Water-landing accessory!

Thmoore · Nov 27, 2019

eBay is full of interesting Mavic Mini accessories. This one is nuts:

Float Landing Gear for DJI Mavic Mini Drone Accessories Buoyancy Frame Parts

Description:
With Landing Skid Float kit allow the drone to take off and land on the water,it can allow let you play on the water or sea
Please note: Don't go to the place have wave of water , otherwise there will be danger to turning over, so to fly in the calm water
Professional for DJI Mavic Mini RC Drone Quadcopter designed,Landing Skid Float height 40mm, effectively protect drone body.
Have fun of flying RC Quadcopter on the water and land.
Easy to install, no need other tools.
Specification:
Material: PLA
Color: Red and Black
Weight:45g
Float Height:40mm/1.57inch.
Float Length: 200mm/7.87inch.
Package Includes:
1 Piece Fixed Frame
1 Piece Mount Top Cover
2 Pieces Landing Skid Float
2 Pieces M3 Screws
Note:
Due to the difference between different monitors, the picture may not reflect the actual color of the item
Due to manual measurement, there may be 1-2mm error in size

DJake_2000 · Nov 27, 2019

Was doing my second test flights by (and mostly over) the sea, so I tried cutting similar pontoons from dirt-cheap polyethylene pipe insulation bits. I planned to jury-rig them directly under the drone arms with rubber bands, but since in doing that they come pretty close to the propellers and hinder the air flow, I binned the whole idea and flew au naturelle. The insulation pontoons should work, if you find a way to install them. I would not use those for landing on any body of water on purpose, however - Just as a precausion against having to borrow a boomer to find your MM in the murky depths!

Thmoore · Nov 27, 2019

DJake_2000 said:
Was doing my second test flights by (and mostly over) the sea, ...

In case I wasn't clear in the OP, this seems like a terrible idea, and I do not recommend it, and please no one hold me responsible for any aircraft-to-submarine conversion that results from trying it yourself.

DJake_2000 · Nov 27, 2019

Thmoore said:
In case I wasn't clear in the OP, this seems like a terrible idea, and I do not recommend it, and please no one hold me responsible for any aircraft-to-submarine conversion that results from trying it yourself.

A sound notion

Similar pontoons have been around for years and I've only seen videos of and read about them briefly, but I think they are at most good for keeping your drone either off the ground, or swimming near the surface. Surely won't do marvels for the flying characteristics.

Thmoore · Nov 27, 2019

DJake_2000 said:
A sound notion Similar pontoons have been around for years and I've only seen videos of and read about them briefly, but I think they are at most good for keeping your drone either off the ground, or swimming near the surface. Surely won't do marvels for the flying characteristics.

It does give the experience an until-now-lacking "Raiders of the Lost Ark" feel to it, though.

Pilgrim Pilot · Nov 27, 2019

That is a great idea! It looks so heavy, though.

The company phantomrain.org advertises here, and they have a 'wetsuit' and a 'lifejacket' for almost every DJI airbot that is super efficient on weight, and looks like it actually works. I'm going to get a set soon and report back. The wetsuit technically could be thought of as a drysuit, because it keeps the vitals dry, but watch the videos to see what it does.

Thmoore said:
Float Landing Gear for DJI Mavic Mini Drone Accessories Buoyancy Frame Parts

DanMan32 · Nov 27, 2019

Note that there's very little ground clearance for the gimbal, which would be the most vulnerable to water issues.

Orangecrash · Nov 28, 2019

Make sure your drone insurance is paid up..

TDZHDTV · Nov 28, 2019

There are plenty of YouTube videos of other DJI drones with these flotation devices installed, they all fail.

Winfam · Nov 28, 2019

I use my M2Z for water rescue work and have fitted one of these kits to it. Not to land on the water but to act as a life jacket, so it does not sink untill we can rescue it, that way I still have a drone to present to the insurance company.

GerdS · Nov 28, 2019

I have a foam ball system for my Mavic Pro for safety when flying over a lake. I also have excercised landing on and takeoff from water. It works well, BUT
Mavic's wind resistance is reduced significantly and as over water there is often strong wind, I would not recommend such a solution for regular usage.
Especially not for the much more liteweighted Mavic Mini with its gimbal even more near to the ground.

Phantomrain.org · Nov 28, 2019

Pilgrim Pilot said:
That is a great idea!

The company phantomrain.org advertises here, and they have a 'wetsuit' and a 'lifejacket' for almost every DJI airbot that is super efficient on weight, and looks like it actually works. I'm going to get a set soon and report back. The wetsuit technically could be thought of as a drysuit, because it keeps the vitals dry, but watch the videos to see what it does.

Keep in mind that Sea Lander Jackets our for the Mavic 2 and Mavic Pro not the Mini as of yet.

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