Flying a drone from a parked vehicle?

[Frank Dracman]

That's allot of metal to be launching a drone from.

 

[UAVquadman]

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.

a much better solution is to get an external antenna. I fly from my car and just make sure the drone is in front of the car so I can see it through the front windshield and never had to do any of what you just said for the most part but some good ideas for a test if you want to go all out I guess but when in trouble you can simple get out of the car! LOL...

 

[Eagle Eye 62]

I do it all the time. As long as you have a clear line of site, it should be fine.

 

[Wild Drone Pilot]

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

Didn't for me

 

[marshvet]

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.

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Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

How do you keep the drone from shutting down once you land on the water? When I land mine, it automatically shuts off. Thanks!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

How do you keep the drone from shutting down once you land on the water? When I land mine, it automatically shuts off. Thanks!

You dont ! What you can do is keep your sticks in the Take off position as soon as it lands and it will restart again instantly. its important to keep the control over the drone so you can pop up quickly if needed and that will help.

This same trick works if you were to turn off the motors in flight and wanted to restart it while its falling, once the drone falls into a position where it can start from as long as your holding the sticks in a take off position after the fall it will restart .

So holding the Sticks in Position for Take off plays an important role

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

 

[Dbez1]

One problem I have with flying from my car is I can’t hear the manned aircraft coming as well. Normally I hear MA coming before I notice them and we can’t rely on them having a transponder. Less than 50% do in my area. I try to keep a window on each side of the car open at least a little.

 

[snowghost]

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.

I'm surprised the FAA hasn't shut him down. Dirty Bird is an irresponsible idiot.

 

[Clintoops]

I talked to a FAA friend of mine the other day and he thought it was careless to be flying from inside a car. The roof obstructs your view of the sky and scanning for risks aircraft and other things that could cause a accident. In his opinion it shouldn't be done.

 

[YVRGUY]

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.

Buy a convertible.

 

[redserv]

Buy a convertible.

Lol

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I talked to a FAA friend of mine the other day and he thought it was careless to be flying from inside a car. The roof obstructs your view of the sky and scanning for risks aircraft and other things that could cause a accident. In his opinion it shouldn't be done.

I got a few pilot friends that think drones should be illegal period , If we keep giving in , they will take everything.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, Land on the Water,

 

[Mtntrogger]

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

I noticed that, but that one isnt designed for flying in the rain like the other bird suits are. Definitely not looking to land on water on purpose, tried that with my first drone the first weekend I had it. Didnt go well. LOL ! Thats why I posted what I did about flying out of range.

When I replaced that first bird that went into the lake and was never recovered, I decided to really learn everything I could about the ins and outs of these things. Recovering from signal loss was a huge step for me. Honestly once I became comfortable with it, I would say I ended up losing signal for almost every flight after that for quite a while. Got her back each and every time. I love that bird, can still do things that neither my P3 nor my mini 2 are capable of.

The scariest scenario Im familiar with is when the app crashes when you are far away. Flying with no visuals is nerve wracking. Fortunately this hasnt happened with my mini 2 but the controller disconnecting has a similar effect. The difference is that I can usually get the controller to reconnect to the bird, but when the app crashes its a pain to get it to reconnect midflight and often doesnt happen before the battery dies. At that point I fly by how close the sound of the drone is, until I have a clear visual. Yall really hate me now dont you ? !

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I noticed that, but that one isnt designed for flying in the rain like the other bird suits are. Definitely not looking to land on water on purpose, tried that with my first drone the first weekend I had it. Didnt go well. LOL ! Thats why I posted what I did about flying out of range.

When I replaced that first bird that went into the lake and was never recovered, I decided to really learn everything I could about the ins and outs of these things. Recovering from signal loss was a huge step for me. Honestly once I became comfortable with it, I would say I ended up losing signal for almost every flight after that for quite a while. Got her back each and every time. I love that bird, can still do things that neither my P3 nor my mini 2 are capable of.

The scariest scenario Im familiar with is when the app crashes when you are far away. Flying with no visuals is nerve wracking. Fortunately this hasnt happened with my mini 2 but the controller disconnecting has a similar effect. The difference is that I can usually get the controller to reconnect to the bird, but when the app crashes its a pain to get it to reconnect midflight and often doesnt happen before the battery dies. At that point I fly by how close the sound of the drone is, until I have a clear visual. Yall really hate me now dont you ? !

Sorry you mean the Wet Suit for the Phantom 3 , Yes I do have those as well.
You have 3 Colors to choose from : Neon Blue : Rescue Red and Black they come in full color.
Email me at [email protected] for an invoice .

 

[KB9Radio]

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.

The radio signal will go through the windshield fine, but not through the roof or any metal at all. So keep that in mind during flight. Make sure your RTH is set correctly as always and if it disconnects it should RTH in the normal manner to the takeoff location.

 

[smfry60]

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.

Surprised you didn't mention flying from inside your house.. I'm sure you've done that..

 

[Capt KO]

Flying from inside my truck is not a problem but the truck does cause magnetic interference. I have to takeoff from about 10’ away or it will ask to calibrate compass. If I calibrate close to the truck I’ll lose control shortly after takeoff. I always fly within sight, aiming remote at drone, no problem. Loss of signal set to RTH.
Bonus: nobody sees you, helpful in busy areas. AC feels so good in Florida. Heater for you colder pilots. Stay dry when raining, but wetsuit required.
Enjoy

 

[JOHNVOSS]

Flying from inside my truck is not a problem but the truck does cause magnetic interference. I have to takeoff from about 10’ away or it will ask to calibrate compass. If I calibrate close to the truck I’ll lose control shortly after takeoff. I always fly within sight, aiming remote at drone, no problem. Loss of signal set to RTH.
Bonus: nobody sees you, helpful in busy areas. AC feels so good in Florida. Heater for you colder pilots. Stay dry when raining, but wetsuit required.
Enjoy

What he said. Works for me and I can fly well beyond LOS from inside the car.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Flying from inside my truck is not a problem but the truck does cause magnetic interference. I have to takeoff from about 10’ away or it will ask to calibrate compass. If I calibrate close to the truck I’ll lose control shortly after takeoff. I always fly within sight, aiming remote at drone, no problem. Loss of signal set to RTH.
Bonus: nobody sees you, helpful in busy areas. AC feels so good in Florida. Heater for you colder pilots. Stay dry when raining, but wetsuit required.
Enjoy

Yes, this is why I advise everyone to get to know how there drone works up close an personal with there car , its critical to know that, and every car or truck or boat is different. Thankfully my car is a perfect landing pad. lol

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain , land on the Water and On the car.

 

[maggior]

I sometimes take off from the sunroof of my car but I've never been brave enough to sit in my car and fly. I would feel too disconnected from the flight. I like to hear if ther are planes in the area.