User Manual

32
5.4 Return Home
The Return Home function brings your flight to an end by recalling Solo to its launch location and landing. You
can initiate Return Home manually by pressing the Return Home button on the Controller. Alternatively, in certain
circumstances, Solo initiates Return home autonomously; for details, see Section 7.2, In-Flight Errors, on page
61.
Keep in mind that Return Home requires enough battery charge to get back to the launch point. If you need to end
your flight immediately, land manually or hold the Fly button. Return Home requires GPS lock prior to takeoff.
Figure 5.4.1: Return Home Button
5.4.1 Smart Return Home Functionality
When a call to Return Home is triggered, it is critical that Solo make a swift and safe journey back to the Home
Position. Among the factors involved in balancing these priorities are:
• The farther away Solo is, the greater the likelihood that it could encounter unforeseen obstacles (buildings,
trees, etc.). Because of this, longer-distance scenarios benefit from climbing in altitude before traversing
back home.
• The closer Solo is to the Home Position, measured laterally, the more confident we can be that there are
fewer obstacles in the return path, and thus the safer it would be for Solo just to land.
To help eliminate unnecessary ascents in favor of more efficient return flights, we developed the “Cone Zone.”
Figure 5.4.1.1: The Cone Zone
The Cone Zone represents the volume that is least likely to be filled with problematic obstacles. The shape of this
cone is based on a 1:3 ratio of horizontal distance to altitude. So as your altitude increases, so does the cross-
sectional area of the cone. Once Solo reaches the boundaries of the cone or is already within the cone, then its main
priority is to traverse to directly over the Home Position and land.
Always verify that there is a clear path to the home point before activating
Return Home.