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Bottom hanging lanyard Drone Retrieval off the deck of a sailboat!!??

Nodak7

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Thanks all for the great information that is posted on this forum! After having tried a number of cheap drones I realized that I needed a good one to really have a good experience so I just purchased a Mavic Air 2 and absolutely love flying it. Anyway my plans are, once I get comfortable with flying it is to launch and retrieve from our sailboat. I single hand so that compounds the problem. There are lots of videos on about launching and retrieving. The launching part does not seem to be too difficult. The retrieval however is the challenge! I saw one video where the guy tied a lanyard to the drone that hung down 24-36" from the bottom and as the drone got close to the boat he reached up and grabbed the lanyard to haul it in (while shutting it down). I thought this method looked attractive and helped alleviate the problem of boat movement during retrieval. I searched this forum for anyone who might have used this same method and unfortunately I did not find any postings about anyone doing this. So my question is has anyone used this method of retrieval? What are the negatives or reasons this might not be a good method? Is it a bad idea and if so why! Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
the idea you are speaking of is (and i dont want to appear offensive) a very bad idea on so many fronts
not only for you but the drone so please dont contemplate trying it
 
Possibly build a landing platform that can fold into the shape needed for your use? Made of fabric and rope to minimize prop damage?
Sorry, not a hand catcher unless it’s a phantom.
 
I think something like a lanyard swinging loose under the drone is a danger to the drone, during 'acrobatics' I would worry about it swinging into the props. Then there is the risk of it snagging rigging etc. when close to the boat. Taking it that you have only one hand I fail to see how you could catch a lanyard and shut down the drone at the same time.
There are these sort of things Hensych Quick Release Handheld Stabilizer Holder for Mavic Air 2 Drone,Handle Landing Gear Mount Long Lens Bracket Grip One Take Handle Holder Clip: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games but I have no idea how they affect flight times and again there is the question of how do you shut down the drone whilst holding the handle.
I too would suggest some sort of landing platform, possibly with a lip to prevent the drone sliding off and possibly gimbal mounted
 
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I would actually message Captain Rick Moore from “Sailing Sophisticated Lady”


not only does he sail all over the Caribbean he also takes amazing drone videos. He beta tests products for numerous companies too. I’m sure he would be happy to give a word of advice on sailing and flying.
 
If the lanyard was weighted it should stay under the aircraft but things suspended under the UAS tend to oscillate and it gets bad quickly if you're not quick on the sticks.

We tested some rope/ribbon below one of our aircraft and a couple of times it managed to get up into the rotors. Thank goodness both times it was merely "flagging tape" and this was done on a HEX-COPTER so the potential for disaster was minimized.

We've used a stiff pole (don't go there gang LOL) when dropping items from our Search & Rescue drone because it was much less dangerous because it was much less likely to get back up into the blades.
 
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I find hand catching easy to do. I just get the drone stable and about shoulder/head height and reach up underneath it and grab it and a fraction of a second later pull the left stick (mode 2) down. Complete positive control of drone. Grabbing the dangling end a line attached to the drone strikes me as a good way to have the drone fly into your face as it tries to regain it's programmed stability.
 
What are the negatives or reasons this might not be a good method? Is it a bad idea and if so why! Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I concur with previous responses in that things can go wrong quickly with a dangling lanyard. I’m a risky sailor who enjoys sailing in light bay storms, from time to time, but I typically only attempt a Mavic flight in sub-10 knot winds. From a boat, I only hand catch, but with the mainsail down or boat heaved to.

If you have a high degree of confidence in your hand catching ability on dry land in a little breeze, you’ll be okay on a boat turned into a similar breeze.

But if you’re like some people who are a little fearful of the skill — not that there’s anything wrong with it — please don’t try it from a sailboat.
 
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Just a thought.. Phantoms are easy to hand catch thanks to the legs. Why not have an extension that would push fit onto one of the legs when the arms are extended. It would only have to be a lightweight thing as long as it attaches firmly for when the drone 'attempts to escape' when hand catching, (a rigid plastic tube?)
 
Alex, whilst I agree that the Phantoms are great for hand catching, their landing gear is somewhat braced by being a "U" and the likely presence of a gimbal protector 'cross brace'.
There are "U" shaped, leg connecting, landing extenders available for the Mavic Mini, which mount between the feet of the front legs and the motor mounts of the rear arms but I have yet to see any for any other Mavic models. Mavic landing extenders therefore could, when used as catch handles, exert significant torque/leverage on the mounting points of the original landing legs and I have seen two or more M2P/Z's with cracked legs, at a guess stemming from crashes but....
The above said, your idea does raise the question, could the Nodak7 modify readily available extenders into "U"s possibly with a cross brace between the "U"s? They would be more suitable for hand catching and personally I would 'love' "U"s for the M2P/Z.
But we are still left with the question of how does a one handed person catch and shut down an M2A, I assume the grab and twist thing is not considered as suitable which brings us back to a landing platform.

One other idea has just come to mind, a small mesh 'landing net', if landing protection can be switched off could the Air 2 be 'dropped' into or onto a 'fixed in place' landing net (think circus acrobats' catch net) with out suffering damage?
 
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Alex, whilst I agree that the Phantoms are great for hand catching, their landing gear is somewhat braced by being a "U" and the likely presence of a gimbal protector 'cross brace'.
There are "U" shaped, leg connecting landing extenders available for the Mavic Mini, which mount between the feet of the front legs and the motor mounts of the rear arms but I have yet to see any for any other Mavic models. Mavic landing extenders therefore could, when used as catch handles, exert significant torque/leverage on the mounting points of the original landing legs and I have seen two or more M2P/Z's with cracked legs, at a guess stemming from crashes but....
The above said, your idea does raise the question, could the Nodak7 modify readily available extenders into "U"s possibly with a cross brace between the "U"s? They would be more suitable for hand catching and personally I would 'love' "U"s for the M2P/Z.
But we are still left with the question of how does a one handed person catch and shut down an M2A, I assume the grab and twist thing is not considered as suitable which brings us back to a landing platform.

One other idea has just come to mind, a small mesh 'landing net', if landing protection can be switched off could the Air 2 be 'dropped' into or onto a 'fixed in place' landing net (think circus acrobats' catch net) with out suffering damage?
A very valid point about stressing the arms, some sort of cross bracing would be desirable, even necessary..
 
Thanks all for your responses and advice! Obviously from what I see not a good idea. Hand catching on a boat concerns me because of the boats wave action. Even in light seas it can move quite a bit and standing on deck trying to control the drone and hand catching it is going to be a challenge. I like the Handheld stabilizer as an option. Thanks again for your responses.
 
Thanks all for your responses and advice! Obviously from what I see not a good idea. Hand catching on a boat concerns me because of the boats wave action. Even in light seas it can move quite a bit and standing on deck trying to control the drone and hand catching it is going to be a challenge. I like the Handheld stabilizer as an option. Thanks again for your responses.
Have a watch of this!
 
With significant weather, single handing you'd have your hands full without the drone. Autopilots tend to trip off, in high sea states. I can just picture a broach while trying to catch a drone. Get good at flying before trying to do both at the same time. On a lazy day, it might work okay to do both at the same time. Sacagawea stomping grounds ? Wear a life line !
 
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When retrieving your drone, why don't you just luff up on your main and furl your jib. this will eliminate headway and give you ample deck for landing.
 
You could rest the controller on something or suspend it from a lanyard and then I expect it would be just a matter of practice to become proficient, in just the same way as a two handed pilot has to learn how to use the controller.
That said, I believe there are joysticks designed for use by one handed people but whether or not there is one that is compatible with the MA2 I do not have the slightest clue
 
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