Ocean Floats

[Tom Tub]

Any suggestions for Ocean Floats?

 

[msinger]

Are you wanting to land your Mavic on top of the water? If so, that's likely not a good idea since the salt water will eat away at the drone's hardware.

 

[Tom Tub]

Are you wanting to land your Mavic on top of the water? If so, that's likely not a good idea since the salt water will eat away at the drone's hardware.

Thanks. Not wanting to land on Salt Water. Looking fo extra safety shouldI go down for any reason

 

[msinger]

Will you be flying from boats or just over the water from the shore?

 

[Tom Tub]

From the shore

 

[ff22]

There's a thread somewhere about this contraption and a recent one about how it saved the drone

 

[Tom Tub]

Thanks, I did see that

 

[Meta4]

Any suggestions for Ocean Floats?

My suggestion is forget about them.
They provide a false sense of security.
Realise that if your drone suffered a fatal flight incident over the sea, it's going to tumble as it falls and probably land upside down.
Unless it's very close to shore, how are you going to recover it anyway?

Most floaty contraptions are more likely to contribute to the loss of a drone than to make flying safer.
They cut your drone's speed, reduce your flight time and make a big increase in sail area to kill the drone's ability to fight any wind.

 

[Tom Tub]

My suggestion is forget about them.
They provide a false sense of security.
Realise that if your drone suffered a fatal flight incident over the sea, it's going to tumble as it falls and probably land upside down.
Unless it's very close to shore, how are you going to recover it anyway?

Most floaty contraptions are more likely to contribute to the loss of a drone than to make flying safer.
They cut your drone's speed, reduce your flight time and make a big increase in sail area to kill the drone's ability to fight any wind.

Yes, you speak truth. The areas I fly over the ocean in are quite accessible for the most part. But then, the toll on the drone raises the questions of to use or not to use. However with DJI Refresh, all I need is to get the drone back.

 

[Meta4]

Yes, you speak truth. The areas I fly over the ocean in are quite accessible for the most part. But then, the toll on the drone raises the questions of to use or not to use.
However with DJI Refresh, all I need is to get the drone back.

I've flown over 4000 km over the ocean and know the risk of a power failure is much smaller than the risks of dealing with wind.
Having full range and speed is much more important.
Out here in conditions like this, there's no way I'd handicap my drones with the sort of contraptions that you see put up as a "safety" device.

 

[JAW]

I think if you went down in salt water and beat the 10 second rule your drone would still be toast. Silver lining--DJI might well replace the carcass if you have Care/Refresh.

 

[JAW]

I've flown over 4000 km over the ocean and know the risk of a power failure is much smaller than the risks of dealing with wind.
Having full range and speed is much more important.
Out here in conditions like this, there's no way I'd handicap my drones with the sort of contraptions that you see put up as a "safety" device.

Nice pic!

 

[Meta4]

Nice pic!

It's a 100 ft yacht that was doing 18 knots in 18 knots of wind.
Just after that pic, they pulled up a bigger headsail and took off at 24 knots.

 

[NXPRSS]

Ya nice pic!

 

[msinger]

From the shore

Attaching anything large like the floats above is likely going to negatively effect the flight time and/or handling. And if you use some kind of floats that have a larger surface area, the wind will probably catch them when flying over the ocean. The wind is never calm when I fly at the ocean, so I'm assuming you'll always be flying in windy conditions too.

Here are some other things you could do:

• Fly with a fully charged battery and make sure the battery is properly snapped into the aircraft. Be aware of the wind and make sure you return back to the home point with some extra battery power to spare. You don't want the battery to reach the critically low level when flying out over the water.
  
  
• If the water is shallow (less than 100 feet), you could attach a GetterBack to the drone. Your drone won't be usable when you retrieve it, but that will at least allow you to find it if it goes down over the ocean.
  
  
• Buy some kind of 3rd party insurance that will cover a lost drone.

 

[tmtwomey]

Here are some other things you could do:

• Fly with a fully charged battery and make...

I think msinger has it exactly right. I plan to do a lot of flying off my boat this summer and just finished looking at many of the options listed above. In the end I called my own insurance company (MetLife) and they covered the Mavic 2 Zoom and the Fly more kit, up to $1600 for $27/yr. If I lose the drone over water, I call them, they write a check, and I go to Best Buy and get a new drone... at least the first time . This way I don't have to attach any extra 'stuff' on the drone and I actually have more peace of mind.

 

[CanadaDrone]

The last thing you want to do when flying over water (or anything, really) is attach giant floats on the bottom which will not only add drag but make it far less able to fight any unexpected wind - just my opinion anyway. I wouldn't bother.

If any significant amount of salt water comes in contact with the drone it's pretty well toast anyway.

Using best-practice battery procedures, flying smart, and keeping an eye on the weather is your best 'defense' when flying over water (or anything). If you are being responsible, the chances of a problem are incredibly low and you can fly with confidence.

 

[ATP]

Nice video, I was a bit incensed that you took-off right beside a Canada goose who was obviously startled.
Then later you flew low over a flock in the water.
Please don’t scare / chase our fellow aviators.