What happens to my drone if controller turns off?

Autelpilotsnumpty · Oct 6, 2022

Just curious but scared to try it. What happens if the Evo is up in the air and you just turn off the controller. Is it supposed to return home automatically or will it just sit there, or will it land where it is?

I only ask as my controller and iPad has, in the past, freaked out doing hyperlapses and I have restarted the iPad to reset the freeze but never turned off the controller as I was too scared it would just attempt to land wherever it was.

Anyone done this and what was the outcome?

claudius62 · Oct 6, 2022

It all depends on the programming you have done in the radio.
Loss of transmission: return home, land or hover.
It's up to you to do the programming and only you can choose.
Normally (depending on the software) the return home is automatic.
But program the height of the return well so as not to take an obstacle

kenautelevo2pro · Oct 6, 2022

after reading the manual and adjusting your settings, you should find a big open field where you can fly your drone out and give it try; turn off the remote and see what happens. this is something you should practice once or twice so there is no fear and you know what to expect should you drop your remote controller in the lake when you are flying.

jcommstudios · Oct 7, 2022

Autelpilotsnumpty said:
Just curious but scared to try it. What happens if the Evo is up in the air and you just turn off the controller. Is it supposed to return home automatically or will it just sit there, or will it land where it is?

I only ask as my controller and iPad has, in the past, freaked out doing hyperlapses and I have restarted the iPad to reset the freeze but never turned off the controller as I was too scared it would just attempt to land wherever it was.

Anyone done this and what was the outcome?

I've actually had this happen. The controller shut down and the drone did an RTH. It was not at the spot I had initially launched but was very close. Also interesting is that the launch point was about 10 feet from my vehicle. It returned and as it got close to the car it sensed the proximity and moved away from it slightly. It did scratch the paint on my Volvo with one rotor but landed successfully. I fired it back up to get the shot I was after with no problem. Needless to say it freaked me out! It was still shooting video. You can see the slight shift as it landed...

CW3Drones · Oct 8, 2022

I think it’s only a “stupid question” if you don’t ask it. Most of the folks here have been where you are or have enough shared experiences to “straighten out the learning curve” with or without the joking comments

As for myself, I wanted to know the same thing, so I practiced a few times and, just as mentioned, when I had RTH programmed it did! I also re-learned the importance of VLOS! I launched from a wooded area between open canopy to “get the shot” and almost immediately lost sight of my drone! Fortunately, my RTH was set at 98’ and the drone came into view so I could take back manual control and land safely.
Lots of cautionary tales here!
-
EM

Fox Fader · Oct 9, 2022

Here's one I just thought of... On RTH, if the drone enconters an obstacle, the OA picks it up, the drone stops to avoid the obstacle then does what?

fisher12 · Oct 10, 2022

I've tested this a few times and as long as I have my RTH settings set, it's come back to the takeoff point for me. The one caveat with this is that it won't go to the set RTH height if I turn off the controller while the drone is still close to me. Something to note if you're somewhere with potential obstacles in between the drone and the RTH spot.

Fox Fader · Oct 11, 2022

fisher12 said:
I've tested this a few times and as long as I have my RTH settings set, it's come back to the takeoff point for me. The one caveat with this is that it won't go to the set RTH height if I turn off the controller while the drone is still close to me. Something to note if you're somewhere with potential obstacles in between the drone and the RTH spot.

That I do know. I think the distance is less that 5 meters.

uas_gian · Nov 3, 2022

There are no "stupid questions" in life, but you might get stupid answers. That aside, I would ask you to rename the main topic to something like: "what happens to my drone if controller turns off?". That makes it an intelligent question and search engines will find this topic back if others have the same question.

In Europe since January 2021 for getting the UAV permit allowing you more than 250 grams MTOM and related to this to get an insurance coverage, it is now a mandatory procedure to practice scenarios with an instructor once. Those scenarios like loss of controller while drone is airborne, or loss of GPS signal when the drone is hardly visible in the sky. I think it was a great lesson to learn at least once how to manually return it to a safe spot In unexpected situations.

side question:
Isn't it the same with the FAA rules in the USA? Or is the FAA less strict, you can still buy a drone and start flying it without a permit?

CW3Drones · Nov 3, 2022

uas_gian said:
There are no "stupid questions" in life, but you might get stupid answers. That aside, I would ask you to rename the main topic to something like: "what happens to my drone if controller turns off?". That makes it an intelligent question and search engines will find this topic back if others have the same question.

In Europe since January 2021 for getting the UAV permit allowing you more than 250 grams MTOM and related to this to get an insurance coverage, it is now a mandatory procedure to practice scenarios with an instructor once. Those scenarios like loss of controller while drone is airborne, or loss of GPS signal when the drone is hardly visible in the sky. I think it was a great lesson to learn at least once how to manually return it to a safe spot In unexpected situations.

side question:
Isn't it the same with the FAA rules in the USA? Or is the FAA less strict, you can still buy a drone and start flying it without a permit?

Sadly no. In the U.S. once you pass the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot exam - you have a certificate (license) to fly commercially and recreationally. There are currently no hands-on proctored or monitored examinations required. I think it could be done, but it would require a standardization that was acceptable and enforceable by the FAA, and currently, there doesn't seem to be a way to even add your photo to your Part 107 Certificate.

uas_gian · Nov 3, 2022

CW3Drones said:
Sadly no. In the U.S. once you pass the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot exam - you have a certificate (license) to fly commercially and recreationally. There are currently no hands-on proctored or monitored examinations required. I think it could be done, but it would require a standardization that was acceptable and enforceable by the FAA, and currently, there doesn't seem to be a way to even add your photo to your Part 107 Certificate.

even when I did think the examination in Germany was "cheap" and done with an attitude of "at the end of the day - all students will pass exams", I am glad to have been forced to fly a drone without GPS and judge its distance and range, wind and weather conditions without the screen, while at the same time restarting the controller and checking cables. The instructor sometimes pulled the cable between controller and tablet and randomly rotated the aircraft's heading, before handing back the sticks.

I would like to say, try this once with a friend at a safe location (in the open field). See it as a game, or a practice, test your time you need to figure out how to regain control again. It for sure helps you stay calm when something goes wrong for real. Think like a pilot, stay calm, keep focused and land the aircraft without casualties ;-)

(needs to be said, this examination was done with a Phantom 4 setup, that allowed the instructor to turn off some features, it can't be done in the same way with an Evo 2.)

Autelpilotsnumpty · Nov 13, 2022

uas_gian said:
There are no "stupid questions" in life, but you might get stupid answers. That aside, I would ask you to rename the main topic to something like: "what happens to my drone if controller turns off?". That makes it an intelligent question and search engines will find this topic back if others have the same question.

In Europe since January 2021 for getting the UAV permit allowing you more than 250 grams MTOM and related to this to get an insurance coverage, it is now a mandatory procedure to practice scenarios with an instructor once. Those scenarios like loss of controller while drone is airborne, or loss of GPS signal when the drone is hardly visible in the sky. I think it was a great lesson to learn at least once how to manually return it to a safe spot In unexpected situations.

side question:
Isn't it the same with the FAA rules in the USA? Or is the FAA less strict, you can still buy a drone and start flying it without a permit?

Thank you for all your input, and thank you for all the replies and I have changed the thread title too.