Sport mode drain the battery quicker and thus cause an issue where the spark is further away

Or will P mode make your Spark fly so slowly that it won't be able to make it back to the home point before the battery reaches the critically low level?

It really depends on your flying style, the weather conditions, how far the Spark is from the home point before you start returning home, etc. Play it safe and make sure the Spark is near the home point before the battery is near the critically low level. Watch the battery meter at the top of DJI GO to figure out when you should be heading back to the home point.

 

[BrianP]

Or will P mode make your Spark fly so slowly that it won't be able to make it back to the home point before the battery reaches the critically low level?

It really depends on your flying style, the weather conditions, how far the Spark is from the home point before you start returning home, etc. Play it safe and make sure the Spark is near the home point before the battery is near the critically low level. Watch the battery meter at the top of DJI GO to figure out when you should be heading back to the home point.

Thanks for your input and advice re: battery meter.

 

[AeroMirage]

If you wait till 15% before beginning your return you are rolling the dice.
You will end up crapping out!!

 

[Teq]

Sports mode goes through battery faster. The maximum duration times are from testing at a slower speed. As a previous poster said, 15% is cutting it too close.
A better solution than sports mode for a controlled return is to disable obstacle sensing which gives you a faster speed but not the battery eating 30mph and cuts the power required for avoidance processing.

 

[BrianP]

Sports mode goes through battery faster. The maximum duration times are from testing at a slower speed. As a previous poster said, 15% is cutting it too close.
A better solution than sports mode for a controlled return is to disable obstacle sensing which gives you a faster speed but not the battery eating 30mph and cuts the power required for avoidance processing.

Thanks for the tip!