Freeskies not on App Store?

[GadgetGuy]

I definitely agree with you on that one. In theory it shouldn't matter what program sends the commands just so long as theyre speaking the same language as the Inspire so to speak, but I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind that I'm sending $5-grand out on trust that ANY app is going to bring it back, and the fact is that I still haven't had the courage to trust that task to any software - not even DJI's.
$40 might be cheap relative to a $5k UAV, but it doesn't mean I'm rich enough to play lightly with a $5k investment either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly! Well said! Although I feel better about DJI's deep pockets in the event of a bug in DJI GO which causes a crash, than in a start-up company, underfunded and underinsured, hoping a handful of volunteer beta testers catch all their bugs!

 

[FreeSkies Inc.]

Hi guys,

Great concerns. We understand the risks associated with using autonomous applications, let alone trusting DJI's hardware. We don't intend for CoPilot to be the final answer in autonomous control, but we would like to think it's a great first step to full autonomous control while improving safety and reliability.

Of all of our beta testers, and current users, we haven't received notice of a single crash yet. We understand with an early application there are a few minor bugs related to design to use, but the functionality and safety has always been a top priority. CoPilot achieves that by still giving you full control at any time. By switching the mode or aborting the mission, you will immediately assume manual control, the same amount of time it would take to manually correct.

With a $5K investment, we understand it would be difficult to trust the application, but we suggest easing into CoPilot by testing smaller quicker missions to get a feel for it. Many of our testers feel as though CoPilot is still a much better alternative to using DJI GO.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi guys,

Great concerns. We understand the risks associated with using autonomous applications, let alone trusting DJI's hardware. We don't intend for CoPilot to be the final answer in autonomous control, but we would like to think it's a great first step to full autonomous control while improving safety and reliability.

Of all of our beta testers, and current users, we haven't received notice of a single crash yet. We understand with an early application there are a few minor bugs related to design to use, but the functionality and safety has always been a top priority. CoPilot achieves that by still giving you full control at any time. By switching the mode or aborting the mission, you will immediately assume manual control, the same amount of time it would take to manually correct.

With a $5K investment, we understand it would be difficult to trust the application, but we suggest easing into CoPilot by testing smaller quicker missions to get a feel for it. Many of our testers feel as though CoPilot is still a much better alternative to using DJI GO.

Just to clarify, by "giving you full manual control" in the event of a problem, you mean through the use of the transmitter only and visual LOS, with no assistance from DJI GO or any FPV or flight metrics, or even your app?

 

[FreeSkies Inc.]

Hi Gadget Guy,

Full Manual Control means that the drone will hover in place and you can use the transmitter to fly it back. You will still have FPV and flight metrics to guide it back using CoPilot, similar to the DJI GO app.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi Gadget Guy,

Full Manual Control means that the drone will hover in place and you can use the transmitter to fly it back. You will still have FPV and flight metrics to guide it back using CoPilot, similar to the DJI GO app.

That's good. What happens if an undesired RTH situation is encountered? Is the transmitter RTH button the only way to stop it from within Freeskies?

 

[FreeSkies Inc.]

An undesired RTH, as in it initiates RTH by itself and you want to stop it?

If this is the case, it means that either the transmitter has lost signal, is low on battery, the phantom or inspire is low on battery, or some other situation. You may want to let it finish the RTH in this case. You can also switch the modes on the controller to stop RTH or use the button on the transmitter. There is no way to initiate RTH from within CoPilot, only Abort Mission and have it hover in place. RTH will automatically initiate if one of those conditions I'd mentioned earlier are met. You would have to use the modes or the RTH button on the controller.

 

[GadgetGuy]

An undesired RTH, as in it initiates RTH by itself and you want to stop it?

If this is the case, it means that either the transmitter has lost signal, is low on battery, the phantom or inspire is low on battery, or some other situation. You may want to let it finish the RTH in this case. You can also switch the modes on the controller to stop RTH or use the button on the transmitter. There is no way to initiate RTH from within CoPilot, only Abort Mission and have it hover in place. RTH will automatically initiate if one of those conditions I'd mentioned earlier are met. You would have to use the modes or the RTH button on the controller.

I said exactly what I meant: undesired RTH. Not all RTH's are beneficial. Perhaps you are unaware that a RTH initiated within 20 meters of the Home Point causes an Autoland in place, which on a pier over water or on a deck above a grove of tree tops would be disastrous. I frequently fly in both of those circumstances. So, now that we have that out of the way, I understand how to stop an RTH using the RTH button on the controller, but how would simply switching modes stop an RTH?

 

[FreeSkies Inc.]

Hi GadgetGuy,

Switching modes while in CoPilot cuts the CoPilot autonomous waypoint navigation, even during RTH. DJI's SDK was designed so that whenever you switch out of F mode, the waypoint navigation is cut, and it will just hover in place. This would be the most effective way to stop an undesired RTH.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi GadgetGuy,

Switching modes while in CoPilot cuts the CoPilot autonomous waypoint navigation, even during RTH. DJI's SDK was designed so that whenever you switch out of F mode, the waypoint navigation is cut, and it will just hover in place. This would be the most effective way to stop an undesired RTH.

Wouldn't a P3P triggered RTH survive and override any software navigation cut default of a hover mode? Even if it didn't, as soon as it is in hover mode, wouldn't the P3P would then immediately retrigger another RTH, requiring use of the RTH cancel function on the transmitter anyway?

Will a CoPilot mission complete, even if the transmitter signal is lost during the mission, such that it overrides a transmitter initiated RTH due to signal loss? If not, what does happen?

 

[FreeSkies Inc.]

Hi GadgetGuy,

There might be a miscommunication. While in CoPilot, switching modes on the transmitter will override any software navigation. It will not initiate a RTH. The only way to trigger the RTH manually would be to push the RTH button on the controller.

In the case of transmitter signal loss, your P3P will RTH automatically.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi GadgetGuy,

There might be a miscommunication. While in CoPilot, switching modes on the transmitter will override any software navigation. It will not initiate a RTH. The only way to trigger the RTH manually would be to push the RTH button on the controller.

In the case of transmitter signal loss, your P3P will RTH automatically.

Let me try again. You stated that switching modes was a way to cancel an already triggered RTH. We are not looking to trigger a RTH, but to cancel one, and you stated that switching modes while in CoPilot would result in a Hover in place, which you said was another way to cancel a triggered RTH, without resorting to using the RTH button on the transmitter to cancel the already triggered RTH. I believe you are mistaken about that, which is why I asked my question. The only way to cancel an already triggered RTH is to use the transmitter button to cancel it, right? Also, will CoPilot complete its mission even if the transmitter signal is lost? Your statement above implies that it will not complete its mission, but will instead RTH.

 

[lake_flyer]

If you toggle the flight mode switch RTH is cancelled. That has nothing to do with any app. It works just like it always worked on all Phantoms since the release of the P1.

 

[GadgetGuy]

If you toggle the flight mode switch RTH is cancelled. That has nothing to do with any app. It works just like it always worked on all Phantoms since the release of the P1.

The Inspire and P3P both have a dedicated RTH button on their RC, unlike all the other aircraft you cited, which is specifically designed to initiate and cancel RTH functions. Do you own an Inspire or P3P RC, and do you know for a fact that toggling the flight mode switch to cancel RTH also still works on them? If so, good to know, but it's news to me.

 

[FreeSkies Inc.]

The Inspire and P3P both have a dedicated RTH button on their RC, unlike all the other aircraft you cited, which is specifically designed to initiate and cancel RTH functions. Do you own an Inspire or P3P RC, and do you know for a fact that toggling the flight mode switch to cancel RTH also still works on them? If so, good to know, but it's news to me.

Hi GadgetGuy,

When a CoPilot mission is completed (aka when last keyframe is reached) CoPilot automatically initiates a RTH. Now to launch a CoPilot mission you must be in "F" mode, so switching into "P" mode at any time during the mission will cancel the mission, cause your drone to hover in place, and give you full manual control. However, if you allow the mission to finish, the RTH that initiates after the last keyframe does so while you are still in "F" mode. Now pressing the RTH button on the main controller will cancel the already initiated RTH OR switching into "P" mode will also cancel the RTH. So you can cancel an RTH by switching modes while using CoPilot.

I have not played with switching modes during a normal RTH so I cannot offer any advice there.

Because the failsafe "low battery" and "loss of radio" RTH's are triggered by DJI firmware, we cannot override these. So, should you loose controller radio signal the failsafe RTH will still be triggered. This is not the case for lost of video signal, only radio control signal.

Hope this helps and happy to answer any other questions you may have!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi GadgetGuy,

When a CoPilot mission is completed (aka when last keyframe is reached) CoPilot automatically initiates a RTH. Now to launch a CoPilot mission you must be in "F" mode, so switching into "P" mode at any time during the mission will cancel the mission, cause your drone to hover in place, and give you full manual control. However, if you allow the mission to finish, the RTH that initiates after the last keyframe does so while you are still in "F" mode. Now pressing the RTH button on the main controller will cancel the already initiated RTH OR switching into "P" mode will also cancel the RTH. So you can cancel an RTH by switching modes while using CoPilot.

I have not played with switching modes during a normal RTH so I cannot offer any advice there.

Because the failsafe "low battery" and "loss of radio" RTH's are triggered by DJI firmware, we cannot override these. So, should you loose controller radio signal the failsafe RTH will still be triggered. This is not the case for lost of video signal, only radion control signal.

Hope this helps and happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Thank you for that clarification while using CoPilot. The last statement about loss of video signal not triggering a RTH is a real eye opener for beginners. They see their FPV in the app go out and a red no signal message and no RTH is initiated, and they panic, not realizing they still have full transmitter control, independent of the app, as long as the transmitter light is still green!

 

[chip chipman]

Thank you for that clarification while using CoPilot. The last statement about loss of video signal not triggering a RTH is a real eye opener for beginners. They see their FPV in the app go out and a red no signal message and no RTH is initiated, and they panic, not realizing they still have full transmitter control, independent of the app, as long as the transmitter light is still green!

GadgetGuy, have you used CoPilot? If so, did you encounter any problems with the app not being able to connect to the controller?