I have both a mission planner incoherent behaviour warning and a recommandation for others to avoid what happened to me using Mission planner's flight planning tool.
As can be seen in the attached picture, I made a simple mission starting with a take off. Having done numerous auto missions succesfully, I know that by default the altitude parameter for each command is set at the "Default Alt" value.
However, incoherently this default altitude is not set for the "take off" command : it is set by default at zero.
What happened thus ? I started to spin the props, triggered the "auto mode" switch. The quad started to spin the props full speed (to take off obviously as planned), reached its first zero meters altitude waypoint, went on to the second waypoint (but was still on the ground) => result = tipped quad on the ground turning the props at full speed. Two of the props were stuck into the ground => props do not turn => controller increases the order to turn => motors draw more current. So much current that I burned two of the 8 ESCs... (and destroyed all of the 8 props).
So my two messsages are:
-first message to Mission planner's developers to correct this default altitude behaviour on the "take off command" : set it at the same value as the default alt configured value.
-second message : do not be an idiot as I am and check each parameters individually before flying.
Fly safe
Replies
Thx Randy, that shall be better with one meter.
I also did a zero alt take off, but my quads ESCs shutdown on excessive current draw and the next flight the take off command flew to 20m perfectly.
Also the new behaviour is to fly the altitude diagonally from 0 to dest alt. I've done that but, i was on level ground (artificial cricket wicket)
Had the same thing happen to me. Roached new carbon props.
Another warning: When using the add below button to insert a command, the default is to insert a WAYPOINT with zero lat & long under the currently selected line. If you don't do something with that (like change the command), you have a waypoint on the North Pole. Your drone will faithfully head to that waypoint, even if it's halfway around the world. I had that happen to me but fortunately I hit RTL and saved it.
So before you write the mission, double check -- Altitude nonzero on TAKEOFF, and no zero lat & long WAYPOINTs.
In ArduCopter 3.1 it will internally set the altitude to 1m if you don't specify an altitude like in the mission you have shown above.