So I have a waypoints mission that I flew a few days ago. She completed the mission perfectly but I had forgotten to start the camera. I decided to fly it again today but cancelled due to heavy winds. It was well after dark before the winded had calmed and I decided to do a night flight. I took off, loaded the mission and off she went. About 2 minutes in I lost signal but this was expected as I always do at that distance so I just nervously watched the clock and waited. This time for some reason the Litchi app shut off and I had to restart it. After 5 minutes I was starting to worry but soon I could see her lights in the distance as she returned. Now at this point the controller should have reconnected but didn’t. I shut down the app and restarted it but no connection. She was now 180ft directly overhead and hovering but I couldn’t control her. I shut down the app and tried to start the DJI app but the cheap tablet I use has a habit of hiding my apps. Then I noticed she was moving again and I watched as she moved in a westerly direction. It looked like she was either losing altitude or moving away very fast but when I saw the lights reflecting off the store windows I realized she was landing in the grocery’s parking lot directly across the street from my house. The Litchi app always has my home point off by more than 100ft unlike the DJI app which is always on the money. I never worried about it because I always figured if she used RTH I would take control when she got near and I would land it manually. It didn’t occur that I might not have control even when she was near the controller. Anyway all good in Moberly but for future reference, how does one reconnect to the aircraft while she’s inflight?

  

I also have had the Litchi app crash on me,  but that in no way affected my ability to control the P3.  If you look at the controller and you have a green light on the first light,  you have connection with the aircraft.  You can fully control it.  The app is just an information interface,  not necessary for flitght control.  If the first light on the controller is red,  you have no connection and no control.  So long as the light is green all is good.  If you shut off the controller in flight,  then turn it back on,  you will reset the homepoint to the place the P3 is at when it reconnects to the controller.  
Again,  you do not need any app to fly.  Just look for the Green light and you can be sure you have control.

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-2-22 11:24
I also have had the Litchi app crash on me,  but that in no way affected my ability to control the P ...

I don't remember what color the lights were I had other things on my mind. So you're saying that I needed to shut off the controller and restart it and I should have reconnected with the aircraft?

hmm, don't know... what the guys on a litchi forum say

Brian,

As Kneepuck already noted, the Litchi app has no effect on your ability to "control" your Phantom.

Jerry

brianj_92505 Posted at 2016-2-21 19:49
I don't remember what color the lights were I had other things on my mind. So you're saying that I ...

No, that is not what I am saying.  I am saying you do not need the app to fly.  You can fly with no app at all.  I am saying,  if you turn off the controller,  when you turn it back on you will have reset the home point for the P3.  I am saying the lights on the controller are status lights.  They will tell you if you are connected to the P3 or not. Just because the app crashes does not mean you can not fly the aircraft.  You could just press the rth button and the P3 would come home and land.  But,  if you power off the controller and then turn it back on while the P3 is in flight,  you will reset the home point to the place where the P3 is at that time.  So,  don't turn off the controller.  You can restart the app itself and that should reconnect.  You can press the red " No Signal"  at the top of the screen and that should reconnect.  Those things should reconnect the app,  but you do not need the app to fly.
  That is all I am saying.