Do you return home like a Helicopter or like an Airplane?

[Brockrock]

I know it's a different sort of question, but what I mean is, when bringing your copter back to land - or catch, as I do - do you tend to remain at altitude until over the Home Point (HP) and then descend, or do you gradually descend from altitude as you make your approach to the HP in order to arrive at the HP at an altitude just above head height. Also, let's call it an opened area - like over the water where I mostly fly - because there are many reasons in congested areas where you may only be able to safely land like a heli.

I do the Airplane approach almost always, and I do so for two reasons. I fly with a large iPad, and the reason I instantly moved from a cell-phone to an iPad many years ago was because - IMO - the bigger the screen, the better the flight experience. I certainly toggle my attention between the screen and the airspace where the copter is flying, but using the info on the screen - altitude, speed, descent rate, Live View - I try to challenge myself and 'spot land' it - so to speak. And, it's fun. The second reason is a bit more practical. It makes a lot less noise for a lot less time. I have quickly departed - which I also tend to do unless very cold - and then, twenty-minutes or so later, landed my M2P with people all around, and they were all oblivious...

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I know it's a different sort of question, but what I mean is, when bringing your copter back to land - or catch, as I do - do you tend to remain at altitude until over the Home Point (HP) and then descend, or do you gradually descend from altitude as you make your approach to the HP in order to arrive at the HP at an altitude just above head height. Also, let's call it an opened area - like over the water where I mostly fly - because there are many reasons in congested areas where you may only be able to safely land like a heli.

I do the Airplane approach almost always, and I do so for two reasons. I fly with a large iPad, and the reason I instantly moved from a cell-phone to an iPad many years ago was because - IMO - the bigger the screen, the better the flight experience. I certainly toggle my attention between the screen and the airspace where the copter is flying, but using the info on the screen - altitude, speed, descent rate, Live View - I try to challenge myself and 'spot land' it - so to speak. And, it's fun. The second reason is a bit more practical. It makes a lot less noise for a lot less time. I have quickly departed - which I also tend to do unless very cold - and then, twenty-minutes or so later, landed my M2P with people all around, and they were all oblivious...

To save my neck: I always do the airplane approach.
it also useful for long distance briging it back as low as possible.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in and out of the Storm
Coal

 

[OurAngryBadger]

Situationally dependent. If I'm operating in an area with lots of trees or powerlines I will take the helicopter approach, but favoring the airplane approach elsewhere. The less time at higher altitudes the better, imo. Never know when a strong wind gust is going to hit.

 

[Dedal]

Depends on the situation and terrain configuration...

 

[waylander]

I concur with Dedal.... vis a vis situation/conditions, however piloting is fun, and as BrockRock suggest if situations allow, an aeroplane approach is more of a test of skill, otherwise you might as well just press RTH and have it done for you, as I have seen others suggest in different posts here.

But as an aside.. how many pilots fly back to home point with camera facing the OP and then yawing 180 Deg just before landing or hand catching... I would be interested to know how many and why...

Keep it prop side up...
Waylander

 

[Dedal]

I concur with Dedal.... vis a vis situation/conditions, however piloting is fun, and as BrockRock suggest if situations allow, an aeroplane approach is more of a test of skill, otherwise you might as well just press RTH and have it done for you, as I have seen others suggest in different posts here.

But as an aside.. how many pilots fly back to home point with camera facing the OP and then yawing 180 Deg just before landing or hand catching... I would be interested to know how many and why...

Keep it prop side up...
Waylander

Interesting... Never thought about that. If I want to land it, or even catch it with my hand (for whatever reason), I mostly turn it, just because of the controls (left is left, right is right, don't have to think about switching controls in my head).

 

[FoxhallGH]

I tend to fly down a path between the point where the drone started the descent and my head. If you keep the drone at the same relative point in the sky as you bring it back to you, then you are flying it back along a glide-slope that ends at your head.

 

[Rchawks]

I've been flying in like a plane with transitioning to heli at about 2 1/2 ft then landing. Good question.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

I concur with Dedal.... vis a vis situation/conditions, however piloting is fun, and as BrockRock suggest if situations allow, an aeroplane approach is more of a test of skill, otherwise you might as well just press RTH and have it done for you, as I have seen others suggest in different posts here.

But as an aside.. how many pilots fly back to home point with camera facing the OP and then yawing 180 Deg just before landing or hand catching... I would be interested to know how many and why...

Keep it prop side up...
Waylander

The mp2 has fantastic RTH so I use that and point the camera down just to double check the landing spot.

I leave it at altitude because there are many trees in my Neighborhood..

Once it starts it’s landing move the left stick all the way down to speed it up. I need to use 100 feet as the RTH altitude.

If I land in the backyard I do it manually.

 

[Unknown Pilot]

Fly… land it, like I stole it. Death spiral landing.

 

[Brockrock]

I concur with Dedal.... vis a vis situation/conditions, however piloting is fun, and as BrockRock suggest if situations allow, an aeroplane approach is more of a test of skill, otherwise you might as well just press RTH and have it done for you, as I have seen others suggest in different posts here.

But as an aside.. how many pilots fly back to home point with camera facing the OP and then yawing 180 Deg just before landing or hand catching... I would be interested to know how many and why...

Keep it prop side up...
Waylander

I tend to keep the camera facing the HP on the way back, and like I mentioned above, I always hand catch, so I turn the copter sideways (90 deg) to me and then reach up underneath it. I don't really struggle anymore with occasional confusion regarding copter control depending upon its orientation to me. I seemed to have worked that out years ago.

 

[Brockrock]

I tend to fly down a path between the point where the drone started the descent and my head. If you keep the drone at the same relative point in the sky as you bring it back to you, then you are flying it back along a glide-slope that ends at your head.

Exactly. I do find it a bit hard however, because of the copter's size, to use it to gauge flying this glide-slope, but you can also use this same concept while looking at the Live View. If you know where your head is (or HP), and if you keep it centered upon beginning your descent, you will do a fairly perfect airplane approach.

 

[ajaxflysquare]

I simply get up to altitude haul but to my destination, film- haul back and land. Works flawless every time.

 

[BigAl07]

I fly it very much like a fixed-wing aircraft unless "terrain/structures" prevent such. I actually enjoy flying the aircraft so the only time we use RTH is to TEST it or to DEMONSTRATE it to a class. Stopping directly overhead and descending straight down is boring and tiring on the neck if you fly more than a couple times a day. In the old days we avoided this because the UAS was highly prone to VRS so we maintained some degree of forward travel to keep getting "Clean Air" to the rotors. Not a problem with today's DJI aircraft.

Actually I take it a step further coming home and flip over to SPORT MODE to speed things up and have a little more fun. I zoom in Nose First until about ~20ft away, turn 180 and back it in for a landing... either on the PAD or in my hand depending on who is around, what the area is like, and whose land I'm operating on. More often then not I land in my hand and flip it over to kill the motors.

 

[Mossiback]

... over the water where I mostly fly ... I do the Airplane approach almost always...

Providing that the terrain allows it, I also do the Airplane approach except when flying over water. When flying over water being higher up gives me a better chance of reaching an emergency landing spot if needed.

 

[old man mavic]

as long as its safe i come down like an aircraft on the glide slope,then i turn facing away from me and land manually,my reasons for doing it started when i flew my first drones which were liable to VRS if descending strait down to quickly, by descending and flying forwards at the same time this virtually prevents VRS from developing

 

[hiflyer201]

don't descend until you clear all obstacles..shouldn't that be the general rule?..it is with me. Of course since drones glide like a rock..the only reason for saving altitude is noise and just like with airplanes that's a consideration. Airports have sign's..don't fly over the hospital..high school..neighbors.. offset 15 degrees after departure. ..stuff like that.

 

[silverdragon]

Something about the airplane approach, it feels, well how should I put it, feels like I have skills, like controlling both stick at the same time, it has to be just right to bring it in with some speed and when it get down to the point of releasing both sticks it stops dead facing the right direction.

 

[pelagic_one]

Great question, OP:

VSTOL (vertical short take-off and landing) for me most often. Kinda like a Harrier, except I don’t melt the tarmac...

 

[Ron (MM)]

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