Land with front end facing uphill, or downhill?

[ff22]

You will be just fine, it is an extremely slow and gentle process to both launch and land by hand. The drone moves so slowly and precisely that there is no way your hands will touch one of the props unless you purposely do so or are somehow grossly negligent.

To take off, simply hold the drone out in your hand and use the swipe to take off function - as soon as the props fire up, it will very gently pull upwards and you can simply remove your hand from under the bottom of the drone and it will just sit there in the air, waiting your instruction. To land it, bring it overhead and hold the left stick all the way down. Once it gets close to your outstretched hand, the downward sensors will prevent it from landing for 3 seconds, so keep holding the left stick all the way down. After 3 seconds, it will descend very gently until you grasp the bottom of it (always grab it rather than landing it on a flat palm so that you maintain full control at all times). 1-2 seconds after you grab it, the props will shut off, with you still keeping the left stick all the way down. It couldn't be easier, and you won't have to worry about the terrain or landing pads or landing gear ever again.

After you grab it, turning the drone 90 degrees will also kill the props, but you should never have to do that as it would be for emergencies only.

I'm not sure that I'm dexterous (not the serial killer) enough to hold the controller with one hand and move the sticks with that same hand while the other half of my body is also trying to reach for the drone. I know you make it sound simple but...

 

[johnmeyer]

You forgot the welder's face mask/shield! I did just look up cut-proof gloves.

People posting here (and elsewhere) are being WAY too casual about this hand launch and recover. I guess you can claim that all the injuries in the link below are just idiots who are vying for a "Darwin Award," but I don't think so.

What's more, according to tests done by the Mythbuster crowd, the carbon propellors on the M2 are FAR more deadly than the plastic props on the Phantom and earlier drones.

Here are some pictures of what the props can do to you:

drone propeller injuries - Google Search

www.google.com

The face mask idea is excellent.

 

[JamieZoom1982]

You definitely need to practice the hand launch / catch.

I have actually been practicing this very thing over the last few days after trimming grass in various locations and not wanting to carry an extra landing pad with me.

It's true the first few times are slightly scary but once you do it a few more times you'll wonder why you every took off from the ground. As others mentioned it is so stable you can just reach up flat hand and it comes down nicely. I would echo its made for hand launch/land (as is partly the reason for the little legs).

Honestly after a few times you will have mastered it

 

[CanadaDrone]

I'm not sure that I'm dexterous (not the serial killer) enough to hold the controller with one hand and move the sticks with that same hand while the other half of my body is also trying to reach for the drone. I know you make it sound simple but...

You will be just fine, you only need one hand for each, or get a friend to help if you prefer. The drone comes down so slowly and so gently that you have all the time you want to prepare, and you can stop the process at any time by simply letting go. It even (very gently) resists for a half second when you grasp it, almost as if it's asking you "are you sure?" You can let go at any time without consequence. There is no pulling or fighting or anything like that, it lands like a feather.

You certainly don't need to armor up to do it haha - you do way more dangerous things every day, and the M2P props are not carbon fiber as suggested above, they are cheap plastic. If you're at all nervous, just wear some gloves the first couple of times, but there is no way you can hit your fingers with the props unless you did something very unusual. Your outstretched arm will be ~3 feet away from your body and above your head.

If you can grasp an (almost) stationary object, you have the dexterity to do it

 

[ff22]

People posting here (and elsewhere) are being WAY too casual about this hand launch and recover. I guess you can claim that all the injuries in the link below are just idiots who are vying for a "Darwin Award," but I don't think so.

What's more, according to tests done by the Mythbuster crowd, the carbon propellors on the M2 are FAR more deadly than the plastic props on the Phantom and earlier drones.

Here are some pictures of what the props can do to you:

drone propeller injuries - Google Search

www.google.com

The face mask idea is excellent.

Not to be viewed after breakfast!

 

[paulatkin73]

Face mask is not needed. Hand catch is safe. Just slide hand under drone as it hovers and pull left sick down.
Hand start - is also safe, just at first time have a jacket on - as props start, move drone up and you will feel how it goes up. Just let it go. It will not attack you. Dji made it safe and hand start works well. Just wait when you power it up for gps mode to get on, and do not shake it.
Also. Props on mavic will not cut you, they bend. Carbon props with solid hub are different story, folding props are not that dangerous, just keep your face away.

 

[Sandwich]

Yesterday, the only place to takeoff & land was from the hiking path, and the place I wanted to photograph was where the path was continuously going up. I found the most level spot I could and completed the mission, but it got to me wondering:

When taking off and landing from ground that is not level, should I face the drone uphill (with the drone's longer legs facing uphill), or should I face it downhill?​

I chose to face uphill, but am wondering if that is the safest direction that will provide the best propeller clearance.

I normally land with the UAV oriented away from me. That way the controls are in the correct configuration if adjustments are needed.

 

[johnmeyer]

I just practiced several hand launches and retrieval. I am tall and have abnormally long arms, but found that the drone was pretty close to me. You definitely do not want to turn to look at something, and accidentally draw your arm close to you while the propellers are turning prior to the launch.

I did both the launch and the retrieval three or four times and now know I can do it, if I must. However, at my age I've seen enough Darwin Award moves, in person, to know when the risk is high, and this is definitely a relatively risky thing to do. Therefore, I will do it when I have no other option, but will most definitely NOT make it my normal way of launching and landing the drone.

 

[Madmax229]

Yesterday, the only place to takeoff & land was from the hiking path, and the place I wanted to photograph was where the path was continuously going up. I found the most level spot I could and completed the mission, but it got to me wondering:

When taking off and landing from ground that is not level, should I face the drone uphill (with the drone's longer legs facing uphill), or should I face it downhill?​

I chose to face uphill, but am wondering if that is the safest direction that will provide the best propeller clearance.

I would take off in the opposite direction of the wind, I.E., if the wind is going down hill, I would take off up hill

 

[Skry]

Yesterday, the only place to takeoff & land was from the hiking path, and the place I wanted to photograph was where the path was continuously going up. I found the most level spot I could and completed the mission, but it got to me wondering:

When taking off and landing from ground that is not level, should I face the drone uphill (with the drone's longer legs facing uphill), or should I face it downhill?​

I chose to face uphill, but am wondering if that is the safest direction that will provide the best propeller clearance.

I would always land facing uphill up as front propellers are higher than rear ones for my MP.
Your drone will be landing in horizontal / parallel to the horizon position - so you should make sure you upper set of properties are at the side where your ground is higher.

Once you touch the ground the drone will align with the actual slope so either way will appear to be fine, the highest risk moment is just before touchdown, when drone is horizontal position, but ground is not.

 

[johnmeyer]

I would always land facing uphill up as front propellers are higher than rear ones for my MP.
Your drone will be landing in horizontal / parallel to the horizon position - so you should make sure you upper set of properties are at the side where your ground is higher.

Once you touch the ground the drone will align with the actual slope so either way will appear to be fine, the highest risk moment is just before touchdown, when drone is horizontal position, but ground is not.

Yes, I have concluded that facing uphill is the correct answer to my question. I confirmed that yesterday when I went back to a similar spot and landed it on a slight uphill slope.

BTW, here is the object I was trying to photograph. It is a mysterious light that someone erected two years ago in the middle of a huge (thousands of acres) wilderness area overlooking Carmel Valley. It is in the middle of 10-foot high brush, on a steep slope, which makes if very difficult to get close without crashing the drone (thank you DJI for the collision avoidance alarms).

I can't find any path leading to the light. It appears to have been attached to a sapling tree trunk. So, thanks to my Mavic 2 I now know what it is, but am no closer to understanding why someone put it up nor do I know what its purpose may be.

 

[HogWldFLTR]

Yes, I have concluded that facing uphill is the correct answer to my question. I confirmed that yesterday when I went back to a similar spot and landed it on a slight uphill slope.

BTW, here is the object I was trying to photograph. It is a mysterious light that someone erected two years ago in the middle of a huge (thousands of acres) wilderness area overlooking Carmel Valley. It is in the middle of 10-foot high brush, on a steep slope, which makes if very difficult to get close without crashing the drone (thank you DJI for the collision avoidance alarms).

I can't find any path leading to the light. It appears to have been attached to a sapling tree trunk. So, thanks to my Mavic 2 I now know what it is, but am no closer to understanding why someone put it up nor do I know what its purpose may be.

View attachment 75071

Seems like a MIB landing site of some sort. lol

 

[johnmeyer]

Seems like a MIB landing site of some sort. lol

That's the best explanation I've had in the two years I've been working on this: our own little Area 51.

 

[conchman]

I was paranoid hand catching it at first too, it becomes easy real fast. I had my girlfriend use the RC to push left stick down at first while I grabbed it, now I can do it all myself. If I can do it, you can do it! Hand launch is even easier.

I am spooked by hand launch and catch. I got my fingers caught in my little Hubsan drone and that was not pleasant. The props on a Mavic 2 Pro could do serious damage. I do have a chainmail anti-cut glove I could wear, and I could wear safety goggles, but the whole operation seems to have more risk than reward.

Here’s what can happen when a drone propeller hits a slab of meat

Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a quickly spinning blade can cause some serious damage when applied to flesh – even if said blade is made out of a flexible material like plastic or carbon. That doesn’t make it any easier to watch.

thenextweb.com

 

[Drgnfli]

With a Samsung tablet attached to the RC, it is to awkward/heavy to hold & control with one hand. I`ll stick to landing my MP on my landing pad.