Hovering above water - dangerous?

Buel · 2024-12-01T03:55:36-0500

Hi all.
Quick one - was hoping to fly over a flooded river today but am concerned about any issues regarding stability or even losing it? (The drone, not my mind)

Thoughts?

Meta4 · 2024-12-01T04:22:13-0500

Buel said:
Quick one - was hoping to fly over a flooded river today but am concerned about any issues regarding stability or even losing it?

Your drone flies and hovers over dry land without a problem.
Why should there be any problem flying over water?

Buel · 2024-12-01T04:25:28-0500

I was once advised on here that a crash I suffered was partly due to it struggling position itself over running water?

Buel · 2024-12-01T04:27:22-0500

Or this-

Post in thread 'Mavic 3 - Minimum fly/hover altitude'
Mavic 3 - Minimum fly/hover altitude

Meta4 · 2024-12-01T04:44:31-0500

Buel said:
I was once advised on here that a crash I suffered was partly due to it struggling position itself over running water?

Your VPS sensors can't "lock onto" the running water surface to facilitate horizontal position holding.
What kind of crash was it?
Did the drone drift horizontally into an obstacle?

Losing horizontal position holding doesn't cause a drone to descend.

Buel said:
Or this-

Post in thread 'Mavic 3 - Minimum fly/hover altitude'
Mavic 3 - Minimum fly/hover altitude

There's a lot of confusion and misinformation about the topic as is demonstrated in that thread.

Buel · 2024-12-01T04:47:53-0500

Interesting.
Yes my drone lifted upwards in to a pipe but then someone else adds that that was probably attributable to a suction effect of being too close under the pipe.
So to conclude - hovering over water is okay?

Meta4 · 2024-12-01T05:13:21-0500

Buel said:
So to conclude - hovering over water is okay?

Flying or hovering over water is OK.
But I wouldn't get too close to the water.
If you are down low (say < 1 metre) and try to descend, you can initiate autolanding and being so close to the water you might not have enough time to cancel that.

Pacefast · 2024-12-01T07:34:19-0500

I have a passion for flying over the energy of water! The closer for me the better
This was with an Air3 and always with O/A off
I know thrre are figures given by DJI which to me are very high as I have done a lot of angry water videos

watch the start of my vieo over the sea

Max Headroom · 2024-12-01T08:10:38-0500

I had read there can be issues flying low over water so i was a little nervous when i first started flying but as you can see in the first half of this video its not an issue.

msinger · 2024-12-01T09:20:19-0500

Buel said:
So to conclude - hovering over water is okay?

I think so. However, I wouldn't hover anywhere near the surface of water unless I could clearly see the drone with my eyes.

Cafguy · 2024-12-01T09:35:40-0500

Water can be a problem for sure BUT its very rare. On very bright sunny days OR at sunrise or sunset the suns reflection off the water CAN fool your sensors. I have flown over water many times and have never seen the problem first hand. It can happen and you should be prepared for it. If your Drone acts strange -- get back to land and..well land. I would certainly want to have a wetsuit on the Drone first. as long as you pay close attention to how the Drone is acting I don't think you will see a problem.
Just remember sunrise and sunset are the worst times to attempt this but it should still fly just fine.

Erk1024 · 2024-12-01T12:01:21-0500

I think this is a good video about the subject:

Flying Shroppie · 2024-12-01T13:03:14-0500

The danger is if the water surface is flat calm and the water is very clear. Even worse if there is strong sunlight. The drone's sensors cannot log on to a surface it can see. Otherwise its worth a trial movement at the waters edge. Not always possible if launching from a boat

Droning on and on... · 2024-12-01T13:14:18-0500

Droning on and on... · 2024-12-01T13:33:24-0500

Also don't forget that VPS can be disabled on the M4P.

Aerialskape · 2024-12-01T15:01:21-0500

From experience flying over water isn’t a big problem, but you do have to be aware of what the drone is doing. I’ve had one episode where I obviously drifted a bit lower than I realised and got “drone is landing message”. Another episode was where I was hovering over moving water and got distracted for a few seconds to see drone following the flow of water rather than staying still. Both of these were easily overcome, but had I not been in VLOS or paying attention could well have ended up with a lost drone.

JRowlette · 2024-12-01T15:43:07-0500

Erk1024 said:
I think this is a good video about the subject:

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Thanks for posting.

JRowlette · 2024-12-01T15:56:05-0500

This is a great topic as 90% of my flying is over water. I probably have over 100 hours of water flying. As much as I would like to fly the drone exactly 5 ft over the water for one mile in sport mode, the odds of you staying 5 ft above water is very low. When I push that stick forward, the drone can easily go up or down 6 ft. I am not sure why and would not control a commercial airline with the remote. I have not upgraded to the RC Pro controller, but I am sure it would help to stay more accurately positioned. And I am sure that the sensors are also playing a role in the drone changing altitudes.

Pacefast · 2024-12-01T18:03:59-0500

This one is over a weir and a study of the energy of water
It really is not a big deal if you plan carefully, keep the drone totally visual ! Check the splash heights of the highest point of those splashes and go slow ! Turn off OA and absolutely no automatics

Galopin · 2024-12-01T18:29:08-0500

Buel said:
Hi all.
Quick one - was hoping to fly over a flooded river today but am concerned about any issues regarding stability or even losing it? (The drone, not my mind)

Thoughts?

Check that one Buel!