Hand catching, landing pads and dogs

[Ian in London]

Hand catching has been mentioned a lot on here; some love it and others think we're mad.
But I was playing around with a Landing Pad that was sent to me and I was a bit surprised at how the Mavic coped with it. So I did a bit of hand catching as well and was helped along the way by Ted the Westie.

All a bit of fun but hopefully some useful info for people starting out and unsure of landing on rough terrain, or considering getting a landing pad. (Hint: get a big one if you do... )

Cheers,
Ian

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[flateric]

Why ??????????? A last resort that one ............ If the props catch you ........... Well need I explain .......... It only caught my finger super ouch a few cuts heavy bruising serves me right for being an idiot. Don't do it unless it's in desperation Not one of the better ideas I have come across

 

[pixl]

I hand catch/hand launch all the time. It makes anyplace workable for drone use.
I guess this means that @flateric thinks I'm an idiot. I'll live.

 

[flateric]

I hand catch/hand launch all the time. It makes anyplace workable for drone use.
I guess this means that @flateric thinks I'm an idiot. I'll live.

Maybe when it bites you may well think twice

 

[pixl]

+/- 200 hand catches so far. I seem to be intact.

 

[Ian in London]

Why ??????????? A last resort that one ............ If the props catch you ........... Well need I explain .......... It only caught my finger super ouch a few cuts heavy bruising serves me right for being an idiot. Don't do it unless it's in desperation Not one of the better ideas I have come across

Well, as I said, it's a little polarising.... Bit like Marmite
I guess I got used to hand-catching from my Phantom 3 days; (with the nice large handy grab handle). When I got my Mavic, I just carried on.
It's not the last resort at all. Most times I catch it; it's just habit. And my finger tips are still in tact

Cheers
Ian

 

[pixl]

Well, as I said, it's a little polarising.... Bit like Marmite
I guess I got used to hand-catching from my Phantom 3 days; (with the nice large handy grab handle). When I got my Mavic, I just carried on.
It's not the last resort at all. Most times I catch it; it's just habit. And my finger tips are still in tact

Cheers
Ian

Yeah, kinda the same for me. I put a little strip of grip tape on each side of the body so that it's easier to grab it it's wet. I'd certainly rather hand catch than put landing gear on.
I learned to hand catch on Phantoms too, though I never owned one. I've also hand-caught my old Inspire, but that's a 2 person operation.

 

[BigAl07]

We hand catch our aircraft probably 90% of the time unless we are training new pilots.

If you know what you're doing and competent it's just another day at the office.

 

[Ian in London]

We hand catch our aircraft probably 90% of the time unless we are training new pilots.

If you know what you're doing and competent it's just another day at the office.

Good to hear I'm not the only one then!
Ian

 

[flateric]

I have had a bite .......... Further away the better ......... I can imagine you lot juggling chain saws

 

[Xtreme Drone Pilot]

I simply bring it down a safe distance from me and make a couple of steps to reach and grab it. This eliminates the need for precise lateral adjustments as it's coming down. Another thing I find very useful for hand catching is Tripod mode. It makes Mavic hover in place with millimeter precision.

 

[Ian in London]

I have had a bite .......... Further away the better ......... I can imagine you lot juggling chain saws

And you can cut yourself chopping an onion, but I don't use a food processor each time

You either carry around a landing pad as an extra piece of equipment, or just hand catch. Both ways stop the props hitting grass or small stones and dust blowing up into the gimbal and camera.

 

[bump]

I guess I'm another chainsaw juggler. I almost always hand-catch my Mavic when landing, and frequently hand-launch when no clear, debris-free spot is available to take off. There's really very little risk of getting bitten.

I've tried a few landing pads. Even with precise landing enabled at take-off, the Mavic rarely landed entirely on the pad without manual intervention. Which would be fine, except the pads are too bulky to carry with me all the time.

 

[Ian in London]

I guess I'm another chainsaw juggler. I almost always hand-catch my Mavic when landing, and frequently hand-launch when no clear, debris-free spot is available to take off. There's really very little risk of getting bitten.

I've tried a few landing pads. Even with precise landing enabled at take-off, the Mavic rarely landed entirely on the pad without manual intervention. Which would be fine, except the pads are too bulky to carry with me all the time.

I have to admit I was surprised at the lack of accuracy of the Mavic on auto RTH. I guess in my head I'd convinced myself that with it's optical vision sensors it really would be within an inch or two....

Which does mean you need a large pad if you can't use the ground. Which is a pain to carry. Hence hand catch...

Hand catching is also for avoiding mad Westies.

Ian.

 

[flateric]

It must just be then butterfingers I will still give it a miss.

 

[Youser]

The pulling force of the Mavic you feel when hand catching, is that bad for the Mavic?

 

[Ian in London]

The pulling force of the Mavic you feel when hand catching, is that bad for the Mavic?

The force is only caused by the uplift from the props, and they can't self-inflict damage. If you catch from the camera end, your hand won't trigger the sensors at all.

Ian

 

[Youser]

The force is only caused by the uplift from the props, and they can't self-inflict damage. If you catch from the camera end, your hand won't trigger the sensors at all.

Ian

Don't you need to trigger the sensors for it to then activate landing mode with the left stick all the way down?

 

[Ian in London]

Don't you need to trigger the sensors for it to then activate landing mode with the left stick all the way down?

No, the left stick down for three seconds switches off the motors if the altitude doesn't reduce at all.

Ian

 

[Lonniex]

Well, as I said, it's a little polarising.... Bit like Marmite
I guess I got used to hand-catching from my Phantom 3 days; (with the nice large handy grab handle). When I got my Mavic, I just carried on.
It's not the last resort at all. Most times I catch it; it's just habit. And my finger tips are still in tact

Cheers
Ian

Is it a bad idea to Palm land or better to pinch and grab it?