Grab by hand while hovering as a way of landing

[Filmarik]

You are correct, sir. Im not laughing about that.

Im laughing that there is NO END to protecting yourself. Why not wear a helmet if youre already using gloves and goggles to fly a drone? Seems like the next logical step with that kind of thought.

I would like to know the number of eye injuries of operating a drone, btw. How many people are actually using GOGGLES to fly their drone. I would think maybe one out of a Million users maybe? certainly close.

No. I think youre being a little over the top. If you can't hand catch a drone without gloves, then I doubt you should be attempting such a thing to begin with. It would seem, dexterously speaking, that gloves would inhibit your ability to hand catch, anyway.

 

[Filmarik]

I am not suggesting that people should wear a protective gear when flying drones! What I am saying is that when you are doing something out of ordinary and inherently dangerous such as hand catching a drone, you should be mindful of the associated danger arrising from such activity. Wearing protective goggles for a few seconds while hand catching is not over the top IMHO, and that is what I do. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[AlanL]

The Mavic 3 has a notion of "landing mode" where it will pause for 3 seconds hovering above either your hand or the ground and then commit to carrying out the act. The following is a snippet from the flight notifications logs as seen in Airdata from a recent flight:


My hand was outstretched about 3 feet below the drone. It will settle into my hand without fuss at all. I will only do this when the winds are low. I often fly in the Columbia River Gorge and the winds up there are not conducive to hand catching at all. The above notification log sequence is present for every single hand catch I have done with the Mavic 3 as well as ground or landing pad landings.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

I am not suggesting that people should wear a protective gear when flying drones! What I am saying is that when you are doing something out of ordinary and inherently dangerous such as hand catching a drone, you should be mindful of the associated danger arrising from such activity. Wearing protective goggles is not over the top and that is what I do. Better to be safe than sorry.

Ok. I agree with you protecting yourself. I think maybe I was "over the top" with my remarks, to be honest. I didn't mean to upset anyone... I run a little hot sometimes..lol

I just think wearing goggles and padding up to fly a drone (FOR ME) is a little more effort than what its worth. Im sure that when I end up rolling over in a car accident Im going to wish that I was padded up like a Middle Linebacker but I just cant dress out like that everyday.
At some point, I have to have faith in my ability to drive a car without being so concerned about the possible 10 car pileup that Im unable to get to work everyday without preparing like Im going to war.

 

[Filmarik]

Ok. I agree with you protecting yourself. I think maybe I was "over the top" with my remarks, to be honest. I didn't mean to upset anyone... I run a little hot sometimes..lol

I just think wearing goggles and padding up to fly a drone (FOR ME) is a little more effort than what its worth. Im sure that when I end up rolling over in a car accident Im going to wish that I was padded up like a Middle Linebacker but I just cant dress out like that everyday.
At some point, I have to have faith in my ability to drive a car without being so concerned about the possible 10 car pileup that Im unable to get to work everyday without preparing like Im going to war.

I agree with you that we can not live our lives like something horrible is going to happen to us every day. But when you decide to do something which is inherently dangerous and out of normal day to day activity, taking a bit of extra precaution or protection is not too much to ask for. Applying bit of a common sense, I suppose...
It is like working with power tools. The ods a splinter will fly into your eye are very small but the consequence if such could be life changing. Wearing goggles is inconvenient, they get foggy etc etc but I put them on when drilling or cutting etc...Hand catching a drone is not any different. I think we are on the same page just approaching the topic from different angle

 

[Bob in Savannah]

I agree with you that we can not live our lives like something horrible is going to happen to us every day. But when you decide to do something which is inherently dangerous and out of normal day to day activity, taking a bit of extra precaution or protection is not too much to ask for. Applying bit of a common sense, I suppose...
It is like working with power tools. The ods a splinter will fly into your eye are very small but the consequence if such could be life changing. Wearing goggles is inconvenient, they get foggy etc etc but I put them on when drilling or cutting etc...Hand catching a drone is not any different. I think we are on the same page just approaching the topic from different angle

I understand what you're saying except that it's NOT like power tools.

I ALWAYS wear eye protection with power and yard tools and target practicing. THATS common sense.

But I don't while flying a drone or driving a car (with all that glass in front of you just waiting to explode in your face in an accident) or throwing darts or playing golf or even fishing. I'm sure the odds of injuring yourself on a Sunday fishing trip with a lure are more than those that injure themselves flying a drone per capita.

Just saying...You're NEVER wrong to go to bed in a protected underground bunker just to get through the night without worrying.

Wear the goggles. I'm the one that will regret it if there's (ever) a problem. +1

 

[Filmarik]

I understand what you're saying except that it's NOT like power tools.

I ALWAYS wear eye protection with power and yard tools and target practicing. THATS common sense.

But I don't while flying a drone or driving a car (with all that glass in front of you just waiting to explode in your face in an accident) or throwing darts or playing golf or even fishing. I'm sure the odds of injuring yourself on a Sunday fishing trip with a lure are more than those that injure themselves flying a drone per capita.

Just saying...You're NEVER wrong to go to bed in a protected underground bunker just to get through the night without worrying.

Wear goggles. I'm the one that will regret it if there's (ever) problem. +1

I understand what you're saying except that it's NOT like power tools.

I ALWAYS wear eye protection with power and yard tools and target practicing. THATS common sense.

But I don't while flying a drone or driving a car (with all that glass in front of you just waiting to explode in your face in an accident) or throwing darts or playing golf or even fishing. I'm sure the odds of injuring yourself on a Sunday fishing trip with a lure are more than those that injure themselves flying a drone per capita.

Just saying...You're NEVER wrong to go to bed in a protected underground bunker just to get through the night without worrying.

Wear the goggles. I'm the one that will regret it if there's (ever) a problem. +1

Well, hand catching a drone is not any less if not more dangerous than working with power or garden tools. It is your choice what you do. I just do not want people here getting a false sense of security thinking that hand catching a drone is a perfectly safe thing to do. Because it is not.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

Well, hand catching a drone is not any less if not more dangerous than working with power or garden tools. It is your choice what you do. I just do not want people here getting a false sense of security thinking that hand catching a drone is a perfectly safe thing to do. Because it is not.

No, its not. You're correct, again.

But I'm afraid you're not giving enough credit to the forum members here. I'm 100% sure no one here is thinking hand catching is a "perfectly safe thing to do."

 

[Filmarik]

No, its not. You're correct, again.

But I'm afraid you're not giving enough credit to the forum members here. I'm 100% sure no one here is thinking hand catching is a "perfectly safe thing to do."

Never assume all people here are as experienced or have the same level of awareness as yourself.

 

[Filmarik]

Never assume all people here are as experienced or have the same level of awareness as yourself.

This is a "behind the scene" video about a lovely short film called The Circle, commissioned by DJI and shot entirely with Inspire 2 drone shortly after it was first released. Just to demonstrate its cinematic capabilities. I know it is a much bigger and more dangerous drone but this clip provides an insight into the level of security put in place for the drone catcher when hand catching the drone to create one amazing transition shot in that film.

 

[lomposlapos]

My original question was not philosophical, medical, ethical, a polling on landing preferences or whatever but purely a technical one. Anyone has an answer to the original question?

 

[Filmarik]

My original question was not philosophical, medical, ethical, a polling on landing preferences or whatever but purely a technical one. Anyone has an answer to the original question?

If waiting for the drone making its slow descent onto your palm is not a viable option for you then the only other alternative is to bring the drone close to you, grab it from underneath with one hand, and hold the throttle stick down with the other hand until the motors stop. I would personally wear at least some protective gear in situations such as catching it on boat in case something goes wrong. That is pretty much your only option, technically speaking

 

[GadgetGuy]

If waiting for the drone making its slow descent onto your palm is not a viable option for you then the only other alternative is to bring the drone close to you, grab it from underneath with one hand, and hold the throttle stick down with the other hand until the motors stop. I would personally wear at least some protective gear in situations such as catching it on boat in case something goes wrong. That is pretty much your only option, technically speaking

That's what I do. Works just fine. Just don’t try pulling the captured drone down until the motors have been stopped, as it will fight you. The main reason I grab the drone is because I am often landing in a very tight area, where any lateral movement could result in a crash. Best to stop the lateral movement, holding it firmly in place from beneath, and shut the motors off.

 

[Zbip57]

I ALWAYS wear eye protection with power and yard tools and target practising. THAT'S common sense.
But I don't while flying a drone or driving a car (with all that glass in front of you just waiting to explode in your face in an accident).

We'd all be much safer wearing a helmet whenever driving a car, but it's just not practical. Sheesh, some people still won't even use a seatbelt.

In my car rallying background I often thought it would be much safer to wear a full-face helmet, with the visor always kept closed. It's really a very safe environment, within a hefty roll cage, cocooned in a strong racing seat, tightly secured by a six-point harness, nomex suit, helmet and HANS. But crashes potentially risked encounters with trees, with the real possibility of tree branches and glass coming through the car, in which case a full face helmet would certainly be the smarter option.

But an open face helmet just made so much more sense to me. For one, I occasionally needed to lick my finger tips in order to get a grip to turn the pages on our stage notes. My driver wore contact lenses and didn't like wind blowing in his eyes, so he always kept the ventilation fan turned way down, while I was starving for air. And there were times when motion sickness plagued me. Puking into a full face helmet would be really awkward. It's not much fun even with an open face helmet. One time, while I was so nauseous I was thinking (hoping) I would soon die, Martin (receiving the full stereo account via his intercom headset) mentioned, "Next time, you might swing your microphone boom outta the way first, eh?"

 

[lomposlapos]

bring the drone close to you, grab it from underneath with one hand, and hold the throttle stick down with the other hand until the motors stop

This is EXACTLY what I want to do. It works perfectly with M2P while landing protection is off. In M3 there's no option to switch off landing protection, therefore you can not grab a hovering drone, unless I am missing something.

 

[vtcats]

This is EXACTLY what I want to do. It works perfectly with M2P while landing protection is off. In M3 there's no option to switch off landing protection, therefore you can not grab a hovering drone, unless I am missing something.

Sure you can. It just doesn’t go peacefully. . Just don’t tug it down after grabbing as Gadget Guy said. Once you grab it, just hold it steady while turning off the props on the remote. I learned the hard way on a boat given I didn’t realize all the issues caused after always landing it on my hand while on land. On a boat now, I turn off the sensors to limit some if the issues, given there is lateral movement issue as well (and as you’ve noted, unfortunately no way to turn off the bottom ones). Once it’s near me, I grab and hold steady, while turning off the props. It would REALLY help if DJI would allow us to turn off the bottom sensors though..

 

[vtcats]

Sure you can. It just doesn’t go peacefully. . Just don’t tug it down after grabbing as Gadget Guy said. Once you grab it, just hold it steady while turning off the props on the remote. I learned the hard way on a boat given I didn’t realize all the issues caused after always landing it on my hand while on land. On a boat now, I turn off the sensors to limit some if the issues, given there is lateral movement issue as well (and as you’ve noted, unfortunately no way to turn off the bottom ones). Once it’s near me, I grab and hold steady, while turning off the props. It would REALLY help if DJI would allow us to turn off the bottom sensors though..

And to be specific, I grab it coming up from behind it, not below like I’d would normally land it on my hand,given the bottom sensors and movement.

 

[lomposlapos]

turn off the sensors

How do you turn off the sensors in M3?

 

[lomposlapos]

grab it coming up from behind it,

Are you talking about M3? I tried from behind, it will fly up.

 

[vtcats]

Are you talking about M3? I tried from behind, it will fly up.

Yes Mavic 3. As mentioned], I found out the hard way the first time I took off from a boat. Even though it was calm I had two major issues I wasn’t aware if. The first was the slow lateral movement of the boat interfered with the side sensors so it kept moving away from me when I got close, and when I finally go to it in a position it wouldn’t fly away, I grabbed it quickly from below and hung on! While holding the left stick down to turn off the props.
Since then I’ve improved the process as much as possible. Turn off all the sensors except I can’t with the the bottom sensors, and do a better job of grabbing it from behind before it sees my hand. Takes practice and I really don’t recommend doing this on a regular basis until we can turn off the bottom sensors. But sometimes I have jobs where I have to do this, so……

As far as turning off the sensors,
The 3 dots for the settings, under safety and Obstacle Avoidance. I leave on for the flight, but Turn it off before you grab it.
That allows you to bring it close enough to you, so you can then grab it from behind.
And yes, it’s not nice and quite and easy as landing on hand, but if you practice you can do it.