Hand Catching

[Simmly]

My simple method is: 1) Fly the Mavic with orientation 90 Degree to me with all sensors on. 2) I grab firmly the front landing leg bottom with my right hand. 3) I use the left hand to pull the left stick until motors stop. Done!


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[Chickenskat]

I simply turn off my downward vision sensor, very easy to do just before landing. Then there is no fighting a bucking Mavic. If you forget to turn it back on, the app will warn you that it is disabled, before your next flight.

The vision sensors aren't what makes it jump. It's the sonar sensors that make it go up when trying to grab it.


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[JLane]

The vision sensors aren't what makes it jump. It's the sonar sensors that make it go up when trying to grab it.

That's correct, but the sonar sensors are bundled in with the VPS setting. Disabling VPS also disables (or at least ignores) the sonar sensors. This used to be the only way to do it. But for the past couple of months, Android has had the additional option called "Landing Protection" which disables/ignores the sonar sensors while leaving the VPS working for position. This option may also be present in the newest version of the IOS app, but I don't know if that's confirmed.

 

[Andrew F]

I simply turn off my downward vision sensor, very easy to do just before landing. Then there is no fighting a bucking Mavic. If you forget to turn it back on, the app will warn you that it is disabled, before your next flight.

I do the same thing. Makes it VERY easy and I always remember to turn it back on.

 

[Singularity]

How about the procedure for taking off from hand ?

 

[John Locke]

the method I tried was to have the craft hover at about 6 feet then Engage The Auto land sequence and as it starts to come down you gently grab it from beneath.....

Aaron, with all due respect.......this is really a bad idea. You should never try to catch a descending drone, that's asking for trouble. The first time you miss a grab it will fly down into your fingers or forearm.

It's best to turn off the VPS sensors, position it 1' above your head about 5' away. Watch the craft a few seconds to insure it's rock solid steady in a hover. After confirming a steady hover, and your fingers OFF THE RC STICKS, slowly walk over to the craft and grab it from the bottom with your right hand, toward the front, right behind the front arm pivots. With a firm grip, hold the craft in place 1' above your head. With your left hand give full down on the left stick to disable the motors. The craft may fight you if you move the craft before the motors disable. After the motors shut down, bring the craft down and turn off the battery.

It's wise to practice the grab location on the ground with the craft turned off. This will safely reveal where to grab the craft while the motors are off, learning the prop clearances, so you know where the safe zones are located in relation to the front and rear props as you grab the craft.

My routine is to position the craft to my right, so I can grab it with my right hand. I gently caress the sides of the craft just behind the front arm pivots. I use my right index finger on the far side and my thumb on the near side, right below the battery side buttons. I then slide my thumb and index finger up to the area right in front of the battery side buttons, and squeeze tight where the motor cables come out of the arms and go into the body. Hold the craft in place above my head and try not to move it, otherwise it will fight you. Then disable the motors with my left hand on the RC.

The purpose of touching the bottom sides first gently, is to put my fingers in a safe zone. I know that if my thumb and finger are touching the craft in this area and slide them up, the props can't touch them.

 

[msinger]

Here are a few videos showing how some people are hand catching their Mavics:

 

[WolfgangStiller]

Thanks! Just behind the front, bottom camera then?

Yes, and it's best to practice before you need to do it in difficult circumstance. I have probably done this several hundred times now and find it absolutely reliable.

 

[rydfree]

Hand catching a craft with spinning props is a bad idea . It works fine when it works and hurts the first time it doesn't . There is this though , give your gimbal more clearance for uneven terrain and the rear leg gives you something to grab .......mavic pro extended legs gimbal shield and remote cover (hand catchable) | eBay

 

[Aaron]

Aaron, with all due respect.......this is really a bad idea. You should never try to catch a descending drone, that's asking for trouble. The first time you miss a grab it will fly down into your fingers or forearm.

It's best to turn off the VPS sensors, position it 1' above your head about 5' away. Watch the craft a few seconds to insure it's rock solid steady in a hover. After confirming a steady hover, and your fingers OFF THE RC STICKS, slowly walk over to the craft and grab it from the bottom with your right hand, toward the front, right behind the front arm pivots. With a firm grip, hold the craft in place 1' above your head. With your left hand give full down on the left stick to disable the motors. The craft may fight you if you move the craft before the motors disable. After the motors shut down, bring the craft down and turn off the battery.

It's wise to practice the grab location on the ground with the craft turned off. This will safely reveal where to grab the craft while the motors are off, learning the prop clearances, so you know where the safe zones are located in relation to the front and rear props as you grab the craft.

My routine is to position the craft to my right, so I can grab it with my right hand. I gently caress the sides of the craft just behind the front arm pivots. I use my right index finger on the far side and my thumb on the near side, right below the battery side buttons. I then slide my thumb and index finger up to the area right in front of the battery side buttons, and squeeze tight where the motor cables come out of the arms and go into the body. Hold the craft in place above my head and try not to move it, otherwise it will fight you. Then disable the motors with my left hand on the RC.

The purpose of touching the bottom sides first gently, is to put my fingers in a safe zone. I know that if my thumb and finger are touching the craft in this area and slide them up, the props can't touch them.

Thank you John, no disrespect taken at all. I'm just trying to figure out a safe way to do this, is it kind of scares the heck out of me.Thanks for your thoughts I will give that a try

 

[m0j0]

I find almost no real reason to hand catch mine. I land it in almost every situation. I have caught it a couple of times just so I could do it. Easiest way to do it is turn off the vps sensors fly it close. It should higher than your head. Walk up grab it with your right hand left stick down until motor shuts down.


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[4wd]

It's very easy to just hold your hand out almost flat, and lower onto it.
It doesn't try to shoot up or fight at all.

 

[Chickenskat]

Ok I got comfortable catching it. After clearing flight with local airport I took the mavic out in my front yard. I turned of OA and vision and downward sensors. If I approach it from the back under side it still seemed to jump up a little. Must have been doing something wrong. So then I put if in a hover and walked around to the front of the mavic slowly grabbed it and cut the throttle. No surge. I now have the confidence to hand land when necessary

 

[RFaust]

Ok I got comfortable catching it. After clearing flight with local airport I took the mavic out in my front yard. I turned of OA and vision and downward sensors. If I approach it from the back under side it still seemed to jump up a little. Must have been doing something wrong. So then I put if in a hover and walked around to the front of the mavic slowly grabbed it and cut the throttle. No surge. I now have the confidence to hand land when necessary

Agreed that it's best to switch off VPS, but from a control perspective, having the drone face away from you will give you a more natural control of the sticks (you don't have to think backwards) And if it's not hovering stable for some reason, abort and land some other way. (IMO)

 

[mangospoops]

I don't know if the arms might hold up but I hand catch mine from the front arm legs the landing gear part. This way your hand is out of the way and the magic doesnt try to fight you. Haven't had an issue yet.


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[CC Rider]

Folks, if you're going to do this, then for God's sake be careful. You're all big boys and girls who can choose for yourselves whether or not to follow simple instructions. Personally, I think there's a valid reason that DJI starts its instructions off stressing to avoid the spinning props, issuing all of its prop warnings, and so on. I'll start hand catching when I read the manufacturer's instructions - written by a drone's designers or engineers - telling me HOW to catch THEIR drone that was specially designed to be caught. Until I read instructions of that sort, hand catching will never be for me.

There's an infamous, fairly recent video of pop singer Enrique Iglesias hand catching a drone onstage during one of his shows. He had done it dozens of times before as part of his act to train the drone camera on his audience instead of himself, no problem. The folks loved it and they flipped. You can be sure he had one of the best drone pilots available working with him, too, and that his handlers had EVERYTHING figured out and practiced down to the last detail.

But this night, as seen in this video, Iglesias falters or fumbles, and quickly finds himself grabbing onto the business end of the drone, flinging it quickly to the ground and then running offstage with several severely cut and bloody fingers. At the hospital he was diagnosed with a fractured hand and more complications than initially believed. His injuries were formidable.

Me, I like my fingers, nose and face just the way they are. They may not be perfect, but I appreciate their arrangement and symmetry. And if I ever DO decide to permanently alter them, it won't be by using an unfeeling, multi-bladed flying machine without anesthesia in the middle of a river or on the side of a mountain


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[Blucenturion]

Folks, if you're going to do this, then for God's sake be careful. You're all big boys and girls who can choose for yourselves whether or not to follow simple instructions. Personally, I think there's a valid reason that DJI starts its instructions off stressing to avoid the spinning props, issuing all of its prop warnings, and so on. I'll start hand catching when I read the manufacturer's instructions - written by a drone's designers or engineers - telling me HOW to catch THEIR drone that was specially designed to be caught. Until I read instructions of that sort, hand catching will never be for me.

There's an infamous, fairly recent video of pop singer Enrique Iglesias hand catching a drone onstage during one of his shows. He had done it dozens of times before as part of his act to train the drone camera on his audience instead of himself, no problem. The folks loved it and they flipped. You can be sure he had one of the best drone pilots available working with him, too, and that his handlers had EVERYTHING figured out and practiced down to the last detail.

But this night, as seen in this video, Iglesias falters or fumbles, and quickly finds himself grabbing onto the business end of the drone, flinging it quickly to the ground and then running offstage with several severely cut and bloody fingers. At the hospital he was diagnosed with a fractured hand and more complications than initially believed. His injuries were formidable.

Me, I like my fingers, nose and face just the way they are. They may not be perfect, but I appreciate their arrangement and symmetry. And if I ever DO decide to permanently alter them, it won't be by using an unfeeling, multi-bladed flying machine without anesthesia in the middle of a river or on the side of a mountain


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Bee You Ti Ful piece of writing!

 

[Glen e]

I agree 100%, I will catch my phantom4 no problem, but I wouldn't even attempt it with a Mavic.

 

[RFaust]

Folks, if you're going to do this, then for God's sake be careful. You're all big boys and girls who can choose for yourselves whether or not to follow simple instructions. Personally, I think there's a valid reason that DJI starts its instructions off stressing to avoid the spinning props, issuing all of its prop warnings, and so on. I'll start hand catching when I read the manufacturer's instructions - written by a drone's designers or engineers - telling me HOW to catch THEIR drone that was specially designed to be caught. Until I read instructions of that sort, hand catching will never be for me.

There's an infamous, fairly recent video of pop singer Enrique Iglesias hand catching a drone onstage during one of his shows. He had done it dozens of times before as part of his act to train the drone camera on his audience instead of himself, no problem. The folks loved it and they flipped. You can be sure he had one of the best drone pilots available working with him, too, and that his handlers had EVERYTHING figured out and practiced down to the last detail.

But this night, as seen in this video, Iglesias falters or fumbles, and quickly finds himself grabbing onto the business end of the drone, flinging it quickly to the ground and then running offstage with several severely cut and bloody fingers. At the hospital he was diagnosed with a fractured hand and more complications than initially believed. His injuries were formidable.

Me, I like my fingers, nose and face just the way they are. They may not be perfect, but I appreciate their arrangement and symmetry. And if I ever DO decide to permanently alter them, it won't be by using an unfeeling, multi-bladed flying machine without anesthesia in the middle of a river or on the side of a mountain
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Of course we must be careful. I can think of 100 normal things we do all the time where there is some risk of injury or even death.
There are probably many instances where hand catching your Mavic will bring a better result than ground landing, but if you aren't up to the task, don't do it.
Done carefully and sensibly, nothing to it.
Or, you could always wear your falconry glove.

 

[Blucenturion]

Get Weatherguard floor mats in your car, flip the rear one upside down, you've got yourself a launch/landing pad.


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