3rd Party Software Lesson Learned

One of the most sought after features from DJI is the ability to track objects while also changing altitudes.  For safety reasons DJI has chosen to block this ability in their platforms.  For this reason, I and other pilots who would like to use their platforms for tracking action sports such as skiing and mountain biking where the subject is constantly descending, need to turn to other software and 3rd party apps to get the job done.  To test this I drove out to a remote location in Central Oregon free from any power lines or tall trees to test out Hangar's AutoPilot tracking feature which allows the aircraft to keep a constant altitude above the controller which in this case was my iPhone.  Having reviewed videos of the app and the functionality weeks before I finally had a good day to get out and test the app out.  But I made a mistake.  I neglected to look at Hangar's website which showed the photo above.  Apparently DJI had updated the firmware on the Mavic Pro which caused highly erratic flight behavior.   If you are a fellow drone pilot the video below should terrify you as much as it did me.  All looked great until the live feed showed my beloved Mavic spiraling out of control towards the ground.  I immediately landed the platform safely once it leveled out and there was no damage to the airframe but wow... that was terrifying.

In this break-neck industry to be successful one must be at the bleeding edge of technology and constantly testing and improving one's services.   I pride myself in always being prepared for when contract work comes in.  This means putting a lot of effort into software and flight proficiency. I believe that mistakes like this are important to ultimate success at what you are passionate about.   Not only have I added "Check 3rd Party Software Compatibility with Current Firmware" to my pre-flight checklists but I have also warned others hopefully saving some aircraft in the process.  

• Always keep innovating.  
• Learn from your mistakes.  
• Never promise something you can't deliver.  
• Always be honest and sincere

These principals are the foundation on which my new business, TLT Photography, was built upon.  

If you have an idea for an aerial survey, or imagery project of any kind let's brainstorm together towards a fantastic solution.