Flying a drone from a boat is not always easy. In this case the ship was moving at about 8 knots in un-even seas and so made hand-catching a challenge. The nature of the work required that we fly while on the move, thus making the home point always receding behind us. So, we were always canceling the auto RTH towards the end of our flights. In this case, I was coming in to “land” as the other drone operator was prepared to hand-catch the drone. Two things happened here: One, I did not hear the auto RTH warning because of the wind and wave sounds. Two, I did not see the warning on the screen because I was visually watching the drone to bring it in for the hand-catch. Just at the best moment to hand-catch, the drone went into auto RTH. Bad timing. You see the other drone operator gesticulating wildly, like WTF?! Outcome: I was lucky the drone did not clip the lines and crash into the ocean. Ultimately, I brought her in safely. Between us both, we each had two deck crashes, but no drone losses for the journey. Both drones survived to fly again. As much skill as you may have, there are always other alternative mishaps waiting for you. That said, keep calm and drone on. On edit: Mavic 2 Pro and over-exposed because that makes it easier to see marine debris from above.
Last edited:
