The way I see it, he sacrificed his drone to share his experience 
I'm amazed the drone was able to fly again lol
I'm amazed the drone was able to fly again lol
Stuck above the clouds/fog
- Thread starter Micah Smith
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NUFan
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It's GOOD to tell stories about accidents/incidents. We all learn from them...in a few ways:
1) We learn what might happen when the "envelope" is pushed (purposefully or accidentally)...weather...performance of the aircraft, performance of the battery, range of the radio, etc.
2) We learn ways to possibly get out of a jam if we find ourselves in that same situation...which sometimes happens no matter how careful a pilot is trying to be. weather can change quickly...a wind can come up...a battery or other hardware item might fail, etc.
3) The manufacturer may be alerted to a part than needs improved, software that needs changed, etc.
Good pilots TELL stories like this, because they know it might help another pilot in the future.
The point is to learn from mistakes, and integrate whatever we know with what other pilots know or have experienced, along with manufacturer guidelines, FAA guidelines and rules, etc., to be able to fly as safely as possible.
In fact, it's SO important to be able to pass these stories around, that the FAA, along with the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), a long time ago created a system where pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, etc, could report issues and incidents ANONYMOUSLY, so that the teller of the story didn't have to worry about being embarrassed, ostracized, or found guilty of breaking some rule.
I might actually suggest that the moderators create a way to post these kinds of stories anonymously, so anyone can come forward and have to fear reprisal from other forum members, the public, or whatever regulating body.
Of course remember that the FAA still requires certain kinds of reporting when flying under part 107:
Report an Accident (Part 107) – Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)
1) We learn what might happen when the "envelope" is pushed (purposefully or accidentally)...weather...performance of the aircraft, performance of the battery, range of the radio, etc.
2) We learn ways to possibly get out of a jam if we find ourselves in that same situation...which sometimes happens no matter how careful a pilot is trying to be. weather can change quickly...a wind can come up...a battery or other hardware item might fail, etc.
3) The manufacturer may be alerted to a part than needs improved, software that needs changed, etc.
Good pilots TELL stories like this, because they know it might help another pilot in the future.
The point is to learn from mistakes, and integrate whatever we know with what other pilots know or have experienced, along with manufacturer guidelines, FAA guidelines and rules, etc., to be able to fly as safely as possible.
In fact, it's SO important to be able to pass these stories around, that the FAA, along with the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), a long time ago created a system where pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, etc, could report issues and incidents ANONYMOUSLY, so that the teller of the story didn't have to worry about being embarrassed, ostracized, or found guilty of breaking some rule.
I might actually suggest that the moderators create a way to post these kinds of stories anonymously, so anyone can come forward and have to fear reprisal from other forum members, the public, or whatever regulating body.
Of course remember that the FAA still requires certain kinds of reporting when flying under part 107:
Report an Accident (Part 107) – Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)
If you launch your Sparky from a moving anything make sure you're not in beginner mode and know how to get out if it.
It is good to know that the laser distance sensor behave this way and that it cannot be disabled, unfortunately. Thanks for sharing.
GPS is not used for altitude, too unreliable. Barometer is mainly used for general altitude control. But when the laser vertical sensor give a value (this depend on the kind of soil, 5-10m) (15-30 feet) , it is also used. If the returned value is bellow 30 cm (1 feet) it turn as a ground proximity alarm. Try to put your hand bellow that range under the Spark (like palm landing) when it is hovering, it will goes up.
When you manually land (full stick down), it will stop at that distance and then do an automatic landing.
There was a thread were the Spark auto landed just because it's laser sensor was reporting it was near the ground.
When you manually land (full stick down), it will stop at that distance and then do an automatic landing.
There was a thread were the Spark auto landed just because it's laser sensor was reporting it was near the ground.
Mikel Manitius
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Two points, none of which you will like:
1. DJI's manual says not to fly in fog
2. If you are in the US then the FAA's rules prohibit flying in fog and clouds
(clouds explicitly and fog because you lose "line of sight")
Oxybubble
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God your answer is boring and predictable. You must really smooth iron your underwear.
Are we sure?
I saw a video (
Good question, never really tested it, only heard about it, and seems to me compatible to what I have observed as I fly most of time without obstacle avoidance.
I will do a test to confirm that it cannot be disabled (IMO).
I can confirm that the vertical laser sensor is not disabled when OA (Obstacle Avoidance) is disabled, only the front sensor is not used to stop Spark. All with latest fw/Go4 app for android.
- It still report altitude (which was expected).
- It stop going down when it reach about 30 cm (1 ft). Forcing it result in auto-landing.
- When hovering at some altitude, if an object (my hand) goes bellow the Spark it will climb if the object raise it to keep a distance of 20-30 cm.
One thing I have to know, I think you said you contacted dji and another unit is on the way? Somehow, either you have an inside person you contacted, or you went around the protocol dji has for replacement. So please enlighten us. Ron
MedicineMan4004
Well-Known Member
Speaking of property damage, how many here have liability insurance?
On insurance I bought into the DJI care package but also put a rider on my Spark at State Farm for loss/theft/landing in a lake.
On insurance I bought into the DJI care package but also put a rider on my Spark at State Farm for loss/theft/landing in a lake.
Mandatory in Switzerland for drone starting from 0.5 kg. It is an extension of our home insurance and is very cheap.
In general it is better to have it as the Spark contains a LiPo battery and it can potentially initiate a fire in case of severe crash or it could crash on a car in activity, ...
MedicineMan4004
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the test. However, my question related to disabling the VPS (visual positioning system or so), not obstacle avoidance. Can be switched off in the Mavic, not sure about the Spark though.
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