Warning!!!

[SparkyUser]

I was flying my spark a couple days ago and it was pretty foggy. No problem, i did not need VLOS since smart spark had plenty satelites. (Sidenote, had anyone had more than 31?) But then the altitude started goofing on me, saying it was 0.3 m (1 ft) to the ground. Once again, i was not worried because i knew i was well clear of any obstacles. But a couple seconds later i heard "Maximum flight altitude reached" somehow it lifted itself over 100 meter (300 ft) higher. Luckly, i was just about able to get it back down, but the super slow 150 m drop took 68% of my battery life...

Does anyone know if you can turn off these groundsensors? If you cant, DO NOT FLY IN THE FOG!
Imagine it had thought it had touched down on the ground, and turning off it props....

 

[msinger]

Does anyone know if you can turn off these groundsensors?

There is no setting in DJI GO to disable the downward sensors. It's possible to disable them in Litchi. After they have been disabled, you can close Litchi and switch back to DJI GO.

 

[Andre Levite]

I was flying my spark a couple days ago and it was pretty foggy. No problem, i did not need VLOS since smart spark had plenty satelites. (Sidenote, had anyone had more than 31?) But then the altitude started goofing on me, saying it was 0.3 m (1 ft) to the ground. Once again, i was not worried because i knew i was well clear of any obstacles. But a couple seconds later i heard "Maximum flight altitude reached" somehow it lifted itself over 100 meter (300 ft) higher. Luckly, i was just about able to get it back down, but the super slow 150 m drop took 68% of my battery life...

Does anyone know if you can turn off these groundsensors? If you cant, DO NOT FLY IN THE FOG!
Imagine it had thought it had touched down on the ground, and turning off it props....

This must be a foggy time of year because that same issue has been coming up every 2 weeks. Fog is very tempting but as you have seen it can be dangerous...

If you turn off the ground sensors in Litchi be very careful to go extra slow on final descent -- you could have a hard impact on landing without benefit of sensors.

And if you are flying in DJI Go it's best to avoid fog altogether (page 46).

 

[ChristoffB]

I also had issues flying in fog. Not a good idea!

 

[Spark 317]

DO NOT FLY IN THE FOG!

Hello from the Hoosier Heartland, SparkyUser.

Here are some threads concerning the fog and the stories that go with it.

It's beautiful to fly above, but there may be risks in doing so.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Mr Geek]

One note about the Spark and the Altitude data shown in the DJI Go app is it always shows the vertical differential between the Spark and the point of take off, not the ground you are flying over. For example if you take off from a raised knoll/hill and ascend to 30-feet and then fly level away from the knoll/hill, as the ground drops down/away the DJI Go app will continue to show an altitude of 30-feet. I am sure most users know this, but I thought it was worth mentioning here since not realizing this could cause problems when flying in poor visibility.

 

[Biggmoinc]

One note about the Spark and the Altitude data shown in the DJI Go app is it always shows the vertical differential between the Spark and the point of take off, not the ground you are flying over. For example if you take off from a raised knoll/hill and ascend to 30-feet and then fly level away from the knoll/hill, as the ground drops down/away the DJI Go app will continue to show an altitude of 30-feet. I am sure most users know this, but I thought it was worth mentioning here since not realizing this could cause problems when flying in poor visibility.

Didn't that, thank u sir, here in delaware its sea level across the whole state lol

 

[Mr Geek]

Yes, it's something I didn't realize at first either. Well in your flat land situation it's definitely not a big deal,. What a beautiful place you call home.

Have fun flying!

 

[Mfenech]

Found out the hard way. Was flying 5m up a slow slope and it crashed into some shrub. Was flying sport mode so sensors were off. Took a long time to find... Is there an option to make the spark beep on command, would have been easier to find it in the shrubbery.

 

[Biggmoinc]

Found out the hard way. Was flying 5m up a slow slope and it crashed into some shrub. Was flying sport mode so sensors were off. Took a long time to find... Is there an option to make the spark beep on command, would have been easier to find it in the shrubbery.

Dji app, top right drop down menu, find drone, I believe you can select beeping or lights flash

 

[Mfenech]

Mine does not seem to have that option. I'm on the latest app and with the. Spark. Drone

 

[Spark 317]

Mine does not seem to have that option. I'm on the latest app and with the. Spark. DroneView attachment 8603

According to this post from DJI's Forum, the menu should be available when in the area of the lost Spark.

If you are in the area where the app says your drone is located you can select the drone and it will pull up another menu. Here you can select whether to make your escs start beeping or turn the drones lights on. This is accomplished by simply selecting the icon of the drone and choosing which option you would like. Here is what you can expect to hear from the Spark Mavic Pro and Inspire 2…

 

[Mfenech]

Yes it worked. Thank you.

 

[CAG_ONE]

I was flying my spark a couple days ago and it was pretty foggy. No problem, i did not need VLOS since smart spark had plenty satelites. (Sidenote, had anyone had more than 31?) But then the altitude started goofing on me, saying it was 0.3 m (1 ft) to the ground. Once again, i was not worried because i knew i was well clear of any obstacles. But a couple seconds later i heard "Maximum flight altitude reached" somehow it lifted itself over 100 meter (300 ft) higher. Luckly, i was just about able to get it back down, but the super slow 150 m drop took 68% of my battery life...

Does anyone know if you can turn off these groundsensors? If you cant, DO NOT FLY IN THE FOG!
Imagine it had thought it had touched down on the ground, and turning off it props....

I saw a YouTube video of a guy in London who had the same issue with his Spark. It is my understanding that it is a built in safety mechanism hardwired into the drone and cannot be disabled. It isn’t recommended that you fly in that weather anyway because the cooling fans suck all that moisture into the interior where sensitive electronics can be damaged over time.

 

[The Helmet]

In summer 2018 june early am was beutiful an sunny in front of me but behind over the castle above some 150 feet a low bank of flowing fog came over and my spark in front some 160 feet above announced emergency landing 4 or 5 times I proceeded to land cautiously untill the fog dissapaited ,I had no idea what was going on untill I got home and asked the question answer Never Fly In Fog ! Iwill take the advice given as well as all should

 

[rickmcp]

I was flying my spark a couple days ago and it was pretty foggy. No problem, i did not need VLOS since smart spark had plenty satelites. (Sidenote, had anyone had more than 31?) But then the altitude started goofing on me, saying it was 0.3 m (1 ft) to the ground. Once again, i was not worried because i knew i was well clear of any obstacles. But a couple seconds later i heard "Maximum flight altitude reached" somehow it lifted itself over 100 meter (300 ft) higher. Luckly, i was just about able to get it back down, but the super slow 150 m drop took 68% of my battery life...

Does anyone know if you can turn off these groundsensors? If you cant, DO NOT FLY IN THE FOG!
Imagine it had thought it had touched down on the ground, and turning off it props....

I think that’s the reason for Visual Line Of Sight. If you can’t see it you are depending on sensors which can fail.

Rick.