Hi

I have only just recently got a Spark Drone and I brought it second hand, I still paid a fair amount of money for it and have brought various extra since so I am still looking at a lot of moneys worth one way or another,

I have only done about 13 ish Flights and always been really impressed with how easy it is to control and the Video and Photos are so clear and steady,

On my last flight I lost control of my Spark as it went into ATTI Mode and drifted off, I was lucky enough that it then reconnected and I managed to get it back, but after looking on You Tube etc this does seem to be a common problem especially with the Spark and that does concern me a lot,

Is there any thing that can be set it the settings so if it goes into ATTI Mode that it just hovers for example or anything else to stop this kind of thing happening,

Would just like to hear any suggestions,

Thank you

Tracy

Was the drone really far away? How high was it?

Hi there, thank you for reaching out and we're very sorry for the Inconvenience that you have faced. Regarding your concern when the Aircraft turn in to ATTI mode meaning you don't have any reception from GPS signal and when it's on the ATTI mode you need to control it manually.

I think one has to accept that the Spark has a limited range (in the UK/EU max 500 metres from RC). So as long as you are within that distance and effectively in VLOS you should be able to manually fly the Spark to a safe area to land. It is a limitation but also helpful in these situations. GPS satellites can be disturbed unevenly across the sky at any given time. For example even though is shows that 14 sats are visible you might find that a significant number are clustered in one area of the sky and say only a couple are off in another area and say down near the horizon. What this means is that the drone cannot get a solid fix of position int 3D space and then losses concurrence for orientation with the single onboard compass - so then drops into ATTI mode. For suggestions check your wind for direction and always fly into the wind on your out-bound leg of your flight, so if it drops into ATTI mode you will at least have the chance of the Spark being pushed back towards you rather than ever further and further away! Also lower your height as wind speed increases with height. Use UAV Forecast app on your phone to check in advance what the wind profile will be in your area of flight.     

Lamplighter55 Posted at 2018-9-9 08:39
I think one has to accept that the Spark has a limited range (in the UK/EU max 500 metres from RC). So as long as you are within that distance and effectively in VLOS you should be able to manually fly the Spark to a safe area to land. It is a limitation but also helpful in these situations. GPS satellites can be disturbed unevenly across the sky at any given time. For example even though is shows that 14 sats are visible you might find that a significant number are clustered in one area of the sky and say only a couple are off in another area and say down near the horizon. What this means is that the drone cannot get a solid fix of position int 3D space and then losses concurrence for orientation with the single onboard compass - so then drops into ATTI mode. For suggestions check your wind for direction and always fly into the wind on your out-bound leg of your flight, so if it drops into ATTI mode you will at least have the chance of the Spark being pushed back towards you rather than ever further and further away! Also lower your height as wind speed increases with height. Use UAV Forecast app on your phone to check in advance what the wind profile will be in your area of flight.

Good info.

Hi Tracy,

Can you post a flight log of that incident flight, please?
http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/

It would be interesting to see under which circumstances it happened...

Cheers,
Wolferl

ATTI mode is not a disconnect with the user/remote controller.  ATTI mode is the autopilot's station keeping turning off because it has lost GPS/compass.  The user still has full control but now without much autopilot help.

ATTI mode will slide off in random directions because it doesn't have a very good level.  It will do this if the pilot lets go of the sticks (because they are stabbing at RTH button?).  Plus, it will build momentum that has to be counter acted by opposite remote stick deflection.  I doubt any photographer could hover a drone in ATTI mode as it requires constant pilot corrections to stay still against winds and the imperfect levelness of the drone.

In ATTI mode, the pilot needs to rotate the drone's nose towards himself and press the right stick forward to force the drone back to the pilot.  If using video feed to fly it, because it is out of eyesight, remember that the video feed is delayed and has a lag to remote controller's stick inputs.

ATTI mode requires real pilot skills to fly.  Skills most Spark pilots don't have because the Spark's autopilot does all of the real piloting for them.

Buy a cheap Blade Inductrix ready to fly drone for $50 from Amazon and learn to fly it.  Really learn to fly a drone since it doesn't have an autopilot.  Plus, it can be flown indoors.  That $50 investment in skills will save the Spark when the inevitable happens and the Spark goes into ATTI mode.   "Okay Maverick, time to do some of that pilot s__t!", said the failing autopilot.

if you're running the latest DJI Go4 app...I would downgrade it to 4.2.15 (i think its that...July 15 release)....

fare more stable...I had problems with the lastest version of the DJI app ....went back...no issues.

Gunship9 Posted at 2018-9-9 10:50
ATTI mode is not a disconnect with the user/remote controller.  ATTI mode is the autopilot's station keeping turning off because it has lost GPS/compass.  The user still has full control but now without much autopilot help.

ATTI mode will slide off in random directions because it doesn't have a very good level.  It will do this if the pilot lets go of the sticks (because they are stabbing at RTH button?).  Plus, it will build momentum that has to be counter acted by opposite remote stick deflection.  I doubt any photographer could hover a drone in ATTI mode as it requires constant pilot corrections to stay still against winds and the imperfect levelness of the drone.

This is an excellent advice, one should first be able to fly the spark in ATTI mode, if necessary indoors without a GPS signal before any distance and altitude flights outdoors. An easy mistake for beginners (me included) is to try right away all the spark features.
S.

Wow that's so great info you folks have posted.

It seems to me, that since the last fw update my Spark is more vulnerable for atti.
Mostly under windy conditions, often connected to switching the spark to or from sport mode
Or "better": Now the Spark needs more attention for compass calibration, as it was before.
I think, I havent had so many attis in 11 month, like I had since I installed the last fw.
But it also looks like, that after fresh compass calibration it is better/back to normal.
Just not for so long.
For now I am still observing, but have a fw downgrad in mind, in case that still continues to happen.
Minimum for testing, if it is the fw or aging or ...., methinks.

Lamplighter55 Posted at 2018-9-9 08:39
I think one has to accept that the Spark has a limited range (in the UK/EU max 500 metres from RC). So as long as you are within that distance and effectively in VLOS you should be able to manually fly the Spark to a safe area to land. It is a limitation but also helpful in these situations. GPS satellites can be disturbed unevenly across the sky at any given time. For example even though is shows that 14 sats are visible you might find that a significant number are clustered in one area of the sky and say only a couple are off in another area and say down near the horizon. What this means is that the drone cannot get a solid fix of position int 3D space and then losses concurrence for orientation with the single onboard compass - so then drops into ATTI mode. For suggestions check your wind for direction and always fly into the wind on your out-bound leg of your flight, so if it drops into ATTI mode you will at least have the chance of the Spark being pushed back towards you rather than ever further and further away! Also lower your height as wind speed increases with height. Use UAV Forecast app on your phone to check in advance what the wind profile will be in your area of flight.

This is all true and correct, but unfortunately the ATTI mode occurs unexpectedly and there is no time to assess the situation. You are busy taking a nice shot when you get alarms. There are a lot of seemingly unburned pop-up windows disrupting. Then you have to find out where the drone is? But as long as you tried to interpret the bugs, it was already started and you look up where it was, it is not there anymore. You are stressed and struggling to find out where you are, where you are going and where your front is, while you still do not understand what is happening.
You may not be prepared for this. I do not think a buyer of such a commercial drone has to do pilots training.

The DJI is nowhere to warn you enough about how to do so. It emphasizes its advanced flight system, and if it is a problem, it automatically flies home.

The well-flying pilot of the expensive drone gets a redundant flight controller (IMU compass), and an amateur who does not fly, gets an IMU, a compass that is unreliable.

Of course, it's a good thing to practice flying in ATTI mode, why not switch, like the Phantom and Inspire remote controls?

The option in the firmware there is just not got a separate button. By changing a parameter (DJI assistant 2 developer mode), you can change the Sport button to the ATTI button. And if you set it to FARM mode, you get ATTI mode with RTH.
So switches the switch to ATTI, but if you feel you can not control it, press the RTH button and go home.

Cheers!

Jakab Gipsz Posted at 2018-9-9 22:57
The option in the firmware there is just not got a separate button. By  changing a parameter (DJI assistant 2 developer mode), you can change  the Sport button to the ATTI button. And if you set it to FARM mode, you  get ATTI mode with RTH.
So switches the switch to ATTI, but if you feel you can not control it, press the RTH button and go home.

Hi Jakab,

Can you please explain which setting does change sport mode to ATTI mode? I'd like to try that.
I have Assistant 2 1.2 already installed and developer mode enabled.

Thanks a lot,
Wolferl

Wolferl Posted at 2018-9-9 23:44
Hi Jakab,

Can you please explain which setting does change sport mode to ATTI mode? I'd like to try that.

Jakab Gipsz Posted at 2018-9-10 01:39
[view_image]

Thank you so much, I'll give it a try!

Cheers,
Wolferl

Unfortunatelly if the drone is in atti mode, then it will drift with the wind.
There’s no stopping it, you have to take control fast and fly the drone back home safe.

Fly safely
Alex

S-e-ven Posted at 2018-9-9 22:20
It seems to me, that since the last fw update my Spark is more vulnerable for atti.
Mostly under windy conditions, often connected to switching the spark to or from sport mode
Or "better": Now the Spark needs more attention for compass calibration, as it was before.

Thanks for sharing. Then I’ll definitely won’t update the drone or RC firmware.
I’m happy with how it flies now, 3km no issues

Fly safe
Alex