I have heard many people are still concerned and confused on various RTH functions.. This ius for P3 Advanced and Pro, it probably applies to P3S, not sure what other models...

So here goes:

#1 - canceling RTH ascend - if you press RTH or lose signal and RTH kicks in, the drone will first ascend to the RTH altitude, assuming it is not there or above already. BE AWARE that anymore, if the drone did not lose signal, it will ABORT ascend if you move the throttle stick! This is bad if you signal is spotty, because you MAY unintentionally abort ascend, at which point the drone just goes into RTH flight, and may crash if u r not high enough to pass over obstalces.  Stay off of throttle or push it up to gain altituyde, if u r not sure what's going on. Supposedly this will happen ONLY if altitude is above 20 meters / 65 feet though!

#2 - ALTITUDE of RTH relativity - it is relative to the altitude of TAKE OFF POINT.. Meaning, it has no clue about ground level where it currently is - so if u took off from a mountain, and then descended, RTH of 100 meters, will be 100 meters ABOVE the 0 altitude of where you took off...  so it will ascend to 100 meters up from what it remembers as the take off altitude.. if u descended  50 meters below take off, because you flew into a valley, u r now climbing 150 meters, unless u abort the climb!

#3 - RTH just autolanding - if you are within 20 meters of take off point, the drone wqill just LAND, no RTH of any sort, other than autoland! 20m is about 60 ft.. Worth remembering!

#4 - Controls during RTH - you have FULL control! All your flight controls work! As long as you got signal, u r ok! U can overwrite many thing! This is not common to other drones, which usually lock you out completely, while in RTH mode.

#5 - Canceling RTH - press RTH on the radio, or in the app.. if app crashed, or u lost video link... just remember, if the radio has a green LED, u still got control, u can fly, u can cancel RTH, or u can help RTH with control inputs to do what you want.

#6 - RTH on signall loss - that is a setting in the app, and may also be set to HOVER or THROTTLE DOWN (as in autoland) - remember to check this setting! U want to know exactly what it is! No surprises!

#7 - Losing video DOES NOT mean RTH will kick in - check the LED on your controller - if it's green, u got full control! U can engage RTH via the radio, or u can fly visually!

#8 - RTH DOES NOT descend to the RTH altitude, it will fly at altitude it is at, if it's higher than RTH altitude.

Remember to set your RTH to the proper value, depending where u fly.... make sure it's enough to go over obstalces!

Did I miss anything big? I can edit the original post.....

Hope it will help some to avoid crashes or surprises....

Very good text, and very good written. I heard a lot of these questions too. Thums up

thx ;) I try to help with what used to confuse me! Sometimes still does ;)

Is there anyway to cancel the RTH ascend before the initial climb to 20m?

djiuser_sNvDSEUArsoa Posted at 2018-7-7 04:48
Is there anyway to cancel the RTH ascend before the initial climb to 20m?

Certainly.  There are various ways to do it depending on the model Phantom you're flying.  You could check your manual.  In fact, it would be a good idea to read your manual from cover to cover at least twice before flying the first time.  Good luck

djiuser_sNvDSEUArsoa Posted at 2018-7-7 04:48
Is there anyway to cancel the RTH ascend before the initial climb to 20m?

Do you change your RTH height, for the areas you fly?

Pretty sure there are trees here taller than that...


RedHotPoker

I think u can try it by touching throttle stick.. but depending on what where and how, u may not have enough time. Remember if u take off and are (double check) within 70 ft of take off point, the drone will NOT ascend. Also, if u  plan flying UNDER something, u can lower your RTH (not sure how low u can go), u might also want to change "on signal loss" to hover. Another thing u can do is turn off smart return home, this way it will not calculate battery needed to return home - but u will still have to pay a lot of attention to make sure u do not run out of juice....

"Remember if u take off and are (double check) within 70 ft of take off point, the drone will NOT ascend."

mmmmm with AC at 20m or less ... RTH will not action. It will auto land at that point.

Nigel