Just wondering if it is possible to upload a mission plan while the plane is in the air.
I know you can click on the screen and click fly to here while plane is in air but wondering if
One person takes off and flies the plane manually and another writes up a mission at the ground station upload it to the plane via xbee etc ,Pilot switches to auto and plane flies mission .
Is this currently possible??
Replies
Hey,
The few times I've tried to upload a Mission plan while already in the air, it fails, even if in close proximity and in stabilize mode. Are any of you doing this successfully?
I have not yet done what I am about to say but I am planning to test running two separate missions while plane is still in air by doing the following:
On ground via 3dr telem upload/write first mission to APM using MP. Launch and run first mission. At completion of first mission switch to loiter mode using switch on tx. Upload second mission. Switch back to autopilot mode again using switch on tx. I think this will initiate the second mission and then RTL after completion.
Anyone agree or disagree from experience?
Thanks
Hi Brendan,
Have you tried the above said? Have you got any results.
We are planning to do the same. Sometimes you are left with some extra juice due to calmer winds and you feel you can few more kilometers of mapping and then you can try the above.
Thanks!
yes, it is possible, although you have to do it carefully.
The mission planner currently sends a "wipe mission" command first, then uploads the new mission. That can take several seconds, during which time the plane has no mission. That can lead to nasty errors (the most common result is it ends up doing an RTL).
The mavlink protocol supports incremental mission updates while flying, but as yet MP doesn't do this. mavproxy can do it, and we used that capability during our OBC mission (in order to change the mission based on the results of our image recognition). If you want to do this with MP then you'll need to talk to MichaelO about adding support for incremental mission uploads. If you are using mavproxy then you can do it now.
Cheers, Tridge
yes it is possible