Any ideas on how we could land the mavic on water?

puravidastyles · Nov 1, 2016

So i am captain of a yacht.. and will no doubt be flying it a lot offshore, yeah i know its risky but its going to happen..

Just wondering if we could put our heads together and come up with a solution....while we wait for them to arrive

Totally get that i should not land it on water but also dont want to lose it, if for some reason it has to land on water..some sort of failure, return to home etc

I am not talking about getting the thing water tight but just floatable landing gear to keep the said devise floating until help arrives..

Any thoughts?

drone lands on water - Buscar con Google

msinger · Nov 1, 2016

I think the Mavic is going to be too small to carry some type of flotation device. With a Phantom, you could use something like the Water Strider.

puravidastyles · Nov 1, 2016

Looks too big and bulky. thinking more along the lines of just being able to land and not drown, rather than be able to take off...which would of course be a bonus but not if it impairs the flight in any way.

msinger · Nov 1, 2016

Yes, it is definitely big and bulky. That's the kind of device you'll need to stay afloat though

kmaluo · Nov 1, 2016

msinger said:
Yes, it is definitely big and bulky. That's the kind of device you'll need to stay afloat though

If someone could figure out how to attach the white pieces under each motor mount, we may be in business.

Butterpuff 6 · Nov 1, 2016

Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

HeliFreak · Nov 1, 2016

^ what's that saying. "Drops mic...." LOL

There you go....

John Locke · Nov 1, 2016

First, you need a display device with GPS so you have the ability to reset the home point. That's first thing you must have as a newbie flyer.

Second, learn to fly. Once you become competent enough to hand catch you can easily fly at sea and return to home with no flotation backup. Learn to hand launch too, using a radio neck harness. However I'm unsure if the Mavic radio supports a neck harness like P4.

Third, accept the fact if you screw up, or a system fails, you lose $1000 system. That's the price of sea operations, and this demonstrates the need to learn how to fly first and learn all of the things that can go wrong while flying. Understanding RTH, low battery auto landing, power management, and using the navigation tools in the Go app.

If you want a solution that's more dummy proof, buy a waterproof drone and suffer with poor video, and inconvenience of awkward battery replacement. Those kind of drones are out there, available. Or, use a Phantom4 as mSinger suggested with flotation devices for $140. That's your best option if you insist on sea operations with failsafe. However, unless the sea is very calm I'm skeptical those flotation feet will truly keep the Phantom 100% dry if it landed on water. The sea gets rough.

mikesher · Nov 1, 2016

I personally hand catch my P3P from my yacht (sailing vessel) 100% of the time, and sometimes have a guest/crew assist with hand launch. The Mavic is going to be a bit more challenging.

msinger · Nov 1, 2016

Hand catching should be doable if your Mavic is hovering steadily in the air. However, it could be a challenge if it's windy (or wavy in your case). When you grab the Mavic just right, your hands will be about 2-3 inches away from the props.

Willem · Nov 1, 2016

probably wouldn't be too hard to attach the getterback to the mavic (How It Works) btw - i've flown at least 50 trips with the phantom 4 from my boat doing a hand catch and hand land - super easy. hand catching and landing from a boat is a major concern for me as well. I'm actually not too worried about it going into the sea so long as you respect your battery life, etc. if its anything like the phantom 4 - then I've done hundreds of flights over water without a problem

msinger · Nov 1, 2016

The only problem with the GetterBack is that it will only allow the Mavic to be retrieved in up to 100 feet of water and the Mavic will still sink like a rock (which would be fatal in salt water).

edison · Nov 1, 2016

Butterpuff 6 said:
Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

DUDE. That is genius.

bschaub · Nov 1, 2016

Learn to fly and land on the deck. No problem. I have always been very apprehensive about hand recovery. And, I really know how to fly with Phantoms, 250 class racers and fixed wing. No way I will ever get my face and hands that close to these props. Your milage may vary.

telecam · Nov 1, 2016

mikesher said:
I personally hand catch my P3P from my yacht (sailing vessel) 100% of the time, and sometimes have a guest/crew assist with hand launch. The Mavic is going to be a bit more challenging.

I do that all the time too but how is that gonna work with the Mavic obstacle avoidance sensors?? Can they be disabled?

msinger · Nov 1, 2016

You can still catch it with the sensors enabled. You'll have to reach up and grab it quickly though. Otherwise, the Mavic will start drifting away from your hand.

mikesher · Nov 1, 2016

telecam said:
I do that all the time too but how is that gonna work with the Mavic obstacle avoidance sensors?? Can they be disabled?

I have seen some videos showing hand catches, but not sure if the sensors were disabled. It looks like you have to grab it from the front, just under the front sensors. Anyone with experience? Please share.

msinger · Nov 1, 2016

As I noted above, you need to grab it quickly. Otherwise, the Mavic will drift away from your hand. Here's an example showing that:

mikesher · Nov 1, 2016

bschaub said:
Learn to fly and land on the deck. No problem. I have always been very apprehensive about hand recovery. And, I really know how to fly with Phantoms, 250 class racers and fixed wing. No way I will ever get my face and hands that close to these props. Your milage may vary.

I do launch from the foredeck of my sailboat, but landing on the deck, is too risky IMHO. Too many obstacles: mast, shrouds, sheets, forestay, backstay in the way. I always hand catch from the stern, and bring in my P3P slowly towards me until I can catch it. As I mentioned earlier... the Mavic is going to be more of a challenge.

mikesher · Nov 1, 2016

msinger said:
As I noted above, you need to grab it quickly. Otherwise, the Mavic will drift away from your hand. Here's an example showing that:

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Note, he grabbed it from the rear (quickly).