Planetary k-index
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Rabe
lvl.2
Flight distance : 967907 ft
Germany
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Hello,
how seriously do you take the planetary k-index?
I have installed an app to show me this index and during the last day most of the time this index was a
t 5 with the warning not to fly.
Do you care about such warnings? What is the worst problem I could get?

2017-4-1
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Nigel_
Second Officer
Flight distance : 388642 ft
United Kingdom
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If you want to make an autonomous flight within a few meters of buildings and trees then you might want to take some notice of it since navigation may be a little less accurate than normal, however if you are flying manually in the open then just check that you have a decent number of satellites available and you will never notice any effect unless it is too dark for the VPS to work.

Normally the VPS system will ensure that it doesn't drift about with poor GPS accuracy.
2017-4-1
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Rabe
lvl.2
Flight distance : 967907 ft
Germany
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Nigel_ Posted at 2017-4-1 12:37
If you want to make an autonomous flight within a few meters of buildings and trees then you might want to take some notice of it since navigation may be a little less accurate than normal, however if you are flying manually in the open then just check that you have a decent number of satellites available and you will never notice any effect unless it is too dark for the VPS to work.

Normally the VPS system will ensure that it doesn't drift about with poor GPS accuracy.

OK, thanks,
then I have to face the drift. The VPS system are my eyes, I have a P3S......
2017-4-1
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Labroides
Core User of DJI
Flight distance : 9991457 ft
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Australia
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Rabe Posted at 2017-4-1 12:44
OK, thanks,
then I have to face the drift. The VPS system are my eyes, I have a P3S......

Despite many the-sky-is-falling stories, no-one has ever noticed any effects on Phantom flying that can be attributed to a high K-index.
By the time the K-index is high enough to affect your Phantom, you'll have plenty more to worry about.

Forget VPS as it's irrelevant to most flying.
It has a limited range and many limitations.
It won't be of any use unless you are flying below 10 metres over a well-lit surface with a defined texture or pattern.
2017-4-1
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Nigel_
Second Officer
Flight distance : 388642 ft
United Kingdom
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Rabe Posted at 2017-4-1 12:44
OK, thanks,
then I have to face the drift. The VPS system are my eyes, I have a P3S......


Then you are already used to it drifting a bit and you are already being a bit more careful than P4 owners would normally be so you should be OK.  Just keep it above head height and well away from obstacles, then you don't need to worry.  And occasionally have a practice at bringing it home in atti mode just in case, although it is highly unlikely that the GPS signal will ever get that bad for any reason other than lack of visible satellites due to poor visibility of the sky.

I think the people who are most likely to get caught out are people flying using VPS around sunset when if you fly into an area of shadow it will suddenly go from zero drift to whatever the GPS can currently manage which may be far from what they are used to.  Sunset also happens to be the time when GPS is least accurate.
2017-4-2
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