Flying From a Ship

[Cylan]

Hi all, I'm on a US Coast Guard Cutter. I'm going to fly my mavic from the flight deck.

Do I need to calibrate the compass before take off, since most of the ship is metal, and I will get magnetic interference?

Also, I believe the best way to land it, is to have someone catch it, since the ship will be moving. Is this correct?

I've done this before with my Phantom 3 Advanced, and while it told me there was strong magnetic interference, if I held the drone above my head and calibrated it, it would work.

I'm also reading that I shouldn't calibrate at all, since I'm on a metal ship. Im also far away from where I last flew it, so I believe it should be calibrated? Anyone have any advice?

 

[Top Hat]

If you can get a clean compass cal on the ship and you are permitted to take off, why not.
But normally you don't compass cal if not prompted.

 

[DodgeP]

You may get interference from the metal and the GPS. I tried launching my Inspire from a Yacht once and was unsuccessful in getting a clean signal, had to fly manual.

 

[Cylan]

anyone have any recommendations on the landing aspect? its a little harder to catch a mavic as opposed to a phantom, due to the landing gears. but on a moving boat I don't have much of a choice, right? If I try to land it, its gonna sit right above the flight deck for a second, and then use the bottom sensors to land, while the ship is moving... that's gonna cause a crash I'm afraid.

 

[msinger]

If I try to land it, its gonna sit right above the flight deck for a second, and then use the bottom sensors to land, while the ship is moving

If you turn off the Landing Protection setting (or downward sensors), you'll be able to manually land it without that short pause that occurs right before the Mavic switches to forced landing mode and auto lands.

 

[Cylan]

Msinger, awesome! Thank you for this.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I would definitely hesitate to calibrate on the ship. You would surely lock in a metal induced deviation at best.

Find a place to launch where the indication on your map matches the real heading of the Mavic and you are getting no compass errors.

If you must calibrate, then go to a place on the ship where you get a normal sensor reading from the compass before attempting.

 

[dirkclod]

Cylan a Cutter has Way more electronic's and steel than what I use to take off from but from this I have never had any warnings and has always came back in RTH which won't be your case and as Robert just said .
I always hand-catch but I also have all those sensors off .

Sorry I couldn't help it .