Many years ago, I managed to recover my Mavic Air drone from a 10m high pine tree. 10m is not 40 m. But the trick could be used another way. My way was by swinging a bottle of water (my gourds) at the end of a rope above the branch holding the drone. After the sixth trial, the bottle passed over the branch and stopped there. I only had to shake the branch with the rope in order to have the drone fall on a carpet of mosses on the ground. For 40m, the idea could be used by trowing the bottle or any other object with the help of a crossbow. If you can get at the branch on which the drone is hanging, just shake it down. Put some camping carpet or large blanket at the base of the tree to receive safely the drone. Good luck! Gilles from Chicoutimi, Quebec.
My Mavic 3 is in a tree 40m up
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mobilehomer
Well-Known Member
The OP location is the Netherlands. According to the Dutch News -
Tallest tree
A Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in the grounds of the royal family’s Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn is the Netherlands’ tallest tree. In 2010, Leo Goudzwaard and Jeroen Philippona measured the tree at 49.75 metres,
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Possibly he’s trying to figure out how to get his property out of a tall tree which, for some people may be a difficult dilemma.
This idea also may be a bit of a task for some folks for at least two reasons. One, they may not have the proper equipment to accomplish the task. Two, the aircraft may not be all that visible from ground level.
I appreciate your objectivity but I still don't buy it. Reported lodged in a tree 40 meters up? And let's be real, the Mavic 3 has full OA, unless it's dark, in which case finding it's location that high up is highly unlikely.
I am not typically a skeptic, but I have seen enough fishing for attention in here to know BS. Just my opinion.
What's so hard to believe about a drone ending up in a tree?
It happens all the time.
Yes ... trees can be that high, but what's it matter if the OP just gave a rough estimate?
Lets be more real and recognise that the forum has seen many reports of obstacle avoidance having trouble with small tree branches.
There are warnings that OA can have problems with cables and small branches on 5 pages of the Mavic 3 pro manual, and for all you know the incident might have occurred in poor lighting conditions.
Your skeptical opinion isn't justified and the suggestion that pictures are necessary for proof is ridiculous.
In most cases of a drone caught in a tree, the only photo that the owner would be able to get would just be a photo of a tree.
Like I said, just my opinion. Clearly an unwelcome one so I'll leave it alone.
julius13
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I had a Mav 2 experience a propulsion problem, flipped and landed in a tree. DJI replaced the drone free of charge even though I couldn’t retrieve the one 115 ft. in a tree. Didn’t charge my refresh account either. Probably not the same as a rth error but worth a try to contact them.Unfortunately, my Mavic 3 flew into a tree during a RTH procedure. I managed to find it with “find my drone”, only it’s about 40m up in the top of a tree… I can get a professional to climb the tree and fetch my drone, but that will cost quite a bit of money. I have 2 years of DJI refresh but if I don’t return a broken drone it’s a fly-away and I think that’s also expensive. What would be the best option? I’m OK with spending some money on this, just don’t know what’s the best option….
Well, I think having a photo of the situation here would be good.
so far, we just know three facts : treetop, 40m, drone hanging there. Let's say, these are all true and accurate but still we know little about the circumstances.
Some solutions/approaches may be sensible in particular circumstances but ridiculous/impracticable in another. e.g. shooting ropes with crossbow (suggested by @Galopin in #21) in a misty forest (condition as posted by @RodPad in #15), by a cityboy like myself is unlikely to success.
If OP thinks the drone is hanging on the tree, and intent to conduct a rescue (regardless if a case is made to DJI
),it would be best if he first visually confirm the precise position and then come up with/ execute the retrieve action. Carefully send another drone to take a top-down view certainly is a good option. If there are further difficulties in the retrieval, further suggestions can be solicited here.
The more info provided , the more likely a practical solution is suggested.
so far, we just know three facts : treetop, 40m, drone hanging there. Let's say, these are all true and accurate but still we know little about the circumstances.
Some solutions/approaches may be sensible in particular circumstances but ridiculous/impracticable in another. e.g. shooting ropes with crossbow (suggested by @Galopin in #21) in a misty forest (condition as posted by @RodPad in #15), by a cityboy like myself is unlikely to success.
If OP thinks the drone is hanging on the tree, and intent to conduct a rescue (regardless if a case is made to DJI
),it would be best if he first visually confirm the precise position and then come up with/ execute the retrieve action. Carefully send another drone to take a top-down view certainly is a good option. If there are further difficulties in the retrieval, further suggestions can be solicited here.The more info provided , the more likely a practical solution is suggested.
Well, I think having a photo of the situation here would be good.
so far, we just know three facts : treetop, 40m, drone hanging there. Let's say, these are all true and accurate but still we know little about the circumstances.
If OP thinks the drone is hanging on the tree, and intent to conduct a rescue (regardless if a case is made to DJI
The more info provided , the more likely a practical solution is suggested.
What additional practical solutions might be generated with the aid of a photograph of a tall tree with a drone suspended somewhere in the canopy? I can't see that such a photograph would be at all helpful. Nor do I require one to accept the OP's statement that his drone is stuck in a tree.
As for locating the stranded drone with another drone, I have doubts. I've tried several times to shoot photographs of abandoned bird nests in trees without much success. And those nests definitely had a flight path in and out of the tree canopy.
As for why the OP hasn't posted again, it just may be because he's read some of the comments here.
Actually, I am always more afraid of giving stupid/invalid/unintentional harmful suggestion.
What I mean is, if more information is provided, the experienced pilots in this forum can offer their help better.
I would be equally glad if the OP had already solved his situation so not reply to us.
Not being awkward but a photo might show whether or not a rescue via lifting it with another drone was a possibility.
I too see no reason to question that the drone is in a tree but it is a pity the OP hasn't replied.
It might, but it's highly unlikely that a photo would be that revealing.
I'm curious. Has anyone heard of real-world cases where a drone was used to retrieve a drone stranded in a tree? I recall one video of a retrieval from a flat roof with no obstructions, but nothing involving trees. I'd think a drone retrieval would be remotely possible only where the stranded drone was on the very outer edges of the upper tree canopy.
IF he tries using another drone to retrieve his, I suggest making sure the appendage he attaches to the retrieval drone be attached to a release servo mechanism. If the retrieval appendage gets caught and can't be released, you will lose 2 drones.
See my post in #34. He should use a release mechanism on the retrieval drone.
Anyway, maybe hanging a plastic bottle of water to the retieval drone , at least 20 feet away from the retrieval drone, and swing the bottle around, he could knock the drone out of the tree.
Graspers would probably get hung up in the tree.
Maybe, he could use a release mechanism under the retrieval drone and try dropping things onto the trapped drone.
Me, personally, If it was out in the woods, I would climb the tree as high as I could, with some sort of safety rope, then cut the top of the tree off.
Next time you fly a drone, set your RTH altitude to a height higher than ANY obstacles in the area you wish to fly in.
If you are flying under a tree canopy set the RTH to hover and take a nice leisurely walk to your drone until you get the signal back.
If you are flying under a tree canopy set the RTH to hover and take a nice leisurely walk to your drone until you get the signal back.
These might be rhetorical questions but what happens if you lose connection with 8 minutes left on your battery and your drone is across a canyon and you cannot reach it by foot? Or, what happens if your drone is hovering over a lake with 7 minutes left on the battery and 8 minutes away by foot to regain the connection?
I understand you set the RTH altitude but the terrain varies and a tree may not be 100 feet tall but it could be 100+ feet higher than you. And often we fly in controlled airspace and you can't always RTH atop the tallest features.
I recollect seeing at least one video of a drone rescuing a treed drone.
The Ent was not deciduous and had quite sparse foliage, the captured drone was in the crown.
I do not remember if the rescuer carried the victim to the ground or simply dislodged the victim.
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Strictly speaking you presumably mean set "failsafe " to hover. I doubt one can set RTH to hover.
However setting failsafe to hover or land also carries risks.
The drone may initiate a low battery RTH if one does not reestablish the control connection in time.
A setting of "land" may put the drone down in water or lead to a hover if the drone rejects the landing site.
If the pilot is at all perceptive, they begin to understand the folly of ignoring the continuous battery status meter and flying your drone into a situation from which you cannot recover it.
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