Safely park MPP and leave unattended for 10 minutes?

[RoboticTundra]

Is there a way to safely park a MPP in the air capturing video and leave it unattended for 10 minutes?

This is for an outdoor wedding in a large field that my son and I are doing video for. He'll be doing the safety camera (D5) and audio recording near the sound booth and I'll be roving around w/ a D850 on a Ronin-S grabbing misc b roll. At the beginning I'd like to park the MPP in a position a bit away from the wedding party to capture everyone coming down the aisle from that perspective, then grab close-ups of them w/ the D850 and then go back and land the MPP.

Due to noise the MPP will be a ways away and over open field. Controlled by Litchi.

Thanks,

 

[Gagey52]

I’ve had my MPP hover for a couple minutes trying capture a video of a very aggressive kite. No problems, ten minutes would be risky unattended.
Regards

 

[netfolks2000]

A properly functioning Mavic should stay in place the length of a battery charge. Still someone, a qualified pilot, should be holding the controller, just monitoring quietly, since somewhere below there are people. Nice photo op plan.

 

[RoboticTundra]

Yeah, if the people are spread out enough to allow gentle cuts back and forth for each couple it should work well. My M2P would have worked better but it's in the shop.

My son would/will have the controller by him but he'll also have audio and main camera to watch over so not 100% attentive. I have had it hover in position for about 22 minutes without problems a few times... But there's always something unexpected lurking out there.

 

[spsphotos]

NO NO NO NO. While the drone will "probably" stay where you put it, you cannot know that it will. But that is beside the point. Leaving a drone hovering unattended is a clear violation of FAA regulations. As the PIC you need to keep your eyes ON the drone at ALL times and have it under YOUR control. Leaving it hovering and then going about your business is not acceptable. The drone could loss signal, fly off, have issues and fall out of sky, etc. NEVER leave your drown unattended. LItchi is NOT meant for that. Even when using LItchi to fly a preset pattern you need to have eyes on the drone at all times and the ability to take immediate action if it runs into issues. I'm assuming that you are a Part 107 licensed remote pilot if you are using the drone to shoot wedding videos so you shouldn't even have to ask this question.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Your only option to remain legal as I see it would be to have a VO next to your son within easy reach of the controller keeping an eye on the drone. If something should happen, there's instant communication and your son will be able to take corrective action (I'm assuming you are both part 107). I'm sure @BigAl07 or @Vic Moss can weigh in on if this would be a legally appropriate solution.

 

[RoboticTundra]

NO NO NO NO. While the drone will "probably" stay where you put it, you cannot know that it will. But that is beside the point. Leaving a drone hovering unattended is a clear violation of FAA regulations. As the PIC you need to keep your eyes ON the drone at ALL times and have it under YOUR control. Leaving it hovering and then going about your business is not acceptable. The drone could loss signal, fly off, have issues and fall out of sky, etc. NEVER leave your drown unattended. LItchi is NOT meant for that. Even when using LItchi to fly a preset pattern you need to have eyes on the drone at all times and the ability to take immediate action if it runs into issues. I'm assuming that you are a Part 107 licensed remote pilot if you are using the drone to shoot wedding videos so you shouldn't even have to ask this question.

Dude/Dudette, chill. I was asking a question. Unattended flight is quite common as DHL and Fedex having been doing it for a several years as have security drones that autonomously launch when there's an alert on someone's property. Follow-me drone capabilities that are present in almost all consumer drones available today is similar.

 

[BigAl07]

Dude/Dudette, chill. I was asking a question. Unattended flight is quite common as DHL and Fedex having been doing it for a several years as have security drones that autonomously launch when there's an alert on someone's property. Follow-me drone capabilities that are present in almost all consumer drones available today is similar.

Are you planning to fly under the same Rules & Regulations as DHL/FedEx etc? Are you willing to fly the same aircraft they will be flying? I would guess NOT!!

The absolute answer to your question is resounding NO! It can't be done legally or safely!! IF you have your Part 107 it violates that.. if you don't, it still violates Part 107 because you're doing this well outside of a Recreational endeavor. Either way it's not legal, wise, or safe.

Maybe the person who needs to chill is the one asking about doing ILLEGAL activity on a public forum?????

Just for kicks & grins you should simply forward your question, in it's entirely, to your local FSDO. Let me help you there:

Minneapolis FSDO​

Contact the Office​

Address:
6020 28th Ave. S Ste. 201
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55450-2704
Phone: (612) 253-4400 Fax: (612) 253-4401
Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Central Time, Monday - Friday

 

[SethB]

Dude/Dudette, chill. I was asking a question. Unattended flight is quite common as DHL and Fedex having been doing it for a several years as have security drones that autonomously launch when there's an alert on someone's property. Follow-me drone capabilities that are present in almost all consumer drones available today is similar.

It’s past time for you and your son to learn about what’s legal and what’s safe. If you’re in the U.S. you should know the legalities and liabilities here. Ditto for other countries. In the U.S. wedding videography is clearly non-recreational, requiring Pt. 107 certification. Getting that certification involves learning about what’s legal and what’s safe, and demonstrating that understanding in a knowledge exam.

Clearly you don’t know what’s legal and what’s safe. Nothing wrong with that, it’s where we all start. Take this opportunity to learn!

We haven’t yet had anyone killed by a drone, though there have been some close calls. I think it’s inevitable that we will have drone fatalities. There have been many injuries, some serious. Think of a drone as a flying lawnmower. Would you allow kids or adults near a running lawnmower that might move on its own? That might fall on them? Have you seen the pictures of drone injuries? The consequences could be horrific, and, it could be your fault and your liability. Does your business insurance cover unlicensed drone use at a gathering? What happens to your coverage if there is an injury at a time that you are flying outside of what’s permitted by law & regulation? Does that lawsuit result in financial loss to you? What’s the price of losing an eye, a finger, use of a hand?

Manfrotto and Gitzo both make 9-foot plus tripods, it’s a great high-angle perspective. Nodal Ninja makes telescoping monopods for 360 stills that can be adapted for conventional cameras up to about 18 feet or more. Cameras can be rigged from trees, from rooftops, from flagpoles. Camranger is a great remote-control system on a phone or tablet if your camera doesn’t offer remote wifi control... there are lots of options for safely unsupervised cameras!

There are great learning resources on this forum and all over the internet. The FAA offers this link and this link as places to get started.

Flying safe is a serious concern. Avoid injury. Avoid liability. Avoid fines. Take it seriously.

 

[blubyyou]

Is there a way to safely park a MPP in the air capturing video and leave it unattended for 10 minutes?

This is for an outdoor wedding in a large field that my son and I are doing video for. He'll be doing the safety camera (D5) and audio recording near the sound booth and I'll be roving around w/ a D850 on a Ronin-S grabbing misc b roll. At the beginning I'd like to park the MPP in a position a bit away from the wedding party to capture everyone coming down the aisle from that perspective, then grab close-ups of them w/ the D850 and then go back and land the MPP.

Due to noise the MPP will be a ways away and over open field. Controlled by Litchi.

Thanks,

I fly a MPP and just bought 2 after market batteries. I “parked” the drone 50 feet up over our flying field and left it there to judge battery life. No problem whatsoever. Did that for both batteries. So, parked for about 22 minutes both flights and no issues.

 

[GFields]

Scratching my head as to why ask such a question...

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

NO NO NO NO. While the drone will "probably" stay where you put it, you cannot know that it will. But that is beside the point. Leaving a drone hovering unattended is a clear violation of FAA regulations. As the PIC you need to keep your eyes ON the drone at ALL times and have it under YOUR control. Leaving it hovering and then going about your business is not acceptable. The drone could loss signal, fly off, have issues and fall out of sky, etc. NEVER leave your drown unattended. LItchi is NOT meant for that. Even when using LItchi to fly a preset pattern you need to have eyes on the drone at all times and the ability to take immediate action if it runs into issues. I'm assuming that you are a Part 107 licensed remote pilot if you are using the drone to shoot wedding videos so you shouldn't even have to ask this question.

Dead set correct !
You can't drive a Tesla and be asleep at the wheel, same with drone flight.

Manfrotto and Gitzo both make 9-foot plus tripods, it’s a great high-angle perspective. Nodal Ninja makes telescoping monopods for 360 stills that can be adapted for conventional cameras up to about 18 feet or more. Cameras can be rigged from trees, from rooftops, from flagpoles.

If the OP could mount their drone onto such a tripod or other such, then they could control and frame shots just like normal to capture this, a lot closer too for clearer footage.

 

[RoboticTundra]

Scratching my head as to why ask such a question...

The dumbest question is the one never asked.

 

[RoboticTundra]

Lots of surprising vitriol to reply to and I'm a bit under the gun with deadlines but did want to respond.

First, note that the very first word in my title question is 'Safely' and I repeated that in my first sentence. I did not ask how to do it regardless of safety nor did I ask how to do it illegally nor did I in any way imply that I wanted to do something that was unsafe or illegal. Having been on this forum for a few years I was quite surprised by the self-righteous indignation of the replies that jumped to the conclusion that I wanted to do something unsafe or illegal and then proceeded to jump down my throat. It's like everyone was waiting with baited breath for the thinnest excuse to exhibit their knowledge (or lack of knowledge) and give a self-aggrandizing lecture.

I'm an old guy and have been around the block a few times in the production industry as a fashion photographer, audio engineer and lighting designer and don't get offended very easily. I've been around drones professionally and amateur for many many years. However, what if I was a kid or even an adult just starting out and got those unnecessary tongue lashings? I'd likely start by writing off ever asking questions on this forum as it's clearly not a place to learn and share ideas and improve but rather a place for insecure people to have some feeling of feeble power.

A simple statement like "that would be illegal because...", along with an explanation would suffice. I totally don't get the need for writing "NO NO NO NO" or "NO" in giant red letters or "It’s past time for you and your son to learn about what’s legal and what’s safe."

On the latter note that I was indeed asking a question which for those not familiar is specifically for the purpose of learning. When someone asks a question it is usually because they want to learn and in asking a question are opening themselves up like a sponge for information. A firehose of vitriol does not a good learning environment make.

The people frequenting this forum, and in particular the mods, have a choice. This forum can be a place for insecure people to get their jollies spewing forth, turning people off, and making people who fly drones seem like a bunch of Barney Fife's. Or it can be a place that welcomes people, answers questions in a mature way that educates, encourages open discussion and creates an image of drone pilots as being the Andy Taylor's of the world.

Will your neighbors feel more comfortable with Barney or Andy flying drones around your neighborhood?

 

[RoboticTundra]

@SethB, thanks for the ideas. The shot I'm going for needs to be closer to 25' or more above the ground, otherwise I'd need much too wide of a lens. Also, no trees or anything else to mount a camera on. Pre-drone we'd have used a Chapman (small crane) for this shot but renting those is expensive and this is just for fun for my niece's wedding so no budget

 

[RoboticTundra]

So, another question. Perhaps stupid. Perhaps I shouldn't ask for fear of being castigated by the magnificently more knowledgable on here, but here goes anyway.

If I'm going for a hike through a field and have my drone in follow-me mode... Is that legal? Safe? If I stop and it hovers in place is that legal? If I stop to talk to a friend and it hovers in place and grabs video of us is that legal? Can I legally take a photo of my friend with my iPhone while my drone hovers in place in follow-me mode? If I came up on a group of 5 people and chatted with them while my drone hovered 20m away over an open field would that be legal?

I think most can see where I'm going with this. When does it become illegal?

 

[Thomas B]

So, another question. Perhaps stupid. Perhaps I shouldn't ask for fear of being castigated by the magnificently more knowledgable on here, but here goes anyway.

If I'm going for a hike through a field and have my drone in follow-me mode... Is that legal? Safe? If I stop and it hovers in place is that legal? If I stop to talk to a friend and it hovers in place and grabs video of us is that legal? Can I legally take a photo of my friend with my iPhone while my drone hovers in place in follow-me mode? If I came up on a group of 5 people and chatted with them while my drone hovered 20m away over an open field would that be legal?

I think most can see where I'm going with this. When does it become illegal?

1. Yes
2. Yes for as long as you maintained VLOS….

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

When does it become illegal?

I'd consider you remain technically legal as long as you are ready to take control of the drone if the need arises.
This is a basic stipulation of all drone license conditions worldwide.
Otherwise it's a bit like wanting total autonomy, without all the extra controls in place like the delivery type systems need to obtain.

Of course, some may think it doesn't matter, as long as everything goes ok who's even going to know ?
It's like a lot of things in life, if everything goes right, as it might in 99% of such situations, all good.

 

[RoboticTundra]

Yep. There are differences in technically legal and safe. The goal here is to achieve both. Which is the higher bar when will vary.

I can, I think, legally go for a run w/ my drone following me. VLOS here is interesting because I don't often look behind me constantly or much at all when I'm running - I have a strong human desire to see where I'm going and to avoid obstacles. I may look back to check on it occasionally but likely not very frequently depending on where I'm running. I may also look back and it's temporarily out of sight behind a tree. I may or may not be able to hear it depending on how far away it is and what other ambient noise exists. For some people there's also an issue of ear buds.

At what point in some sort of drone fail (hit an object, loose GPS/Compass and go nuts, battery fault, other) am I likely to be aware of it? Respond to it? How is this different from a drone in follow-me mode hover & aim? Personally I feel much safer w/ the latter than the former.

(There's a bit of a related follow-on to this. Many of us like to use drones for lighting. To be able to place a strobe pretty much wherever you want and without stands (heavy (especially w/ sandbags), pita to carry to locations, interfere w/ shots, often can't reach desired position, etc.). Personnel are expensive and sometimes unreliable so we'd like these to be autonomous - park them in position (hover & aim) and then go about shooting.)

 

[Capt KO]

An observer and control of the remote is all that’s needed. Same with autonomous litchi flights. Just follow the rules for no flight over people. Have fun, enjoy the wedding.