Using hand launch and capture

[MA2 317]

NOT a good idea as the motors will try to stabilise the craft, overspeed.

As I stated, not recommended.

I did it once with my Spark years ago (due to the YouTube reviews at the time) and the Spark and I did not like it.

The little rascal tried in vain to stay level as I tilted it and I could feel the force in my wrist.

Whirling props and tilting along with exposed skin...I never tried it again.


.

 

[Xitor]

Hand catching is a lot easier for me than hand launch. Holding the controller with the left hand and feathering down the altitude stick is a lot easier than trying to push and hold the launch button with one hand. I need to figure it out though because there is a path I want to record, and the only way I'll get the end to end I want, and maintain line of site, is launch from the middle, and there is no way I ground launch in that area.

 

[Lister]

Yeah, the Air2s is wicked. I very stupidly tried to milk just that last bit of battery out of mine once, and when it forced an emergency landing, I used my last second of control and flew it toward my location where it snagged on a deck rail as it descended. A leg of the drone hooked the rail, but it was bouncing all over as if trying to free itself, and I panicked and ran over and just grabbed it wherever I could, because a recovery would have been very difficult if it had fallen. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp. OUCH. Did a number on a few fingers and near my thumb. I only realized after 15 seconds or so that I was bleeding profusely. Fortunately the property owner was nearby and gave me some paper towels and band-aids. Lesson learned .

Good story, sad result. I guess you're lucky you didn't lose a finger(s).
Last-minute, last-ditch maneuvers rarely go well. You got off easy, IMHO.

*DISCLAIMER* While learning to hand fly, I made a similar mistake. I'd done a few landings and got cocky. BIG mistake. I suffered only a grazing, but it was a good lesson. It's still an essential skill, but not without consequences if you fail at it.

Practice, practice, practice. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate.

 

[Spartan Drones]

@Nickyb65 it get the information from the IMU ,which is monitoring various inputs from different sensors ,and comparing them to predetermined measurements provided by set parameters in the programming,this happens constantly when the drone is in flight
it does not know how strong the wind actually is ,just that it exceeds what the drone is capable of overcoming,according to those set parameters
with the hand catching hover just as you are now with your palm flat then wait for the drone to rise up as it senses your hand , after it has stopped rising, just hold the left stick fully down ,and it will descend onto your hand, keep your hand still till the motors stop, then release the left stick
be very careful in windy conditions, and position yourself so the wind is behind you ,so if something goes wrong the drone will not be blown into you

excellent advice!!

 

[maggior]

Hand catching is a lot easier for me than hand launch. Holding the controller with the left hand and feathering down the altitude stick is a lot easier than trying to push and hold the launch button with one hand. I need to figure it out though because there is a path I want to record, and the only way I'll get the end to end I want, and maintain line of site, is launch from the middle, and there is no way I ground launch in that area.

This is why I have a lanyard on my controller. When landing and taking off, I let the controller hang from my neck and I control the left stick with one hand and hold the drone in the other. This way I don't have to balance the controller in my hand. Holding the controller in one hand feels very awkward to me.

 

[Lister]

This is why I have a lanyard on my controller. When landing and taking off, I let the controller hang from my neck and I control the left stick with one hand and hold the drone in the other. This way I don't have to balance the controller in my hand. Holding the controller in one hand feels very awkward to me.

Exactly, both for launch and recover.
A controller lanyard is essential equipment, IMHO

 

[cheddar-man]

On the old Phantom remote there was an attachment for a lanyard but not on the Mini. Guess you can attache one to the antenna support.

 

[maggior]

On the old Phantom remote there was an attachment for a lanyard but not on the Mini. Guess you can attache one to the antenna support.

The sunshade I got for my standard controller it came with a lanyard attachment that works extremely well.

 

[cheddar-man]

The sunshade I got for my standard controller it came with a lanyard attachment that works extremely well.

View attachment 154650

Where's the sunshade from, looks nice?

 

[maggior]

Where's the sunshade from, looks nice?

Amazon

https://a.co/d/3WEAoAe

 

[Bob in Savannah]

I'm hand launching/catching quite confidently now after a week or so of practicing with my M3. I never had a problem ever using my hands with a mini 2 but this thing is much larger. Easily twice its size. And in weight and then some.. Lol the M3 BATTERY weighs 50 MORE grams than the whole Mini 2!

So it was a little sketchy at first but Im now quite the "mobile" flyer and just being able to hand launch and land adds a ton of different options where you can fly..

 

[cheddar-man]

Amazon

https://a.co/d/3WEAoAe

Thanks for that. Looked it up on Amazon here in the UK and it's only for phones, 4.7" - 6.7" phones, no good from an iPad but I'll keep looking. Mind you, never had an issue with sun.

 

[Xitor]

Amazon

https://a.co/d/3WEAoAe

Thanks for this, and Cheddar Man for asking. I too have the phantom 3 with remote lanyard and was wondering how you did that on the mini / Air2S controller.

 

[TeamGomez]

"There are no or few true accidents. There are unsafe actions, which sometimes result in property damage, injury, or mortality."

Very well said, SethB. Sounds like you've spent some time doing root cause analysis and thanks for sharing that expertise. After being on a few Aircraft Mishap Boards in a couple decades of Naval Aviation, truer words were never spoken.

Point in case- we're taught from day 1 aboard an aircraft carrier to NEVER walk in the prop arc of an E-2/C-2 while on a FOD walk down (we walk the deck a couple times a day to find those little pieces of debris that could destroy a jet engine). The bottom line is if you never walk in a prop arc, you'll never get 'vaporized' and spread out all over the flight deck by walking into a turning motor.

Makes me rethink my approach to honing my skills with my newest hobby. Spend a bit more time prepping a good landing area so my 'ego isn't writing checks my body can't cash' lol when a finger causes rotation interruptus.

 

[Dbez1]

At the risk of beating a dead horse, this advice is especially for newbies… After hundreds of uneventful hand catches over the years, this seemingly minor scar happened in July, and here we are, over 4 months later and it still hurts a lot when I bump it. YES, sometimes we need to hand catch due to the terrain, but my advice is to avoid this unless absolutely necessary and DON’T get over confident. A drone can do more damage than a simple laceration. Incidentally, it was an Air2S but I suspect a Mini can do the same. I still hand catch, but only when it’s absolutely necessary.

 

[Lister]

Good advice. I had a near miss with my Mini 2 when I was learning this technique and I've been VERY careful ever since. Especially if it's windy. My belly-mount strobe aft gives me a little more catching leeway.

Unfortunately, the Mini 3 has very low ground clearance for the gimbal. Unless the landing surface is very flat, the gimbal is gonna touch the ground.

The advantages of learning to hand launch/catch are numerous. Snow, for example presents some difficulties, as does dust and dirt on the runway.

A stretchy work glove on the catching hand would offer significant protection and shouldn't constrain stick operations.

GLOVES CHANNEL 12 pack Construction Mechanics Gardening General Work Safety Gloves (9, Red) : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

GLOVES CHANNEL 12 pack Construction Mechanics Gardening General Work Safety Gloves (9, Red) : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.ca

 

[Big Bro]

A stretchy work glove on the catching hand would offer significant protection and shouldn't constrain stick operations.

Good advise. I'm a wood carver and use one of my cut resistant gloves when hand launching. Haven't tested it's resistance on a prop, but it's saved my bacon many times carving! You can get a pair on Amazon for $12.00.