Ready for water and inflight failure

[Mazdaman323lx]

I presume you've seen this video. Skip to 10.50. If your only ambtion is to recover the drone then you should be golden but these pontoons are not all theyre cracked up to be.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Hmm , if you flying over a river or the ocean will you not need a boat to go out and rescue your drone? Can't exactly fit one of those in your kit bag.

 

[Clipper707]

I do almost all my flying over the ocean.
Being able to fly at normal speed, for normal flight time and deal with wind is my most important safety feature.

This.

Strapping extra weight and aerodynamic/performance impediments to my quad does not seem the prudent way to go for the feet-wet flying I do over the SF Bay, waterfalls, oceans, rivers, etc.

Just because it floats, doesn't mean it's recoverable.

The only benefit I see would be if my flycam goes down on a small body of still water and I have access to a boat or Pole* that can reach it.

*I have a Polish friend with really long arms.

 

[MayoForSam]

Those pontoons will impact the downwash big time, and reduce the lift. With the extra weight and drag, those poor motors are going to be working overtime. I would be concerned that this type of mod would negate my care refresh policy, if it did go down.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Not all Floats are created Equal:

Dawn of a New Era for the AIR 2 - How we fly ! ---- AIR / WATER

Its a Beautiful Setup : The Cables are gone, The Rescue Jackets are a mere 4.3 ounces and slip on in seconds , and the Wet Suit is a mere 0.4 of an ounce and offer fantastic protection to your drone to enhance its abilities. Want to get 2800 Visual line of Sight : Slip on the Rescue...

mavicpilots.com

 

[drakkor]

Got the pontoons and parachute for some over water action!

That Mavic parachute looks interesting. Where you got it from ? So far I only saw those for Inspire only.

 

[drakkor]

I have similar system for my MP2 Zoom, for when I fly over water. So far, no much down drag and handles wind just fine too.

 

[AOA]

Got the pontoons and parachute for some over water action!

Very interesting set up
Just out of curiousity, where did you get the parachute from? And how does all that extra weight affect flight time?

 

[Meta4]

I'll run more tests tomorrow

Anything to report back on how much impact this has on the drone's speed and battery time?

 

[Made2Phly]

This.

Strapping extra weight and aerodynamic/performance impediments to my quad does not seem the prudent way to go for the feet-wet flying I do over the SF Bay, waterfalls, oceans, rivers, etc.

Just because it floats, doesn't mean it's recoverable.

The only benefit I see would be if my flycam goes down on a small body of still water and I have access to a boat or Pole* that can reach it.

*I have a Polish friend with really long arms.

Dang it. All my friends have short arms. However, I do keep an inflatable kayak in the back of the car for just that purpose.

 

[Deleted Member 997]

Very interesting set up
Just out of curiousity, where did you get the parachute from? And how does all that extra weight affect flight time?

I'm still working on the tests over a lake for the whole set up. Right now it kills the battery at a hover

 

[Deleted Member 997]

Anything to report back on how much impact this has on the drone's speed and battery time?

Not yet man, been busy. I'm looking at finding a park with a lake to get more real world weather instead of my yard

 

[Meta4]

Not yet man, been busy. I'm looking at finding a park with a lake to get more real world weather instead of my yard

You didn't get to take it out on the lake after all?
Weather ? A calm day is all that's needed.
All you need is full speed unmodified and full speed with all the accessories attached.

 

[Deleted Member 997]

You didn't get to take it out on the lake after all?
Weather ? A calm day is all that's needed.
All you need is full speed unmodified and full speed with all the accessories attached.

Not yet, it's been raining the past 4 days here Tacoma, WA. It's sunny the next few days, so I'll try this week if I have time. Got to fly monday to Wednesday out of KBFI

 

[Deleted Member 997]

Hmm , if you flying over a river or the ocean will you not need a boat to go out and rescue your drone? Can't exactly fit one of those in your kit bag.

Got a boat...thanks though

 

[Deleted Member 997]

That Mavic parachute looks interesting. Where you got it from ? So far I only saw those for Inspire only.

 

[Deleted Member 997]

I have similar system for my MP2 Zoom, for when I fly over water. So far, no much down drag and handles wind just fine too.

Where did you get your rear leg extensions?

 

[Deleted Member 997]

Dang it. All my friends have short arms. However, I do keep an inflatable kayak in the back of the car for just that purpose.

You do you man. If you splash in and watch it sink...you'd be like yup. That Mark.W was right lol

 

[sigi.stiemer]

I was using the same type of floats and did a similar stunt. Starting and landing worked fine in a tub; now I am planning the same in our local river. Does anybody have experience how much risk there is for a MA2 to topple when floating on the water?

 

[Thomas B]

I’d recommend only landing on floats if the water is still and calm.