PSA: Metallic Cages

[RichWest]

So I was going for an epic shot, old hwy bridge turned walking bridge...scenic shot. 1930's truss bridge, iron and steel. Further encased by chain link fencing.

Kind of a PSA for those that question how complicated these devices are and how dependent they are on sensors for stable flight. When you surround the bird in a metal cage bad things can happen.

Started off fine, no sensor issues, light wind and clear skies. Had flown two runs outside the bridge previously. As I was driving forward I had to keep correcting the yaw direction, bird would tick to the right. As I got further into the bridge it was not able hold a line. The controls became fast and any movement was over reactive. The only thing to do was land. When it hit the deck it revved up the motors twice without taking off, I had held the left stick down through out the attempted run away until disarmed.

When it was all over the screen popped up with a magnetic sensor failure. I presume the IMU was falling off as well. This was a sensor failure, an epic failure of the sensor data. No fault of Solo, just my fault for knowing better. No harm - no foul, right? There you go, lesson learned...again.

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[Jubalr]

So I was going for an epic shot, old hwy bridge turned walking bridge...scenic shot. 1930's truss bridge, iron and steel. Further encased by chain link fencing.

Kind of a PSA for those that question how complicated these devices are and how dependent they are on sensors for stable flight. When you surround the bird in a metal cage bad things can happen.

Started off fine, no sensor issues, light wind and clear skies. Had flown two runs outside the bridge previously. As I was driving forward I had to keep correcting the yaw direction, bird would tick to the right. As I got further into the bridge it was not able hold a line. The controls became fast and any movement was over reactive. The only thing to do was land. When it hit the deck it revved up the motors twice without taking off, I had held the left stick down through out the attempted run away until disarmed.

When it was all over the screen popped up with a magnetic sensor failure. I presume the IMU was falling off as well. This was a sensor failure, an epic failure of the sensor data. No fault of Solo, just my fault for knowing better. No harm - no foul, right? There you go, lesson learned...again.

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Nice test Rich. You didn't mention what mode(s) you were using while in the bridge.

 

[bluesgeek]

Nice test Rich. You didn't mention what mode(s) you were using while in the bridge.

Yes, Rich. Do tell.

It would be interesting to know if that was errors in GPS positioning or wind drift that you couldn't control because of interference with the RC commands.

 

[RichWest]

You didn't mention what mode(s) you were using while in the bridge.

Yep, you'd be the one to ask...I was in FLY mode, you busted me....

I'm not sure a FLY Manual flight would have performed differently or better with all the metal surrounding the bird. No question that I had the magnetometer overload. Almost immediately had the bird compensate for the bad compass data by veering to the right. And I never lost GPS lock, as far as I am aware, as I never took my eyes off the bird.

 

[Jubalr]

Yep, you'd be the one to ask...I was in FLY mode, you busted me....

I'm not sure a FLY Manual flight would have performed differently or better with all the metal surrounding the bird. No question that I had the magnetometer overload. Almost immediately had the bird compensate for the bad compass data by veering to the right. And I never lost GPS lock, as far as I am aware, as I never took my eyes off the bird.

Thanks for the clarification. I would assume though that since you were in Fly mode and relying on the Solo for position, you may not have completely lost lock, but accuracy would have been very spotty and quite variable as you flew among the trusses. So you have been fighting it some as it tried to vary where it thought it was. Would like to see the difference in manual if you get a chance to do it again.

I did a similar test when Solo was first released by walking with Solo in dense tree cover. Solo acted similar before it was in enough coverage to lose lock completely and switch to manual.

 

[RichWest]

Would like to see the difference in manual if you get a chance to do it again.

I had attempted the same with my previous bird about two years ago in GPS mode, P2V+ and IIRC it acted the same way, but flipped on landing.

I'm not a tight space flyer, I won't be attempting again in any mode, I think. Too many influences from any wind flowing through the fencing and the wall effect on thrust. It's a complicated flight path that would require hours of manual stick practice to consider another attempt. It would be a great shot however....

 

[Mr GruntHunter]

I had attempted the same with my previous bird about two years ago in GPS mode, P2V+ and IIRC it acted the same way, but flipped on landing.

I'm not a tight space flyer, I won't be attempting again in any mode, I think. Too many influences from any wind flowing through the fencing and the wall effect on thrust. It's a complicated flight path that would require hours of manual stick practice to consider another attempt. It would be a great shot however....

For that kind of shot it would probably be best to mount your gopro onto your vehicle and drive through and then put it back on SOLO and stitch the videos together in post.

 

[bluesgeek]

Thanks for the clarification. I would assume though that since you were in Fly mode and relying on the Solo for position, you may not have completely lost lock, but accuracy would have been very spotty and quite variable as you flew among the trusses. So you have been fighting it some as it tried to vary where it thought it was. Would like to see the difference in manual if you get a chance to do it again.

I did a similar test when Solo was first released by walking with Solo in dense tree cover. Solo acted similar before it was in enough coverage to lose lock completely and switch to manual.

So, would the issue be incorrect GPS positioning or as Rich is saying, bad compass data? I've been led to believe by 3DR support that it is GPS related.

 

[Jubalr]

So, would the issue be incorrect GPS positioning or as Rich is saying, bad compass data? I've been led to believe by 3DR support that it is GPS related.

If you are flying in a GPS assisted mode and accuracy starts to diminish, Solo will try to wander and go to where it 'thinks' it needs to be. I saw this in earlier testing last summer.

 

[bluesgeek]

If you are flying in a GPS assisted mode and accuracy starts to diminish, Solo will try to wander and go to where it 'thinks' it needs to be. I saw this in earlier testing last summer.

Thank you for that verification.

Is this an issue with Solo, or is it inherent in other RTF products in its class (P4, Typhoon H)?

 

[RichWest]

For that kind of shot it would probably be best to mount your gopro onto your vehicle and drive through and then put it back on SOLO and stitch the videos together in post.

LOL, after the flight I walked out with the bird held up high with the video recording. Didn't turn out to well, I was drifting as well....

If you are flying in a GPS assisted mode and accuracy starts to diminish, Solo will try to wander and go to where it 'thinks' it needs to be. I saw this in earlier testing last summer.

I agree with Jubal. It was a massive pilot error compensating for the drift error. Likely FLY:Manual would have been less wonky.

Bottom line, not an unexpected event while in GPS assisted mode and all the metal surroundings in close proximity. The PSA aspect was to warn others that attempt similar or at least what to expect. I was lucky to walk away with my pride hurt that I failed to control the bird through the bridge. I did get farther than my previous attempt....

The motor rev during landing was another lesson, holding the left stick fully down until disarmed saved a potential crash. If I would have let up on the stick, the bird would have been airborne and possibly into the trusses above.

Is this an issue with Solo, or is it inherent in other RTF products in its class (P4, Typhoon H)?

All device that are stabilized by GPS, IMU and Magnometers. Got nothing to do with brand or whether RTF. Bad data in, bad data out....