Does anyone have any tips for formation flying with drones? Im thinking about doing and am not sure of any ripples regarding to the if any. If it is even legal can someone tell me some tricks to doing it with Mavics? Has anyone ever had a midair?
When you fly or hover your drone you don't notice how much it moves around.
But if you put two drones close together in the sky and they are wandering small distances at random, you really notice it.
The wideangle lenses on drones make subjects appear further away than they are.
To get this shot of a hovering Phantom with another drone, they had to be scarily close together particularly when both were drifting a foot or two up and down.
I wanted a better shot with the Phantom more prominent but gave up
I wanted a better shot with the Phantom more prominent but gave up the attempt.
I'm not sure how close you want to fly, but I'd suggest coordinating with the other pilot/s and keeping enough vertical separation to prevent unwanted incidents.
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I would highly recommend that Color Code the Drones so they dont get mixed up in the sky, Its very easy to get disoriented as to which drone is which and realize your eyes are on the wrong drone.
Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, Land on the Water .
Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, Land on the Water .
dirkclod
Well-Known Member
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jimlips
Well-Known Member
This video first got me interested in drones, I'm sure there are many things about it (now) that would be frowned upon, but still a fantastic video. I'm pretty sure he used Litchi on two different drones to get the cool footage.
- follow the leader
dirkclod
Well-Known Member
Your right and he’s not here or PP no more because of such. But we wont
get into that.
For the last three months, I've been working on a "How To" video for flying and filming another drone. It should be released in a week or so (stupid Michigan weather!). No mid-air collisions... yet!.
A flying drone can be the featured subject of an entire video. Also, clips of a flying drone can also
be used as cut-away shots to provide context and add drama to landscape and location videos.
Here's what I found for an M2P and an MPP flying in formation:
1) For reasons pointed out in previous posts, it is extremely difficult, but it can be done, and done safely.
2) Two pilots are needed for safety, but not necessarily for primary control. For totally manual flight, it is best to have one pilot control both drones simultaneously, while the other pilot takes over one of the drones in case of a hazardous situation. I have built a special platform for single pilot control. Manual formation flying within 4 to 8 feet can be done with some practice.
3) The best option for prolonged formation flight is to have one or both drones utilize an intelligent flight mode. I have successfully used ActiveTrack, POI, TapFly, and Quickshots.
4) The easiest way to maintain close proximity (4 to 8 feet) and get good framing is to use ActiveTrack - Spotlight. Follow and Profile DO NOT WORK due to excessive gain.
5) Don't fly in any significant wind. Too much drift and bouncing around. The shots will look awful.
I have a lot more explanation, details and examples in my video to come...
A flying drone can be the featured subject of an entire video. Also, clips of a flying drone can also
be used as cut-away shots to provide context and add drama to landscape and location videos.
Here's what I found for an M2P and an MPP flying in formation:
1) For reasons pointed out in previous posts, it is extremely difficult, but it can be done, and done safely.
2) Two pilots are needed for safety, but not necessarily for primary control. For totally manual flight, it is best to have one pilot control both drones simultaneously, while the other pilot takes over one of the drones in case of a hazardous situation. I have built a special platform for single pilot control. Manual formation flying within 4 to 8 feet can be done with some practice.
3) The best option for prolonged formation flight is to have one or both drones utilize an intelligent flight mode. I have successfully used ActiveTrack, POI, TapFly, and Quickshots.
4) The easiest way to maintain close proximity (4 to 8 feet) and get good framing is to use ActiveTrack - Spotlight. Follow and Profile DO NOT WORK due to excessive gain.
5) Don't fly in any significant wind. Too much drift and bouncing around. The shots will look awful.
I have a lot more explanation, details and examples in my video to come...
I have enough on my hands keeping one drone out of trouble without having to worry about a second drone. 
Regards
Regards
Lob's Falcon
Well-Known Member
One single pilot Flying 2 drones at the same time is illegal. PIC can only fly one drone at a time. There are waivers that allow you to fly 2 or more drones like the lighting show.
Now, PIC can fly drones together as long as you keep a safe distance, and in case of a crash, you are not flying over people or property that can result in damage.
Here is a picture that I took from my Mavic 2 Pro to my Mavic 3 flying with my wife.
Now, PIC can fly drones together as long as you keep a safe distance, and in case of a crash, you are not flying over people or property that can result in damage.
Here is a picture that I took from my Mavic 2 Pro to my Mavic 3 flying with my wife.
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Yaros
Well-Known Member
I fly drones with friends, some of them have drones, some of them don't and just fly my drones instead.
I took a photo of my friend's Air 2S recently, but from far away:
I have also took photos of my big S500 drone while my friend was flying it on the field:
I also have a photo of my Mavic Air 2, taken from just above with an Air 2S:
I took a photo of my friend's Air 2S recently, but from far away:
I have also took photos of my big S500 drone while my friend was flying it on the field:
I also have a photo of my Mavic Air 2, taken from just above with an Air 2S:
Two pilots are needed for legal reasons. Unless you have a 107.35 waiver, you are only allowed to be in control of one drone at a time. So having one pilot control both drones simultaneously isn't an option w/o that waiver. And that's one that isn't readily issued. As of now there are only 67 of those active, and most of those are for large companies, and/or drone light show companies.
I hope you add the 107.35 waiver requirement to the video. It'll keep people out of trouble.
hiflyer201
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I decided that I hate to fly around other drones after my first experience. It's a PITA in my opinion and I avoid it. If I want a photo of my drone in flight, I use a handheld.
Flying in 'formation' or close to another flying object is very difficult, especially because when you have two (or more) individual operators, each is trying to correct their own position thus adding to the difficulty. As mentioned by @RadioFlyerMan - his point #3 is paramount.
I would go further by saying that one aircraft MUST be designated as lead and the other is to follow. The job of the lead is to fly as predetermined and precise a course as possible - without consideration of the other drone. Constant speed is a must, so as much automation as one can add to the lead flight the better. On the other hand the follow flight must be aware of what the lead intends to do in order to have any chance of staying close.
The clip below was one we shot using a control device I made for these specific models (Typhoon) that essentially works like a cruise control but also allows for precise lateral movement. Also keep in mind that in this case I had the capability to pan and tilt the camera irrespective of my craft's direction. The lead flight was a buddy flying his H Plus and I was the follow/camera flight, we started at a distance apart and while he was on a straight path I was able to close in.
Are there any regulations that are specific to this situation?When you fly or hover your drone you don't notice how much it moves around.
But if you put two drones close together in the sky and they are wandering small distances at random, you really notice it.
The wideangle lenses on drones make subjects appear further away than they are.
To get this shot of a hovering Phantom with another drone, they had to be scarily close together particularly when both were drifting a foot or two up and down.
I wanted a better shot with the Phantom more prominent but gave up
I wanted a better shot with the Phantom more prominent but gave up the attempt.
I'm not sure how close you want to fly, but I'd suggest coordinating with the other pilot/s and keeping enough vertical separation to prevent unwanted incidents.
Thx,
TCS
That video and the music reminded me of the TV series "24".
I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to fill in the details...
Thx,
TCS
That would certainly be the way to start, but I can easily imagine if two pilots practice enough, they could make a very graceful dance out of it.
TCS
LongRifle
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or you can just do one of these...When you fly or hover your drone you don't notice how much it moves around.
But if you put two drones close together in the sky and they are wandering small distances at random, you really notice it.
The wideangle lenses on drones make subjects appear further away than they are.
To get this shot of a hovering Phantom with another drone, they had to be scarily close together particularly when both were drifting a foot or two up and down.
I wanted a better shot with the Phantom more prominent but gave up
I wanted a better shot with the Phantom more prominent but gave up the attempt.
I'm not sure how close you want to fly, but I'd suggest coordinating with the other pilot/s and keeping enough vertical separation to prevent unwanted incidents.
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