Hand catching vs. Landing

Foxtrot Uniform · Jan 17, 2017

I hand catch 99.9% of the time. What do you do?

Wacker2611 · Jan 17, 2017

Handcatch 100%

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Squamer · Jan 17, 2017

If the ground is suitable I land. Other wise hand catch it is. So far since receiving my Mavic in December I would say it has been 70/30 hand catch/ land

tonytafarella · Jan 17, 2017

How are you hand catching exactly?

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Wacker2611 · Jan 17, 2017

Up to recently Ive just been grabbing it from the front, just behind and underneath the gimbal. However, recently I've 'palm caught' .....Letting it hover a few feet above your palm then pulling the left stick down. Both very easy....There is a small element of risk, but it's far less stressful on the craft.

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Kilrah · Jan 17, 2017

Always land unless impossible at the location, i.e.90% landings.

Foxtrot Uniform · Jan 17, 2017

tonytafarella said:
How are you hand catching exactly?

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Downward sensors off and and grab it right in the middle of the heat sink.

Daskid · Jan 17, 2017

100% land. However, I'll try catching later.

shredzoo7 · Jan 17, 2017

I hand catch as well.

Just a quick tip, if you're new to hand catching that is. With the Mavic facing you, and you grab it right behind the gimbal where it kind of slims down a bit, make sure you get a really good grip on it. The center of gravity of the Mavic is definitely not at that point, so as soon as you kill the motors it will tip backwards and potentially fall onto the ground. I have really sweaty hands so I've just moved my hand back to the thicker section that is closer to the center of gravity and it works every time. The motors will rev up if you grab at that point due to the sensors, but just hold a bit tighter when it does it and don't panic.

finalfantasyfans · Jan 17, 2017

I do hand landing(palm 2 feet under mavic and stick down) most of the time. Occasionally when it is too windy, I hand catch it from the back and stick down. Hand launch is simply CSC using left thumb and right elbow while mavic on my right hand.

Rigging65 · Jan 17, 2017

I do both. Prefer to land, but only when I can put it on asphalt or concrete...or maybe very clean dirt. If it's really short grass...and not going to blow up a bunch of duff...I'll use leg extensions and am pretty comfortable with their result. If the above conditions aren't met, I'll launch off my truck and hand catch. If I've hiked in and can't find a suitable launch site, then I'll hand launch and hand catch. All things being equal, I'd prefer to take off and land in the 'conventional' style for safety's sake...but I'm not going to suck a bunch of crap into the intake (or anywhere else).

My preferred hand catch method, by far, is downstick until the bird hovers above my hand (meaning it's lined up) then downstick and land on my palm. I used to grab it from the front and fight the lift as it tried to take back off until the motors shut down, but there's just no reason to risk that with the palm catch method. Just my opinions...

rodk · Jan 17, 2017

The leg extensions are a great help with landing on less than ideal terrain.

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gregw · Jan 18, 2017

I bought a PGY landing pad specifically for dirt/grass, but it's used more for take off and having a clean place to start up the Mavic.

For hand catching, I turn off the downward sensors, hover just above head height, catch the Mavic in the middle and move it down at the same time as holding full down on the left stick.. If you move the Mavic down from the hovering position, the blades will slow down significantly if you have the downward sensors disabled.. I will land if the winds are calm, but usually end up hand catching more these days.

MavicMo · Jan 18, 2017

Or you can buy this "multi-purpose" Mavic Catch Handle featured in another thread! LOL
Mavic Catch Handle

I only hand catch when necessary. Unfortunately with the Mavic I find due to its lower height thats alot more than I prefer. With uneven terrain and the like, I don't want to take a chance of a prop hitting the ground or the like so I'll hand catch. Unlike my Phantom 4 with its longer legs that keep it further off the ground.

Personally, I don't like the added risk of injury from hand-catching. So I keep it to a minimum.

Chase R · Jan 18, 2017

A member on here posted a pic of his wrist after the got hit with the props. Straight up meat missing.

That being said, I land whenever possible.

LeMur · Jan 18, 2017

100% hand catching. I prefer palm landing method.

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DroneTone · Jan 18, 2017

I do both. Prefer to land, but only when I can put it on asphalt, dry dirt or short grass.
I prefer to takeoff in the 'conventional' style but if I can't find a suitable launch site, then I'll hand launch and hand catch.
My hand catch method is to grab it from the front, just been just behind and underneath the gimbal.
Works without having to change Avoidance Sensor settings.

JLane · Jan 18, 2017

I often hand catch, and I think I'll be doing so almost exclusively in the future. Not only do I find it easy and convenient, but I've noticed the little plastic rear landing "feet" on my Mavic have already started to get a little chewed up, presumably from cement and/or rocky surfaces that I've landed on before.

sportfisher23 · Jan 18, 2017

I'll be operating off a boat when it's warmer... hopefully.

I was on a pier that had a lot of metal in it. Compass, recalibrate, go directly to jail.

I booted it up holding it up and waiting for the green light in the back. All good. I had a park bench to rest the controller on. Easy.

vsk