Hand Catching Best Practices

[Layer86]

I'm interested in starting to practice hand catching my mavic as this summer I will be using it off a boat a lot/wakeboarding. What has been found to be the best practice to hand catch to ensure a safe landing from something that isn't stationary such as a boat?


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[jackgarner]

I'm interested in starting to practice hand catching my mavic as this summer I will be using it off a boat a lot/wakeboarding. What has been found to be the best practice to hand catch to ensure a safe landing from something that isn't stationary such as a boat?


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Haven't tried myself but I would hover it above your hand - 'cradle' the bottom (be gentle or the quad will react and go crazy) - and kill the motors. If you try to 'drop' it into your hand you will probably end up with stitches :/

 

[MavicPro83]

There's about 20 threads on this topic if you search Search Results for Query: Hand Catching | DJI Mavic Drone Forum

 

[JTS]

The best practice for hand catching is don't do it, especially when the quad has sonar and can override pilot input. The risk is never going to be zero, which means sooner or later something bad will happen.

Would it be possible to stop the boat for landing?

 

[finalfantasyfans]

I would not try hand catch or landing on a boat. This might be a better solution for "hand" catch on a boat.

 

[Chris J]

As with most things in life, if you understand how the mavic works and you're not a complete dummy, you will be able to avoid damage to the machine and injury to yourself while doing this. That said, I only do it if I don't have a safe, solid place to take off or land.

I fly mine down to about chest/head level. Once it is in a stabilized hover, I reach out and grab the belly being mindful of where the props are. Don't be shy or complacent about it, but instead grab it with authority and hold it tight while it tries to fly away due to your hand covering the sensors. At the same time, hold the throttle down until the motor stops. I actually don't know if simply holding the left stick down will eventually cut the motors so I think I usually end up using the CSC.

 

[MavicPro83]

As with most things in life, if you understand how the mavic works and you're not a complete dummy, you will be able to avoid damage to the machine and injury to yourself while doing this. That said, I only do it if I don't have a safe, solid place to take off or land.

I fly mine down to about chest/head level. Once it is in a stabilized hover, I reach out and grab the belly being mindful of where the props are. Don't be shy or complacent about it, but instead grab it with authority and hold it tight while it tries to fly away due to your hand covering the sensors. At the same time, hold the throttle down until the motor stops. I actually don't know if simply holding the left stick down will eventually cut the motors so I think I usually end up using the CSC.

Holding the left stick down does indeed work

 

[Rigging65]

There are a bunch of threads about this, which would probably be a great resource, but my preferred method is to hover above head height, place my flat palm face up a few feet below and then left stick down. The Mavic will pause about two feet above your hand, as it thinks it's the ground, then lower onto your palm. Keep holding the left stick down the entire time, and the motors will shut off just after it lands on your palm.

I will say this: hand catching, imo, should only be used when you don't have a flat, clean, hard surface to land on. Which does happen quite a bit. But, when at all possible, use the ground or a landing pad. I was hand catching in a bit of a breeze the other day and she shifted just a bit left as she touched down on my palm. Instinctually, my fingers closed up over the sides...because of the lean mostly, I buzzed the end of my thumb. No real damage done, but only because I was very lucky.

To be fair to yourself, you should google something like 'hand catching drone accidents' and look at the pics. Gruesome. Like I said, it can be done safely, and I do it often because of where I fly, by you owe it to yourself to have a healthy respect for it and what it can do if it goes just a little wrong. Pictures tell a thousand words...respect the props.

 

[m0j0]

It isn't difficult. Turn off the downward sensors and grab it in the middle. I'm an experienced hand catcher with the Phantom.. in my opinion the Mavic should be landed. Props are just to close to your hands.

If you feel you must, go ahead. Doing so though is far more likely to result in an accident in my opinion.


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[JustinMavic]

I did it last weekend on beach. I bring it down and close to me about 6ft high from the sand, and turn off avoidance sensor, change stop (both stick diagonal down) to alway from emergency-only(?) I grab the belly from under, then I shutdown the props. it was certainly doable. did it twice in a row, takeoff,catch-off all grabbing the belly.

 

[Wombat55]

It isn't difficult. Turn off the downward sensors and grab it in the middle. I'm an experienced hand catcher with the Phantom.. in my opinion the Mavic should be landed. Props are just to close to your hands.

If you feel you must, go ahead. Doing so though is far more likely to result in an accident in my opinion.


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Yeah, that's good advice. It's easy to see why catching a Phantom should be much safer than catching a Mavic. And getting hit by a fast-turning prop is sure to hurt. I got my hand hit by the props of a light, inexpensive quadcopter unexpectedly turning on. Pretty sure that getting hit by the faster moving props on a Mavic that are trying to keep a 1.5 to 2 pound drone aloft will hurt a lot, lot more.

 

[4wd]

People are making this sound more difficult than it is.

Two ways I do it - if it's gusty, turn the camera towards you at just over head height.
Step towards it and grab the narrower bit behind the gimbal firmly from below, but stay in place or it will protest.
At the same time hold left stick down until it stops.

Easier still, if not windy.
Position it close by about head height and hold your hand flat below it.
Lower down onto your hand and it will gracefully stop on its own. as if your hand is the ground.
There is no need to turn off any sensors - well I never have and I've hand caught it without issue from day one.

 

[dsd317]

Not a Mavic...but gives you an sense of what could happen.

Successful hand catch on moving boat (go to end at approx 6:10):

Failed hand catch on stationary boat, but a lot of rocking motion:

 

[MavicPro83]

That second video shows some piss poor piloting, sure the boat was moving, but not that much, should have put it into a hover and made small adjustments, not 5-6 foot adjustments each way...

 

[insainflow]

Not a Mavic...but gives you an sense of what could happen.

Successful hand catch on moving boat (go to end at approx 6:10):

Failed hand catch on stationary boat, but a lot of rocking motion:

The second video proves the first law of unmanned flight. Orientation first! Always! Since the inspire was facing her the controls were inverted. Always fly with the drone facing away from you.


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[Mavmatic]

The second video proves the first law of unmanned flight. Orientation first! Always! Since the inspire was facing her the controls were inverted. Always fly with the drone facing away from you.


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That was flipping hilarious!