What do you use as a landing pad?

[hiflyer201]

I hand catch most of the time, but I've used my soft case many times if I can't find something more suitable.

 

[BrokenAero]

I have two primary landing pads:

Sky Arbor:


And my drone recovery barge “Of Course I Still Love You”. OCISLY

 

[ATP]

I use a pizza box, you can fill it with gravel or sand if it is windy.

 

[Dale D]

I use a pizza box, you can fill it with gravel or sand if it is windy.

So if you are traveling, do you first buy pizza before flying at the place when you arrive?

 

[Rich QR]

I use the Moments landing pad as in the first post. I concur that it is sturdy, heavy, folds up small, and works well for something the size of a Mavic Mini.



I have only two minor quibbles with it. First, I'd prefer an "H" instead of an "M", just because it seems more appropriate. Second, it has one way to fold up well, described perfectly in the instructions, but after it's left out in the sun for a while, it can be a bit less than obvious how to best fold it. I used a Sharpie marker to mark "A"s on two panels that should fold together face-to-face first, and "B"s on two panels that fold together second. I've photoshopped the letters on this picture, since my original Sharpie ones are a bit faint.

 

[Lastrexking]

Dale: Don't hesitate. get one. You won't be disappointed.

All the best from the UK.

They look better than my Blu-ray knock-up. It’s a shame they’re not available in the uk.

 

[African wildlife]

BrokenAero: I love your OCISLY pad, being a huge SpaceX fan. ?

Rich QR: You could peel off the M and replace it with the SpaceX X. Or you could turn it around 180 degrees horizontally so you've got a W - a good reminder to think about wind direction and speed.

ATP: I also thought you'd come up with a great excuse to eat pizza. ?

 

[African wildlife]

My wife is cracking up at everyone's contributions. She also loves the Of Course I Still Love You pad. But the pizza box made her almost wet herself with laughter!

 

[Thomas B]

Thomas , I see you have 4 lights on your drone.
Are they all white or do you have colors on the back side?
Will it still fold up with the mounts on?
Do they effect flight characteristics much, flight time , handling, etc?

Sorry about the thread drift AW.

Two white at the rear on arms and a red and a green in front... latter are now on the legs. I have PolarPro folding legs. Legs can stay on but I remove the strobes. They are in mounts from our own @Aerial-Pixel and are very durable with easy on, easy off and strobes can be charged in them.

 

[Dale D]

They look better than my Blu-ray knock-up. It’s a shame they’re not available in the uk.

I just ordered one from B an. H! Thanks.

 

[Dennis Bourne]

Stop being a wimp, take off and land, on your hand.

 

[DanMan32]

Before having purchased my M2Z, for my P3, I've tried cardboard and a thick welcome mat (but not too heavy!) And both would move in the P3 prop wash.

I finally gave up and bought a circular PGYTech landing pad with my M2Z and never looked back. I suspect the metal ring provides some aerodynamics that usually keeps it on the ground.

Sometimes you spend a whole lot of time and effort, sometimes even money just to save a few bucks.

 

[Dale D]

Stop being a wimp, take off and land, on your hand.

Dennis:

So I Googled the term "injuries from drones." Among the 8,490,000 listings were amputations, eye injuries, concussions, facial injuries." There are millions of listings on Google. I make it a habit of taking off from a pad, but will hand catch my drone if I am on a very wet, or uneven surface, and I have done so hundreds of times and without damage. But I do not do it routinely because I almost always fly solo, and if I sustained an injury while out in the boondocks, I would have no help driving me to an emergency room. I would not consider myself a wimp by any means and I think that sort of talk is a danger to people who are more conservative in their flying.

As a practicing ophthalmologist for 38 years, I have had many personal experiences in suturing lacerated eyelids, and corneas from various injuries. Some of these cause permanent corneal scaring, eyelid lacerations, and even globe lacerations, which cause a blind eye. Labeling a drone flyer a wimp if they do not take off/land from hand is not responsible talk. This is a fun activity and does not warrent un-needed endangerment.

Feel free to handle your own drone as you wish. Don't debase those who do not wish to be shamed to hand launch/catch.

Dale Davis, M.D.
Board Certified Ophthalmologist
F.A.C.S ( past president Fellow American College of Surgeons)
Miami

 

[Rich QR]

So I Googled the term "injuries from drones." Among the 8,490,000 listings were amputations, eye injuries, concussions, facial injuries." There are millions of listings on Google. I make it a habit of taking off from a pad, but will hand catch my drone if I am on a very wet, or uneven surface, and I have done so hundreds of times and without damage. But I do not do it routinely because I almost always fly solo, and if I sustained an injury while out in the boondocks, I would have no help driving me to an emergency room. I would not consider myself a wimp by any means and I think that sort of talk is a danger to people who are more conservative in their flying.

I concur. I'll tell my story: I watched several videos about how to launch/land a Mavic Mini in the hand, and figured I'd try it. They all recommended gripping the drone body with the thumb on one side, and two fingers (index/middle) on the other side. What none of them emphasized sufficiently for my thick skull was that the fingers which are NOT participating in the grip should be folded down against the palm to keep them out of the way. On my first attempt, I allowed my ring finger to relax, and it drifted up and got in the path of a prop. I got three lacerations on the fingertip. They required no professional medical attention, but needed several minutes of pressure to stop the bleeding. Fingertips have a lot of nerves, so it was painful.

I "jumped back on the horse" and successfully landed in the hand many times after that. I will never make the same mistake again -- my ring finger will stay well out of the way of the props. Hand launching/landing is certainly doable, but it will always be safer to keep the props a few feet away from the nearest flesh.

I assume we're all adults here, capable of assessing risks and making reasonable decisions. I won't try and convince a dedicated and experienced hand-launcher to stop the practice, but neither will I try and change the mind of someone who decides it's worth carrying a landing pad in order to eliminate the risk inherent in getting hands so close to propellers.

 

[philly115]

I just got my drone and used a pizza box for my first flight haha. I have a wood working shop though so I think I'm going to make one.

 

[Kilrah]

My hand

 

[Photo Beaty]

I wanted a pad that would withstand the Missouri winds without being staked into the ground. So I went with the Hoodman, 3 foot landing pad. A little pricey but, a once in a career purchase. Made from a heavy canvas ringed with an internal heavy metal rope, when you place it on the ground it stays on the ground! The biggest challenge with it is learning to fold it back up to go into its carry case! A really nice pad!!

After trying several landing pads I settled on this one. It is just what I needed for my Mavic 2 pro. After several times watching the video on how to fold it and not making much progress I finally got folding easily by bringing the two sides together in curls then picking up the bottom curl and placing next to the top curls. This even works when people are watching me.
I
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[Thomas B]

After trying several landing pads I settled on this one. It is just what I needed for my Mavic 2 pro. After several times watching the video on how to fold it and not making much progress I finally got folding easily by bringing the two sides together in curls then picking up the bottom curl and placing next to the top curls. This even works when people are watching me.
I
I

?

 

[Dale D]

?

Guys- did you forget to attach your picture of "this one" Is the one I use?

 

[dronerdave]

I did the cheapo route for a while and asked myself if I paid so much for a drone why worry about the price of a hoodman landing pad. I got the 3 footer and it's fine. Folds up nicely, stores well in my vehicle and will last much longer than my almost outdated MP.