Flying a drone from a parked vehicle?

[redserv]

Guys I have seen so many people fly there birds from a parked vehicle. For eg in winter etc.... I am terrified to fly a drone from inside a vehicle. I would really like to try this but dont want to loose my bird or get disconnected. Can you guys share some tips and tricks that will help me to have a safe flight from inside my parked vehicle? This will be really helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[Meta4]

Can you guys share some tips and tricks that will help me to have a safe flight from inside my parked vehicle?

All that's important is that you keep a clear, unobstructed line of sight between the drone and controller.

 

[redserv]

All that's important is that you keep a clear, unobstructed line of sight between the drone and controller.

Thank you. I know it might be obvious, but the windscreen from the car wont mess with the signal right??

 

[Phantomrain.org]

First Tip " Place the drone on top of your car and see if you can start the motors without conflict.

Place the drone away from the car and get a good signal with GPS sats and than go sit in your Car.

Hover above your car at 400 ft in front of and check for signal and Sats, This will most likely be your top numbers.

While hovered place your controller down on the seat next to you , cover it with a jacket and if you can fly backwards a little bit to see if you can still keep signal.

This will give you some confidence that your Drone is good for a clear visual line of sight flight.

Finding a strategic place to park over the lake or ocean is a good start.

We fly from inside the Car a lot in the storms and the Rain but every car is a bit different in how it interacts with your drone.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water and Fly from your Car.

 

[redserv]

First Tip " Place the drone on top of your car and see if you can start the motors without conflict.

Place the drone away from the car and get a good signal with GPS sats and than go sit in your Car.

Hover above your car at 400 ft in front of and check for signal and Sats, This will most likely be your top numbers.

While hovered place your controller down on the seat next to you , cover it with a jacket and if you can fly backwards a little bit to see if you can still keep signal.

This will give you some confidence that your Drone is good for a clear visual line of sight flight.

Finding a strategic place to park over the lake or ocean is a good start.

We fly from inside the Car a lot in the storms and the Rain but every car is a bit different in how it interacts with your drone.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water and Fly from your Car.

Awesome, thank you so much

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Awesome, thank you so much

Its a good thing also to just put everything on the heat, the radio , blue tooth on your phone so no matter what happens in the car you have no worries. Wipers should be no problem.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[redserv]

Its a good thing also to just put everything on the heat, the radio , blue tooth on your phone so no matter what happens in the car you have no worries. Wipers should be no problem.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

Wow that's crazy. Very extreme conditions. No way I will fly in that weather. But very cool

 

[Mtntrogger]

Its a good thing also to just put everything on the heat, the radio , blue tooth on your phone so no matter what happens in the car you have no worries. Wipers should be no problem.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

Im still waiting for yall to come out with the jacket for the P3 I know its coming any day now lol

 

[Mtntrogger]

The other option is to do waypoint flights with Litchi, since losing reception isnt an issue. My recommendations are to watch a few of "Dirty Birds" youtube videos. He pretty much always flys from inside his vehicle and also has put out some of the coolest drone edits ive seen. Super inspiring ! I would also recommend (in a safe place) flying your drone to the signal loss point. I know it sounds crazy but understanding how the birds respond when you lose signal is such a helpful step in becoming a better pilot. The reasoning is that if you lose signal intentionally (again, in a safe location) you gain comfort and experience so that when it happens unexpectedly you are much more equipped to get your bird back home.

 

[Meta4]

Thank you. I know it might be obvious, but the windscreen from the car wont mess with the signal right??

No worries ... radio waves pass through, just as visible light does.

 

[redserv]

No worries ... radio waves pass through, just as visible light does.

Thank you.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Im still waiting for yall to come out with the jacket for the P3 I know its coming any day now lol

Lol : We do have the Rescue Jacket for the P3/P4 but its for Rescue Only we dont recommend landing on the Water on Purpose like we do with the Mavics.

Phantom 4 / 3 Rescue jacket

 

[redserv]

The other option is to do waypoint flights with Litchi, since losing reception isnt an issue. My recommendations are to watch a few of "Dirty Birds" youtube videos. He pretty much always flys from inside his vehicle and also has put out some of the coolest drone edits ive seen. Super inspiring ! I would also recommend (in a safe place) flying your drone to the signal loss point. I know it sounds crazy but understanding how the birds respond when you lose signal is such a helpful step in becoming a better pilot. The reasoning is that if you lose signal intentionally (again, in a safe location) you gain comfort and experience so that when it happens unexpectedly you are much more equipped to get your bird back home.

Haha sounds logical. I am not sure I have enough balls for that but I understand why it's a good idea. Thanks for sharing man

 

[Meta4]

First Tip " Place the drone on top of your car and see if you can start the motors without conflict.

There's no point to this.
He wanted to fly from inside the car, not launch from on top of the car.

 

[MS Coast]

The other option is to do waypoint flights with Litchi, since losing reception isnt an issue. My recommendations are to watch a few of "Dirty Birds" youtube videos. He pretty much always flys from inside his vehicle and also has put out some of the coolest drone edits ive seen. Super inspiring ! I would also recommend (in a safe place) flying your drone to the signal loss point. I know it sounds crazy but understanding how the birds respond when you lose signal is such a helpful step in becoming a better pilot. The reasoning is that if you lose signal intentionally (again, in a safe location) you gain comfort and experience so that when it happens unexpectedly you are much more equipped to get your bird back home.

It's unwise to intentionally fly your drone so far away that you loose the signal between it and the controller. For one thing, it will probably be BVLOS and illegal. And if there's a problem, you won't be near the drone and will have no idea what it does.

Instead, position the drone nearby and in sight, confirm that the loss of signal setting is where you want it (land, hover or RTH), and switch the controller off.

Keep it simple, safe, and legal.

 

[vindibona1]

Flying from inside a car works pretty well in weather you don't want to be standing outside in. The two things to consider is interference from the car that will limit the distance you can fly, and limited line of sight because the roof and window heights will limit how high up you can fly without the car's top exterior blocking your view.

Flying inside the car does have some advantages. You can have accessories out on the seat and dash if you want to try different things. With a longer cable you can place your phone/tablet up on the dash or a convenient location which lightens the load in your hands. The downside of that is that it limits your mobility should you need to get out of the car for any reason, including spotting your drone or trying to regain lost signal.

 

[akdrone]

Guys I have seen so many people fly there birds from a parked vehicle. For eg in winter etc.... I am terrified to fly a drone from inside a vehicle. I would really like to try this but dont want to loose my bird or get disconnected. Can you guys share some tips and tricks that will help me to have a safe flight from inside my parked vehicle? This will be really helpful. Thanks in advance.

Other than keeping the drone in sight you will have few problems. I fly at -25F in 20mph winds on some occasions with no problem. I have, at times, had the controller in my lap and lost connection and had to bring it up to the dash in order for the controller to see the drone. I would imagine the connection isn't quite as good within a car but for me on my M3 the connection is good enough for VLOS flight. If I didn't fly from within a car my drone season here in North Pole, AK would be quite, quite, short.

 

[redserv]

What about

Other than keeping the drone in sight you will have few problems. I fly at -25F in 20mph winds on some occasions with no problem. I have, at times, had the controller in my lap and lost connection and had to bring it up to the dash in order for the controller to see the drone. I would imagine the connection isn't quite as good within a car but for me on my M3 the connection is good enough for VLOS flight. If I didn't fly from within a car my drone season here in North Pole, AK would be quite, quite, short.

I wonder if there are external antenna. Kits available for the Mavic 3. I am thinking that may help

 

[Meta4]

What about

I wonder if there are external antenna. Kits available for the Mavic 3. I am thinking that may help

If the path between your controller and the drone passes through glass, rather than metal panels, you'll have no problem.

 

[redserv]

If you're controller is shooting through glass, rather than metal panels, you'll have no problem.

Lol got ya!!