Landing PAds/Landing gear

[Steve Hurt]

Your cars rear floor mats work well to.

 

[oldcelt]

The landing pad, demonstrated in the video mentioned, comes with pegs. However, I've never used the pegs and my MP lands in the middle every time with no fuss.

However, if your T/O and Landing point is exposed to serious wind, I imagine the pegs would be necessary. I always try to find a sheltered spot for my home base.

 

[Skymax]

A lot of Undercarriage haters here but if I have to emergency land my MPP on the beach the cameras and whole body will settle in the soft salty sand so i use them in sandy or wet areas for that reason alone.
I also use the folding pads all the time for normal takeoff and landing to cut down on the amount of micro dust being thrown up on takeoff/landing which is then sucked in by the internal fan.
Big landing legs create a bit of extra profile drag and area drag but you can buy minimal Skids like these that will not affect performance, are fold-able clip on/off easily, and weigh only 12 grams.
this design does not affect the VPS like some do.
Gizcam foldable ABS drone landing gear leg holder bracket RC drone accessories for DJI MAVIC PRO-in Drone Accessories Kits from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

 

[Te Rangitira]

Good morning everyone - I just got my Mavic air yesterday - does anyone use or recommend the landing pads or leg extensions? Are they a gimic or actually useful ? I have a spark and have never used either. Thank you for the input and have a good day

Aaron

I use a sheet of vinyl 1M x 1M when at or near the beach. On the boat it is hand catch for obvious reasons. Leg extensions - yes, they are small and detach. Oh btw, I have a Mavic Pro.
Steve

 

[Kevjones777]

A lot of Undercarriage haters here but if I have to emergency land my MPP on the beach the cameras and whole body will settle in the soft salty sand so i use them in sandy or wet areas for that reason alone.
I also use the folding pads all the time for normal takeoff and landing to cut down on the amount of micro dust being thrown up on takeoff/landing which is then sucked in by the internal fan.
Big landing legs create a bit of extra profile drag and area drag but you can buy minimal Skids like these that will not affect performance, are fold-able clip on/off easily, and weigh only 12 grams.
this design does not affect the VPS like some do.
Gizcam foldable ABS drone landing gear leg holder bracket RC drone accessories for DJI MAVIC PRO-in Drone Accessories Kits from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

I agree I also use both, the Pgytech work just fine.

 

[daisy-girl]

I ended up getting both the leg extensions ... and a landing pad.

Me, too. I want the bottom of my aircraft to be kept as pristine as possible.

 

[nealh]

Personally, I don't like leg extensions. I'm sure they work but IMO, you'll run into situations where the legs just won't be long enough or protect you drone from certain situations, so I bought a Hoodman Landing Pad.

There are several reasons I prefer a landing pad over leg extension;

• Depending on the leg extensions you use, you may have to remove them before folding the arms
• With leg extensions on, your Mavic Air may not fit in the case without first removing them
• Leg extensions can raise the drone up some, but its a fixed length therefore tall grass can still get in the way. With a Landing pad, it presses down on the grass making a level (reasonably) platform to take off and land from
• Landing pads can protect you drone from dust and sand (depending on the landing pad size you use) as you take off or land
• A Landing Pad will "somewhat" level a rough take-off and landing area

On the downside, yes, its something extra you have to carry with you. It doesn't make "EVERY" location a perfect take off or landing area, and some can be expensive when compared to leg extensions.

YMMV....

I have 2 types of

Good morning everyone - I just got my Mavic air yesterday - does anyone use or recommend the landing pads or leg extensions? Are they a gimic or actually useful ? I have a spark and have never used either. Thank you for the input and have a good day

Aaron

depends where you fly from. If you are on a beach or dirt you need a landing pad. If the terrain is uneven or you take off and land in grass then you need leg extensions. Both are not too expensive and seem to work very well and Travel too.
Good luck!

 

[nealh]

Agree with your post the landing pad makes a difference and on a personal note it lets me know how effective the return to home is on my Air. I marvel at how often it lands on the same spot it took off. I set the pad in a snow covered area surrounded by Forrest. I flew it up over the Campsie Glen in Scotland and as soon as it left line of sight I hit the home button. You know these moments with a tree line surrounding me I saw its return position 200 feet above me and I thought it is perfectly hovering. It landed on the pad within an inch of its departure point. I admit sometimes if there is a slight wind I tend to take over but the landing pad has a second purpose of helping me navigate with it's big bright blue circles.

I agree!!!

 

[Skymax]

A lot of Undercarriage haters here but if I have to emergency land my MPP on the beach the cameras and whole body will settle in the soft salty sand so i use them in sandy or wet areas for that reason alone.
I also use the folding pads all the time for normal takeoff and landing to cut down on the amount of micro dust being thrown up on takeoff/landing which is then sucked in by the internal fan.
Big landing legs create a bit of extra profile drag and area drag but you can buy minimal Skids like these that will not affect performance, are fold-able clip on/off easily, and weigh only 12 grams.
this design does not affect the VPS like some do.
Gizcam foldable ABS drone landing gear leg holder bracket RC drone accessories for DJI MAVIC PRO-in Drone Accessories Kits from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

AMENDEMENT! After further testing I can no longer recommend this model as I did get a VPS Warning twice now while using them.

 

[Turn11]

use or recommend the landing pads

My environment IMHO requires a landing pad. I have listed ones I have seen referenced in threads.

RCstyle (2.5 feet wide) ** I have this one. does what I want it to do.
FStop Labs (1.6 feet wide)
Hoodman (3 feet wide)
PGY Black (3.5 feet wide)
PGY Blue (3.5 feet wide)
Hoodman (5 feet wide)

 

[Skymax]

I agree I also use both, the Pgytech work just fine.

I just ordered the PGYTECH ones since they have been reviewed as "VPS Safe"
I also intend to make a video proving that the amount of extra drag from any added legs is so tiny it may not be measurable.
Even at 40MPH this is not fast enough for any real drag curve to register as in Sport Mode the Mavic pro is tilted nose-down at 30deg and the rear legs are behind the main body.
As to ppl who say the legs increase image-instability when hovering in strong winds i would counter by saying they are so thin I doubt it and why are you trying to hover and take hi-qual still-images in strong winds anyway?

 

[FaceAcheNZ]

I used my PGYTECH ones for the first time on Sunday, with my Mavic Air, and they were great. Super light, easy to put on and remove, and no noticeable drag or adverse effects on the AC.

And, I had a friend join me, who also has a Mavic Air, so was able to test the performance of each drone side-by-side - absolutely no noticeable difference. Did some timing tests too, and the differences were negligible (this was starting off from the same point, going to 200 meters, then back again, as quickly as possible).

I think you’d see it if you tested the drones in a wind tunnel, but in the real world, nah. And my friend is getting some now, as his gimbal was in the grass (so to speak!), whereas mine was a few centimetres above, so he obviously saw that the benefits were worth it.