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Return to home RTH

robinh

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Is there a reason why the ANAFI doesn't descend as it is returning to home? This would make the return a lot quicker and save battery. It could still enforce the minimum RTH height.
 
Rth altitude is set prior to take off. The pilot ensure this height is high enough to clear obstacles.... if the drone descends on its rth then how would it know it will be able to avoid the obstacles you were trying to fly over... in a large field descending would not be a problem. But the majority of pilots need to ensure the aircraft safety by setting an altitude for rth higher than the obstacles they will be operating over. And the drone should always take off with no overhead obstructions.
 
I had a RTH minimum height of 20 m and I was up at 150 m. It traversed to the home point at 150 m then descended. It would have been much quicker and used less energy if it had descended as it traversed. This is particularly true when it is RTH against the wind as the wind tends to be faster at higher altitudes.
 
I had a RTH minimum height of 20 m and I was up at 150 m. It traversed to the home point at 150 m then descended. It would have been much quicker and used less energy if it had descended as it traversed. This is particularly true when it is RTH against the wind as the wind tends to be faster at higher altitudes.

What you are asking is not a common problem for UAV operators and makes the return trip back home dangerous. I have several different UAV's and none of them give you that option as the manufactures have not seen a need for it. You might be able to program that into the 3D solo but I really don't see why anyone would want such a function.
 
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Thanks for your contribution.
If you're saying that making the return trip at or above the minimum RTH height is dangerous then you'll need to explain that as it is too subtle for me.
I already explained why I wanted the function.
 
Thanks for your contribution.
If you're saying that making the return trip at or above the minimum RTH height is dangerous then you'll need to explain that as it is too subtle for me.
I already explained why I wanted the function.

Maybe I am wrong but from what you said your flight went to the RTH height that you had programed into the APP. Corroct?
Then you said you wanted the App to use a descending flight back to the home point. Correct?
If so this is a disaster looking to happen. Anything that is above the descending flight path and in the way will and trust me it will end your flight very fast.
 
Maybe I am wrong but from what you said your flight went to the RTH height that you had programed into the APP. Corroct?
Then you said you wanted the App to use a descending flight back to the home point. Correct?
If so this is a disaster looking to happen. Anything that is above the descending flight path and in the way will and trust me it will end your flight very fast.
I don't think you read my original or subsequent posts correctly "It could still enforce the minimum RTH height"
The descent/traverse would always be above the minimum set height.
 
Can't you cancel RTH, reduce height to the level which is okay and select RTH again.
P.S. 120M limit in the UK
Ahh, typo, I meant 120 m. Actually as it is 120 m above the surface, it is possible to set the operating ceiling above that and still comply, if you are flying up hill. Another reason to descend on the RTH, though that would always need to be set with consideration of gradient and obstacles.
You're right that you can reduce height then select RTH, but descending is a slow process in itself. Your solution would help with wind but it would be fighting the wind as it dropped unless you are manually steering it home at the same time, but then you're just reproducing what could be an automatic and better controlled flight.
LOL why did I ever start this thread.
 
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why did I ever start this thread.
To get different opinions on your question that is why you started the thread. Not saying mine is right but at least you got to see how others view your problem.
Never be afraid to post a question, we are not experts here but can give you some feed back to maybe help you out. That way we all learn ;)
 
An automated RTH that does not take terrain altitude into account will always have a fail scenario - high altitude winds, terrain collision or flying into illegal air space. It would be nice if the Anafi could load terrain height along with the google maps. You could then set a minimum height geofence based on terrain. An automated RTH can then use the minimum terrain geofence height as the return path.
 
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I too think that such a descending RTH would be a guaranteed crash. Usually, flights are done in heights between 0 and maybe 100 meters if the drone inits a rth and starts to descend, the chance of an obstacle in its path is very high and the gained benefit of maybe a small percentage of served battery not worth the cost.
 
Touch and fly will do what you want, just press your landing spot on the map and set the altitude to descend to.

Personally if I were worried about having enough power to make it back, I’d be descending first to get down where the wind speed was lower if I was flying into the wind to get back, but ideally you’ve got the drone upwind and flying back with the wind, so being higher will assist getting home, then descending is just hovering badly until you’re on the ground which doesn’t require much battery anyway.
 
Experience has shown me the same thing - fly home with the wind. Also fly home manually keeping the altitude as circumstances dictate. If you're flying away down a hill then it makes little sense to rise to a RTH height to come home (particularly if you can't help the wind direction and it is against you).
 

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