DJI Ultimate Flight – The next generation flight app for Android

What came first; the hardware or the software is a staple of which I live by.  I believe that one cannot be without the other and the 2 can independently evolve.

The Ultimate Flight app will be an evolution over time.  In the early stages expect core features delivered by the (free) DJI Vision app with additional features that benefit the pilot.  The primary focus on the early releases will be to reach a parity+ with the DJI Vision app.

This does not mean you are buying an app that has the same features as the free app, that would being nothing of benefit to the users.  You can expect, from the start, features that go above the DJI Vision app.  The version currently available include all of the following features:

 

  • Basic video and camera controls on par with the DJI Vision App currently available in the Google Play store as supported by the existing DJI SDK (currently version 1.06). All currently exposed configuration parameters for the DJI camera will be available to the user. Setting changes can be saved as new default, which will persist to future flights or saved for the current flight only.
  • Photo and Video control via onscreen controls
  • Enhanced camera control. A number of control settings will be made available to the user:
    •  Auto video start/stop – video recording can be configured to start/stop with the Phantom motors.
  • Live video feed
  • Availability of 3 display modes: (1) Split screen, ¾ video stream / ¼ map. (2) Full video stream. (3) Full map display
  • Map display will represent the location of the Phantom and the Phantom’s currently set home point location and will be available in satellite, terrain or hybrid views as defined by Google Map.
  • Map display will auto-orient during flight to maintain onscreen display encompassing the location of the Phantom and location of the Phantom’s home point.
  • Flight safety – the app will include the following flight safety features:
    • Pre-flight health check that will display to the user the estimated health of the Phantom. This will include verification and reporting of:
      • Satellite count (6 or greater)
      • Available battery power in Phantom and Wi-Fi range extender
      • Home point is properly reporting
      • MCU health as reported by DJI SDK (e.g., compass calibration error, MCU error, etc.)
      • Camera health (e.g., SD card is inserted and available)
    • Flight battery limit will use the smart battery information sent back from the Phantom via the SDK to calculate and display a “circle” on the map display that can be used as an indicator for the turn-around point for flight.
  • Pre-caching of maps as supported using the Google Map SDK will be available, allowing the user to load maps at a location where Wi-Fi connection is available and using those cached maps at flying locations which may not have Wi-Fi connectivity. A full-screen activity will be available increasing the ease and efficiency of caching flight locations. Cached maps will be usable for both free-flight as well as waypoint flight missions.
  • Phantom latitude and longitude can be optionally displayed through user configuration
  • Active voice feedback system will include configurable settings that can be controlled by the user and includes the following. The information is repeated at regular intervals configurable by the user or turned off if the user so chooses to do so.
    • Current Phantom flight information including, but not limited to: altitude, distance from home point, speed, flight mode and flight mode changes (GPS, ATTI, waypoint, pause, landing, etc. as available in the DJI SDK)
    • Current Phantom craft information including, but not limited to: satellite count, battery level, Wi-Fi battery level and signal strength
    • Camera information including, but not limited to: video status (recording on/off)
    • Warning information. The user can configure limits for a number of settings as triggers that, when breached will report to the user the appropriate information. Warning will include: MCU error information, Phantom entering a no-fly area, low satellite count, low battery (in Phantom of Wi-Fi range extender) and low Wi-Fi signal.
  • Phantoms that have had camera and gimbal replacements using the DJI Zenmuse H3-3D, 3-Axis Gimbal with GoPro camera will be supported in a screen-efficient manner. Since this configuration does not allow for certain camera operations to be performed the screen controls for camera will be removed resulting a more efficient display without the additional controls unneeded for this configuration.
  • Variable speed gimbal control. For Phantom Vision and Vision+ equipped with stock camera and gimbal, controllable using the DJI SDK the user will have the ability to control gimbal angle.
  • Onscreen information displays:
    • Phantom flight information: altitude, distance and speed
    • Phantom status information: flight timer, satellite count, Wi-Fi strength and batter levels of the Phantom and Wi-Fi extender will be available on screen
    • On screen camera orientation display
    • Phantom bearing and bearing indicator towards home with easy-point allowing the pilot to rotate the Phantom until Phantom bearing aligns to home point indicator and fly towards home.
  • Ground Station flight mission
    • Waypoint missions can be designed at a comfortable location for the pilot and saved on the device. Once on location the mission can be loaded and flown. Waypoint missions are saved using a comma-delimited format and can be edited using the app or the users favorite text editor
    • Waypoint names are chosen by the user and can be named with descriptive and identifying information (e.g., location name).
    • Waypoint can be deleted in single or whole
    • Waypoint load screen will display name in addition to a number of flight details (e.g., number of waypoints in the mission and total distance)
    • Waypoint editor will extend the ability to individually control speed, altitude and stay-time for each waypoint individually.
    • Waypoint editor will include an easy-copy mode, enabling the user to setup one waypoint, edit the settings based on the flying location and to use those settings as a temporary default for new waypoints in the same mission. In effect this creates a temporary override of configured waypoint defaults
    • Mission limits are enabled by default that match DJI Vision Ground Station but will be configurable by the user. Limits will have the ability to be increased, decreased or disabled.
    • Waypoint flight protection will inform the user of issues identified in a waypoint mission. For example, if the Phantom is reporting a ground-level altitude of 9m and the mission includes waypoints which would result in the Phantom being lower than 10m the pilot will be warned of the low altitude and allowed to have the app automatically increase waypoint altitude’s the distance equal to the ground level offset.
    • Waypoint missions can be started from the ground, with motors on or off or after take-off while in the air based on the user’s preference.
    • Waypoint missions can be easily paused and continued
    • Return to home available onscreen
    • Waypoint mission summary will be displayed to the user prior to waypoint flight. The user will be able to review the following and choose to cancel or fly the mission as displayed.
      • Total distance
      • Speed, Altitude and hold-time per waypoint
      • Distance between waypoints
  • Miscellaneous features:
    • Compass calibration
    • Flight logging will be stored in comma-delimited files and stored on the device. There will be 2 typed of flight logs: (1) Flight summary, this one-line log will include summary information per the flight (e.g. min/max satellite, starting and ending location, battery min/max, etc.) (2) Flight tracking log will include detailed flight information as the Phantom flies as reported by the DJI SDK. This details log can be used to review the flight offline at a larger time.
    • All presented measurement to the user will be in the user’s specified units of display: metric and imperial will both be available.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.