Over the past couple of days, I’ve been researching Mavic Air1 waypoint missions using Litchi.
Can someone please confirm whether these conclusions I’ve drawn are valid?
The Mavic Air1 when flying Litchi waypoint missions does NOT require continuous signal connectivity between the drone and the RC for the waypoint mission to continue uninterrupted. In other words, the Mavic Pro1 does NOT utilize the so-called “virtual sticks” method of navigation during Litchi waypoint missions, as is the case with newer DJI drones.
Litchi waypoint GPS data is stored on board the Mavic Air1 drone’s internal memory at the start of each Litchi waypoint mission when the “play” button is actuated, as opposed to newer DJI drones that cannot store Litchi waypoint GPS coordinates on board the drone, and instead rely on a continuous RC signal link in order for Litch waypoint missions to continue uninterrupted.
A Mavic Air1 will go into RTH to interrupt and discontinue a Litchi waypoint mission IF smart RTH is selected beforehand, whereby the drone monitors battery charge levels during every waypoint flight and makes a beeline for the launch point if anticipated battery charge levels won’t suffice to overfly all subsequent waypoints of the mission.
I’ve been toying with the idea of acquiring a used Mavic Air1, but I only wish to do so if I am absolutely certain that the above three presumptions I have drawn are valid. Any confirmation of these research findings would be much appreciated.
One correction for intelligent return to home is rth when the battery percentage reaches 10-15% depends on the settings in litchi. The drone does not check if it has enough batteries for a certain number of waypoints.
Thank you so much for affirming these findings, Paxxa. Only yesterday I stumbled on the fact that the Mavic Air doesn’t rely on that problematic virtual sticks concept, and will thus continue Litchi waypoint missions even if RC signal fades.
Prices on the Air1 have really dropped. I really like the small compact size of the Air, the better-protected gimbal in comparison to my Mavic Pro, the onboard 8GB memory, and the slightly better camera specs of the Mavic Air1 in comparison to the Mavic Pro. With all these pluses, I can live with the Air1’s shorter 15-minute flight time.
Dji spark also continues the mission when the connection is lost. As for the size, I think it’s even smaller than the dji mini, and it’s ready to fly right out of the box. Of course, the 2-axis gimbal and 1080p make it lower than other models, but I’m fine with that. I think the next steps are good air1 and then pro1.
If they put a camera and gimbal from dji osmo pocket on the spark, it would be the best drone.
The small but feisty DJI Spark never garnered the popularity of DJI’s more weighty offerings, but finding out now that the Spark, like the Mavic Air1 and Mavic Pro stores waypoint GPS onboard, allowing it to continue Litchi flight plans even when RC signal falters, is good reason to consider this affordable unsung underdog if my search for a bargain-budget Mavic Air1 Fly More combo doesn’t pan out.
This honorable mention of the Spark is appreciated, Paxxa.
I have owned 3 Sparks, and I agree that the LCMC is available if signsl is lost, BUT with the Sparks limited battery life, I rarely get more than 10 minutes to have approximately 15-20% remaining by the time I land, so I dont feel the LCMC is that useful for this drone. But yes on an Air 1, or Pro I do feel it is. Any DJI drone that uses the GO4 app has LCMC. Which leaves only Spark, Pro1, Pro2, Air 1 as viable choices. Not sure about the Phantom series.
I dont care for Virtual stick mode, I cant get as smooth footage in orbit, or waypoint mode as I could on my Pro.