At neighborhood rec field. Winds 15mph with higher gusting (so "windy"). Just my weekly flight (nothing really special). I stopped flying at 8 minutes before LowVoltageAlarm kicked in.
Before going to the field, I downloaded my log files to laptop for later analyzing. I also added a sticker to the outside of the Nova with my contact info (in case of fly-away or lost after crash).
During a RTL (final descent), quad was at 3 feet altitude when a strong gust of wind hit. I think the "Ground Effect" had started and wasn't helping. The Nova started rocking a lot and it was trying to compensate and level itself. It touched down (fairly soft but tilted) but still flipped over upside down (I think a prop got caught on a vine). No damage.
Because of this event, I think the quad needs more response at FlightController level (when it's in control of itself). As my piloting skills and confidence level with this aircraft have progressed ... I am also ready for a bit more control or "higher rates" for fighting the wind or general maneuvers.
I changed ANGLE_MAX - this determines the maximum "tilt" that the FC will command the Nova. I changed it from the factory setting of 2200 (22 degrees) to 3000 (30 degrees) to give the Nova a bit more response-ability when flying in the wind.
Do you by any chance have prop guards on your quad? I'm pretty sure those can make a quad wobble a bit (especially in wind), but I still leave them on because it can save the props if it accidentally RTL's into a tree (flaky GPS). With that said, in response to changing ANGLE_MAX to 30 degrees, this brings up the question whether prop guards could be a factor because of their tendency to make the craft wobble slightly in wind. Point being, I'm thinking changing that setting could possibly cause worse results with guards on - or whatever else, gimbal, etc.. since weight combined with angle could cause a drastic shift in wobble when higher in the air with higher winds.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I missed your message until now. I'm not sure if they were on for this flight. I did use them for a while (and wanted to keep them on forever) but they simply cause too many problems.
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