Help! What is the best WATER rescue device?

[lannes]

Yes the Rescue Jackets Provide a Visual Line of Sight up 2800 ft in the day which is awesome to have.
The Rescue Jackets can land not only on water but uneven surfaces and mountainous terrain even wet sand. High Grass,
We also added a Cut Out for a very Safe Hand Catch and Launch.
Install time is about 10 seconds on and off.

Here is the Black Rose : Geared up with the Neon Red Wet Suit .


View attachment 112442

My Girl getting ready to hand Launch:
You can see the cuts out on both sides and very well protected with a good hold on it. Fist time she ever felt really safe.

View attachment 112443

View attachment 112446

What are the flight performance trade-offs of the rescue jacket ?
Does it get affected by strong winds commonly found in coastal areas ?

Why is it built up of glued slabs as opposed to a one piece moulding which could be streamlined ?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

What are the flight performance trade-offs of the rescue jacket ?
Does it get affected by strong winds commonly found in coastal areas ?

We just got back from Remote landing the Air 2 Rescue Jacket on the lake in 20 plus winds :
Not to bad as I think we can push to 25 Mph with very acceptable performance . Loss of 7 to 10 minutes on the flight.

Flying was easy in the 20 mph but hovering was not as stable , I think we could do 25 mph but I can see 30 Mph winds troubling but not fatal to the Rescue Jackets .

Taking off was the hardest part in this kind of open wind.
email me at [email protected] for the Forum Discount

 

[Peter Hughes]

GetterBack water recovery device

It’s called a boat ??

 

[JMTremblay]

MAC
You asked for pilots with actual device experience but unfortunately you seem to be getting a lot of responses from bloviating people. That is too bad.

Here is my recommendation based on my actual experience. The product I use is a drone life preserver from drone-retriever.com

Fight performance: stability (how does it affect flight especially if there is a headwind) and flight time loss due to size and weight?
Answer: Flight stability: It flies like it is not there. If you fly in sport mode it will take a slightly longer distance to stop.
Answer: Flight Time: I lose about 5 min of flight time, more if I am flying against a headwind. Yes you lose flight time but after you fly with it for a while, you will naturally adjust and not notice that you have lost flight time.

Ease of attaching and removing for flights over land?
Answer: Very easy to attach and remove. Mine is attached to the top of the battery. When attached I pick up the drone by grabbing the unit. The 15” zip ties provided are reusable and I use them when flying on land to retain the battery. Check out their mavic application notes regarding the battery.

How would you rate the construction of the device? Cheap Chinese made or High Quality?
Answer: High quality professional device definitely NOT cheaply made.

Do I need to replace it after a crash or can I reuse it?
Answer: It is reusable there are 2 items that need to be replaced the CO2 cylinder and the trigger bobbin

Do I need 1 device for each drone or can it easily be attached to either of my drones (Phantom & Mavic Platinum)?
Answer: The unit can be moved to either of your drones. They provide a velcro type of product called dual lock which I cut in half to give me more pieces for all my batteries. You can get more at Walmart. One important thing that I found is that you need to clean the mounting surface with alcohol and after you mount it, the adhesive on the velcro becomes stronger over time. After several days it becomes very difficult to remove but you can still remove it.

With device attached can I fold up the Mavic Platinum drone or do I need to remove device first.
Answer: With device attached you can easily fold up the drone. There is no interference. Also I pick up the drone by the unit as it makes a kind of nice handle.

Cost of device. Is it overpriced?
Answer: I purchased mine for $79.00 "delivered" from their site and it comes with a 100 day satisfaction guarantee. A colleague of mine purchased from Amazon but he had to pay tax. The company is in NH and so, no sales tax. I find it to be a very cost effective accessory.

Your personal opinion on the product?
Answer: This device meets my needs for a compact life preserver for my drone at a reasonable price.

Side note several people have recommended other products while responding to your request, take a look at drone-retriever.com website as they have a section on their competition which is very enlightening.

Although I have no experience with getter back or floats so here is my opinion.

• Anything that acts as a sail on my drone will be a problem in wind.
• Anything that restricts downward airflow from props will be a problem for performance and will dramatically reduce flight time as the motors have to overcome the weight of the device AND the restricted airflow.
• Anything that extends below a drone that floats will end up pointing upward after a crash and be very difficult to find especially in waves due to its low profile.
• You never see the devices that land on water floating on real waves. The reason is that if they land on a wave they are top heavy and will easily flip over.
• Getter back is small and does not activate unless water is greater than 10 feet deep. If it does activate, try and find a tennis ball floating in the water 300+ feet away from you especially if the water is not flat.

Finally you posted this request for help on the “GENERAL DISCUSSION” page you may want to post it also on the “CRASH & FLYAWAY" Help page to get a better response.

Good luck with your investigation and happy flying…. stay dry!

 

[itsneedtokno]

MAC
You asked for pilots with actual device experience but unfortunately you seem to be getting a lot of responses from bloviating people. That is too bad.

Here is my recommendation based on my actual experience. The product I use is a drone life preserver from drone-retriever.com

So but wait, I do have actual device experience.

...so does almost everybody that chimed in.

Drone-retriver is another good product, but again, it comes down to that trigger. I would personally prefer a product that has no "trigger".
Using the Rescue Jacket, I can land and wait for more boat traffic, there will never be a need to replace anything, and it gives me better VLOS. Win,win,win.

To each their own, but I wouldn't call the other posts bloviating.

?

 

[Meyers54]

Hi, I am new to this site, I have been reading many posts over the last year but now I need some real help. I am asking this question on both the Mavic and Phantom sites.
I have been flying drones for 3+ years now.
I now live on a very large lake in upstate New York.
I have two drones a Phantom and a Mavic Platinum.
I have crashed both drones several times and my dad has shown me how easy it is to get repair parts and repair them, but that was when I could retrieve them on land. Now I mostly fly over water which is a lot more fun but a lot of stress.

I need to get a device that will allow me to rescue my drone when it crashes into the lake as I feel it is only a matter of time until it happens. I do not need a device to land on water as only a fool would land on water with a battery operated device.

If you are reading this and you have “actual experience” with a water recovery device I would like your advice as to the best product.
Please NO responses from someone trying to sell me their product.
Your experience with:

• Fight performance: stability (how does it affect flight especially if there is a headwind) and flight time loss due to size and weight?
• Ease of attaching and removing for flights over land?
• How would you rate the construction of the device? Cheap Chinese made or High Quality?
• Do I need to replace it after a crash or can I reuse it?
• Do I need 1 device for each drone or can it easily be attached to either of my drones (Phantom & Mavic Platinum)?
• With device attached can I fold up the Mavic Platinum drone or do I need to remove device first.
• Cost of device. Is it overpriced?
• Your personal opinion on the product?

Thank You for your help!
Maureen

I use the water landing gear with bright pink floats, not for landing on water but incase it goes down over water. The floats are hi-vis and I won't have to dive and search for my drone. Hopefully I will never go down in water but if I do I can recover my drone and get it repaired or replaced with the DJI Care insurance.

 

[bobec231]

My response is about the same as the response from JMTREMBLAY. I am very satisfied with the DR9 unit from drone-retriever.com.
Several observations from colleagues that influenced my decision.
If you fly aggressively in sport mode with your MP Platinum the wet suite product you will find that your front props will hit and cut up the foam material. He had to use an exacto knife remove the material. He also said he almost lost his drone. Another very creative friend made his own floats like the rescue jacket sold by one vendor. The material used is the same as the 2'x2' interlocking floor cushions that he had from his kids bedroom floor. He said he used 1 tile and it cost him less than 5 dollars. He flew with it once and moved on the the DR9 unit.
No experience with pontoons/floats.
I especially agree that landing on water for the sake of landing is not something a serious pilot would do.
Let us know what you decide when you make your decision.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

My response is about the same as the response from JMTREMBLAY. I am very satisfied with the DR9 unit from drone-retriever.com.
Several observations from colleagues that influenced my decision.
If you fly aggressively in sport mode with your MP Platinum the wet suite product you will find that your front props will hit and cut up the foam material. He had to use an exacto knife remove the material. He also said he almost lost his drone. Another very creative friend made his own floats like the rescue jacket sold by one vendor. The material used is the same as the 2'x2' interlocking floor cushions that he had from his kids bedroom floor. He said he used 1 tile and it cost him less than 5 dollars. He flew with it once and moved on the the DR9 unit.
No experience with pontoons/floats.
I especially agree that landing on water for the sake of landing is not something a serious pilot would do.
Let us know what you decide when you make your decision.

I hate to do this really but I have to call you for Out for making up stories that are not true.

First take a look at the the Wet Suit for the Mavic Pro :

Its not possible for those props to hit the top of the wet suit. : No one needs to use and excto knife for anything : We know every client that has a Mavic Pro Wet Suit and we know if there was ever a problem. Please stop lying:

Lying is going to far. Anyone else believe his story ? Please take note there are no Side Parts of the Wet Suit that go on the front of this Wet Suit. Just the Top.

The Air 2 has Cut Outs : We are all about extreme weather flying. We fly under the Worst Weather Conditions , The Wet Suit Are Designed for War with the Wind.

 

[dirkclod]

Well I wouldn’t go as far as calling him a liar as we don’t allow such
but @bobec231 if your going to make that claim you better have pictures to back up such because spreading false claims we will
not tolerate. ?‍

 

[JMTremblay]

Hey this might help. I fly very aggressively in sport mode.
In my case, I have reflectors attached to the front housing they are 1/64" thick.
My props hit the reflectors as shown on the attached photo on both sides.
My drone is a Mavic Pro Platinum.
Props are OEM DJI props.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hey this might help. I fly very aggressively in sport mode.
In my case, I have reflectors attached to the front housing they are 1/64" thick.
My props hit the reflectors as shown on the attached photo on both sides.
My drone is a Mavic Pro Platinum.
Props are OEM DJI props.View attachment 112670

There is no part of the WET SUIT that goes on the Sides of the Front of this Drone. Just the very top : Have your props ever hit the Very top of the Drone in Sport mode. ?

Take notice there is no side part that goes with this Wet Suit Please stop this nonsense ,

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hey this might help. I fly very aggressively in sport mode.
In my case, I have reflectors attached to the front housing they are 1/64" thick.
My props hit the reflectors as shown on the attached photo on both sides.
My drone is a Mavic Pro Platinum.
Props are OEM DJI props.View attachment 112670

I noticed that these Reflectors are purchased on the RETRIEVER sight so your flying with one of the Retriever on top of you drone in sport mode and you wondering why the Props are hitting your drone. Those Drone Retrievers because of the weight and placement on the drone may be the cause .

 

[JMTremblay]

Sir,
I am only replying since you referenced me.
Yes I purchased these reflectors from them.
No the issue did not happen over water. I do not fly aggressively over water. This happened over land with no added accessories added to the drone except for the reflectors.
You make too many assumptions like props cannot hit the top of the drone.
The attached image should clarify that the top is designed with sides angled to allow the props to pass over the TOP of the drone.
The picture is self explanatory. I suggest that you get a Mavic Pro Platinum with OEM props and fly it in sport mode aggressively. I suggest that you do not apply the rain coat but rather attach something that is 1/64" thick and demonstrate to yourself that the props do in fact hit the object. Using your material may result in negative flight performance and we don't want to loose a drone to prove a point.
Finally the original thread is not to prove this point. The person is looking for pilots with experiences to help her figure out the best product to meet her needs. I am done here!!!!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Sir,
I am only replying since you referenced me.
Yes I purchased these reflectors from them.
No the issue did not happen over water. I do not fly aggressively over water. This happened over land with no added accessories added to the drone except for the reflectors.
You make too many assumptions like props cannot hit the top of the drone.
The attached image should clarify that the top is designed with sides angled to allow the props to pass over the TOP of the drone.
The picture is self explanatory. I suggest that you get a Mavic Pro Platinum with OEM props and fly it in sport mode aggressively. I suggest that you do not apply the rain coat but rather attach something that is 1/64" thick and demonstrate to yourself that the props do in fact hit the object. Using your material may result in negative flight performance and we don't want to loose a drone to prove a point.
Finally the original thread is not to prove this point. The person is looking for pilots with experiences to help her figure out the best product to meet her needs. I am done here!!!!

Yes they wanted Experience, which is why it makes sense that you have the Drone Retriever as you do not own a Wet Suit or Rescue Jacket.
so your experience is with a Reflector flying in sport mode .. Noted.

I used the search engine on this forum and the DJI forum and did not come up with any results of the Mavic pro having those issues.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Yes there are times when flying in Extreme winds that the legs of the drone can fold into them selves while you are flying this is why the Wet Suits have those Leg Inserts to stop those legs from folding in on themselves. You can see the Insert knobs on the side. They do stop rain but they also provide leg support in extreme winds .

 

[itsneedtokno]

Sir,
I am only replying since you referenced me.
Yes I purchased these reflectors from them.
No the issue did not happen over water. I do not fly aggressively over water. This happened over land with no added accessories added to the drone except for the reflectors.
You make too many assumptions like props cannot hit the top of the drone.
The attached image should clarify that the top is designed with sides angled to allow the props to pass over the TOP of the drone.
The picture is self explanatory. I suggest that you get a Mavic Pro Platinum with OEM props and fly it in sport mode aggressively. I suggest that you do not apply the rain coat but rather attach something that is 1/64" thick and demonstrate to yourself that the props do in fact hit the object. Using your material may result in negative flight performance and we don't want to loose a drone to prove a point.
Finally the original thread is not to prove this point. The person is looking for pilots with experiences to help her figure out the best product to meet her needs. I am done here!!!!View attachment 112685

I think that's a you problem.

Mine is fine... After about 50 hours, sooooo...

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hey this might help. I fly very aggressively in sport mode.
In my case, I have reflectors attached to the front housing they are 1/64" thick.
My props hit the reflectors as shown on the attached photo on both sides.
My drone is a Mavic Pro Platinum.
Props are OEM DJI props.View attachment 112670

I have to apologize as I saw your Very detailed post on the Drone Retriever and yes I did assume you owned one of them.
And that all that you had written was from Experience of using one so , you really threw me for a loop as my head popped off to know that you do not own one.

You just bought the reflectors , and dont fly over water ,

So I am sorry about that.

 

[JMTremblay]

MAC - My apologies to the original intent for this thread but company needs a response.

To: PhantomRain person,

Let’s clarify something and not get petty.
I read a reply that discussed someone having an issue with the props hitting your foam material.
Someone said that the accusation needed evidence.
I shared my experiences with my drone and reflectors being hit by props to show that there is very little clearance for the props when a drone is operated aggressively in sport mode with thin reflectors.
Yes I purchased and do use the drone life preserver when I fly over water.
Yes I purchased and have reflectors from that company attached to my drone.
The event that happened that I show in previous images occurred over land with no accessories on the drone.
You made a claim that your product restricts the arms from folding back during stressful conditions and that without them the arms could move causing the props to hit the reflector. Please look at my previous image which shows that the props are clearly over the scratch marks on the reflectors and if the arms were to move then the props would move away from the reflector.

It appears that you have not had any complaints about this issue which is good. I expect you are lucky and the people flying your product have not experienced this issue of if they did they simply cut off the material interfering with the props.

It also appears that you are not aware that the sides of the top are tapered for the purpose of providing prop clearance as the tips of the propellers pass over the top of the drone. You made a statement that the props do not pass over the top of the drone “Its not possible for those props to hit the top of the wet suit.”.

After having to defend myself, If I had a product that reduced prop clearance, for any reason, I would not reduce that clearance as it could be a serious performance liability issues. You should be concerned that your device is modifying DJI’s design clearance for the props. You might want to investigate and if necessary issue a Service Bulletin to your customers about the potential issue. Let’s not make the lawyers rich.

I personally don’t care what if anything you do but let’s move on.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

MAC - My apologies to the original intent for this thread but company needs a response.

To: PhantomRain person,

Let’s clarify something and not get petty.
I read a reply that discussed someone having an issue with the props hitting your foam material.
Someone said that the accusation needed evidence.
I shared my experiences with my drone and reflectors being hit by props to show that there is very little clearance for the props when a drone is operated aggressively in sport mode with thin reflectors.
Yes I purchased and do use the drone life preserver when I fly over water.
Yes I purchased and have reflectors from that company attached to my drone.
The event that happened that I show in previous images occurred over land with no accessories on the drone.
You made a claim that your product restricts the arms from folding back during stressful conditions and that without them the arms could move causing the props to hit the reflector. Please look at my previous image which shows that the props are clearly over the scratch marks on the reflectors and if the arms were to move then the props would move away from the reflector.

It appears that you have not had any complaints about this issue which is good. I expect you are lucky and the people flying your product have not experienced this issue of if they did they simply cut off the material interfering with the props.

It also appears that you are not aware that the sides of the top are tapered for the purpose of providing prop clearance as the tips of the propellers pass over the top of the drone. You made a statement that the props do not pass over the top of the drone “Its not possible for those props to hit the top of the wet suit.”.

After having to defend myself, If I had a product that reduced prop clearance, for any reason, I would not reduce that clearance as it could be a serious performance liability issues. You should be concerned that your device is modifying DJI’s design clearance for the props. You might want to investigate and if necessary issue a Service Bulletin to your customers about the potential issue. Let’s not make the lawyers rich.

I personally don’t care what if anything you do but let’s move on.

What happened was your buddy wrote a made up story that was not true and I immediately pointed it out .

The Moderator was quick to jump in and stop the said tale without pictures of the made up incident.

You jump in with your picture to defend the made up story and state that you do not own the Drone Retriever Product and you do not fly over water.

Now your saying you do own the Drone Retriever product and do fly over the water so any credibility you had with me is gone.