hand catching

[icecoldgin]

Thanks for the heads up, never tried to hand catch, now never will ?

Why? Hand landing is great. Just stretch our your palm and watch the drone land gently. Only move your fingers when the props are off.

The more you practice, the better you will get at it. Before you know it, it becomes second nature. But you have to start somewhere.

I do hand landing 95% of the time

Now, hand launching is a different story. I have done it probably only twice. I still prefer the good old fashioned way of take-off ?

 

[Veriloquent]

Reportedly because of a sudden gust of wind ....

View attachment 115025

guess I'll rethink the forehead catch stunt idea.

 

[Heindrich1988]

Why? Hand landing is great. Just stretch our your palm and watch the drone land gently. Only move your fingers when the props are off.

The more you practice, the better you will get at it. Before you know it, it becomes second nature. But you have to start somewhere.

I do hand landing 95% of the time

Now, hand launching is a different story. I have done it probably only twice. I still prefer the good old fashioned way of take-off ?

Totally agree. It is an important skill to learn to maximize the potential of your drone.

For example, I was flying in a rural area a few weeks ago, the ground was very dusty and uneven. If I landed directly on the ground, I would have risked blowing dirt and sand onto my drone.

I felt comfortable with hand landing after only the second attempt, it's very intuitive really. I need to master hand takeoff too. A fortnight ago, I was at a scenic lake, conditions were perfect for me to take off from the shore and take some beautiful lakeside shots... except the shore wasn't flat and the grass was quite long. So, my inability to just take off from my hand cost me a really nice shot.

 

[icecoldgin]

I think that hand launching is even safer than hand landing.

Hand launching just needs the extra effort to hold the remote with the phone in just one hand and then press the take off button

 

[Thomas B]

Hand landing.... trick is to land it, NOT catch it.

 

[hammbone]

Why? Hand landing is great. Just stretch our your palm and watch the drone land gently. Only move your fingers when the props are off.

The more you practice, the better you will get at it. Before you know it, it becomes second nature. But you have to start somewhere.

I do hand landing 95% of the time

Now, hand launching is a different story. I have done it probably only twice. I still prefer the good old fashioned way of take-off ?

Are you talking minis or pros / zooms?

 

[icecoldgin]

Are you talking minis or pros / zooms?

Talking about the Mini here

 

[hammbone]

Talking about the Mini here

Thought so, I’d probably try it with a mini. Anybody doing this with pros or zooms? Seems like that would be asking for injury

 

[Thomas B]

Thought so, I’d probably try it with a mini. Anybody doing this with pros or zooms? Seems like that would be asking for injury

M2P here... no problem. See the video in post #25 above.

 

[hammbone]

M2P here... no problem. See the video in post #25 above.

Okay, that’s pretty cool ?

 

[Camino Ken]

I practice hand takeoffs and landings on regular basis with my M2P and use the method very similar to the video above without any issues or concerns.

 

[RussDrone]

I find it very tempting to reach "over" to the drone which would put my hand at risk. So ... the rule I follow is only hand catch in low wind and get my hand well below the drone before it gets in range. Then lower the drone.

 

[Garatshay]

Not sure where Phantomrain is, he as usual, has a solution for you

That’s smart, I like it....

 

[PTBperegrine]

I ALWAYS hand launch and catch my M2P, it's easy if you plan it properly. First set the machine (NOT turned on) on your hand and with the other hand, move the rotors and watch the clearance. It's easy to find the safest spot. Note also that the lowest part of the rotor is the trailing edge. This means that if any fingers are slightly too high, they won't be hit directly by a blade edge but by the "Flat" of the blade. Let me assure you, if you do this it will STING but there won't be any cut or blood. Voice of experience. ? You won't need to disable landing protection, just manoeuvre the bird over your hand and hold downstick on. It will rise slightly when it gets close and then it will accept the continued "Down" command, settle on your hand and then stop motors. You can do this with a flat open hand with zero risk. As I've done the safe practice, I have my fingers slightly curled and I clamp on to the safe section and wait for the engine cut out. On the M2P, I always have the drone facing the way I do and bring it backwards to the point above my hand before landing it. I know this sounds complicated but if you do the prelaunch practice, it's simple and safe! Happy Landings! ?

 

[GKomar]

I hand catch my M2P all the time. Autolanding on a hard surface does give the M2P a solid jolt, and a hand catch seems gentle by comparison. First, middle and thumb up, ring and pinky curled down. Fly the aircraft to about 3 ft above my hand held above me, let it descend until it senses my presence, then full down control to force it to land to my hand. The three fingers up then clamp onto the M2P and with joystick full down and centered, it shuts down. All good.

 

[KayBayquoi]

Did the op say which type of drone he was flying, when this happened?
I was wondering if something like a mini...could do that kind of damage?

 

[Dan48]

check out separate post HOW TO HAND CATCH A DRONE

 

[KayBayquoi]

Did the op say which type of drone he was flying, when this happened?
I was wondering if something like a mini...could do that kind of damage?

WELL...now...I know! I was a bit cavalier with my first attempt of hand catching. Did it indoors. Did not think a small "toy" drone like this would hurt. OUCH!!! Not only did it smack my finger VERY hard, but, it also bounced off my finger into my face and I got a (small) but noticeable cut on my upper lip. Not as easy as I thought. Until I get the hang of it...I will be wearing my Covid-19 plastic face shield...going forward!?????

 

[Barbara]

Hand catch the Spark regularly. Haven't braved it on my Zoom yet.

 

[Gringorio]

Hand landing.... trick is to land it, NOT catch it.

No. I disagree. You have to actually catch it. Weather and wind conditions vary with every location. The issue with hand-catching, to me, appears to be associated with experience and confidence. If you want to crash your drone, try "Not to catch it".