Geebax
Captain
Australia
Offline
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Genghis9 Posted at 2017-8-10 22:28
Call me old school here...understanding that these birds have a bucket load of technology crammed in to them, for the most part, it is there to ensure a quality experience both in flight and photo/video operations. However, based on the comment “you should trust the decision of the aircraft to make an emergency landing” makes me seriously wonder who or what is really in control of this platform. I’m not opposed to automated features that can recover an unstable aircraft for instance, but I’ve never been a fan of automated/autonomous features that take control away from the pilot in command or do not allow the operator the option to fly based on their experience and judgement. True, the statement was we ‘should trust’ not relinquish control to the aircraft, however, it is implied. My counter point to this is if the pilot is to trust any machine, then we should demand that the data and information presented be completely accurate, so the PIC can be the final arbiter on whether the aircraft should continue on autopilot or not. I see two problems here, 1) by design the aircraft is smarter than I am because it has better & more accurate data and 2) because I’m not as knowledgeable about the aircraft’s true status then my only course of action is to relinquish control to the machine, none of which I’d prefer to have happen. Anything that goes wrong after that point is out of my control, therefore not my responsibility, or is it; law enforcement and/or a judge/jury may not see it that way. What will my insurance company decide? While DJI is designing more restrictions in to these platform operations, its second order of effect is removing the PIC from the equation in the process, do they then hold the burden of liability, I’m not so sure.
I enjoy the flying experience and being the responsible party in control and find little pleasure in having the machine be the one with the key to power.
That's perfectly OK. So when the aircraft decides it does not have sufficient power left to continue, and wants to fly back to land safely where it began, override the procedure and let it drop out of the sky when the battery is exhausted. In assence, the aircraft is doing this because the PIC has not demonstrated that he/she has enough common sense to come home before the battery is flat. It is smarter than the PIC in this situation for sure. There is a precedent:
Sorry Dave, I can't let you do that.
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