Getting Your Drone Safely Out of a Tall Tree

[NG Wildman]

An arborist would be a good choice. Also a sign company, or others that have small cranes. Someone at my brother's RC club put a plane in a tree and hired a crane company to come out. They literally suspended a guy in a harness from the crane and lowered him into the top of the tree. Likely not the cheapest option, but it got the job done.

But don't completely rule out a fire department, especially if you're in a area that doesn't see many house fires. They need to train on their equipment and may be willing to come out just for the ladder truck training/practice aspect of it. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.

Good point about the training.

 

[darrick.sampson]

Coincidentally I was on holiday in West Virginia, USA the same time as this post. I called the tree local tree removal companies, and the one with the name, "Where there is a Will There's a Way", returned my call. True to the name, the fellow climbed the tall pine tree ~ 50 feet and safely retrieved it. I paid him USD 200 and he seemed pleased with that.

I am here today as the Mavic 2 is 100 feet up in a tree alongside a reservoir with no road access, but fortunately, foot access. I am using the spare Mavic Pro to do a reconnaissance mission this morning. I suspect the branch structure is too long for a climber as this isn't a tall pine tree. Using a chainsaw at a public reservoir is likely to lead to something bad for me so that's an option. I will search the forums for whether the Mavic Pro can handle a 1.6 pound or 735 grams payload, assuming I think I can lower it in flight and snag the Mavic 2 with a hook. If so, the risk is getting the old Mavic Pro stuck in the same tree. I was going 28mph (45kph) so the pig is surely jammed in there nicely I bet.

 

[Downsmike]

I've used a fishing pole with a decent weight...