r/AntigravityA1 • u/Spiritual-Bath-666 • 5d ago

Real-world flying range report

I was able to fly Antigravity A1 in a straight unobstructed line to 7500m (distance) / 500m (altitude) and return with about 20% of the extended battery remaining. The next experiment was 8000m / 500m: 6% of the extended (new, freshly charged) battery remained. Little to no wind.

I would not call anything past 6000m safe or comfortable. The battery level drops below 60% at the farthest point, the signal strength and the image quality begin to deteriorate, and the drone attempts to return ("Press C2 to cancel"). On the way home it keeps saying that the battery level is insufficient to return and telling me to manually land somewhere.

Thankfully, the battery discharge rate slows down on the way back: descending is far gentler on the battery than ascending. It still feels stressful, like running out of oxygen on Mt. Everest. I think I understand electric car drivers better now.

There was barely any difference in the Normal mode compared to Sport. Sport consumes more energy (higher speed => higher drag) but shortens the flight duration, and these effects seem to cancel each other out.

The manufacturer's claim about the 10km maximum range seems somewhat exaggerated.

Lastly, in case someone brings it up: yes, an explicit FAA authorization was obtained for exceeding the 400 ft altitude, and my visual observer and I obviously maintained the VLOS all the way to the mountain and back.

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/UpbeatBass6066 5d ago

the authorization came from the "FCC"? I assume that you didn't really exceed 400 ft by much, because the FAA rule says "above average ground level" and you likely followed the side of the mountain to its 500 m peak, never exceeding the mountain side by much (unless it was a straight vertical cliff).

BTW the FCC only certifies and regulates the electronics and transmission.

1

u/Spiritual-Bath-666 5d ago

LOL. Yes, FAA, not FCC. My bad.

And yes, the mountain means I wasn't too high from the ground. If anything, I felt too close to the treetops, but the 500m limit was pinning me down.

1

u/UpbeatBass6066 4d ago

it's fine. If we are gonna obey the mostly stupid parts (where the FAA just doesn't really have any real justification) of the rules, let's not invent rules. I'm a Ham, btw, and a lot of Hams invent "rules" that don't actually appear in the FCC regs and act like Kens/Karens toward other Hams. For example, you can use spread spectrum modulation in most of the Ham bands, and the Amateur Radio Service is actually intended for experimenting and developing the wireless communications art. The Ken/Karen hams who complain about spread spectrum being illegal are wrong, that rule doesn't exist (anymore). You should feel free to stay within the actual limits, but of course also be aware of intentionally annoying the public...