I've got a great suggestion for a landing pad if you've got a small drone and you live in the USA. But, first, a bit of background. Until very recently, we've only been flying a
Phantom 4 Pro Plus, for professional work. As any photographer or filmmaker knows, it's crucial to protect a lens and camera. So, after a lot of research and thought, we ended up using a piece of an old heavy cloth tarpaulin (once red, but now faded to a dull pink colour). And it's been great. We almost always work in remote locations on rough terrain, in various countries, with (thankfully) no concrete or paving anywhere in sight. When having to walk long distances with lots of filming equipment, the tarpaulin landing pad rolls up and can be strapped to the outside of a daypack. It's large enough to also place and open the dedicated carrying backpack for the
P4P+, lay everything out, with the knees of two people around the edges - basically a clean work surface for the ground.
Then we decided to also get the
Mini 2 for those times when we have to travel ultra light. Our trusted piece of tarpaulin is not only too big, but also too heavy and bulky, relatively speaking, for such circumstances. So it was back to the proverbial drawing board. We dismissed the usual circular helipads, which are better than nothing but not that useful for a working pro. Besides, they're basically the same as a photography light reflector, minus the reflective surface, which we carry anyway for lighting a human subject talking to camera. We then learnt of Moment's Rugged Landing Pad - in the USA. To make it worthwhile importing it to the UK, we got three of them - and the two spare ones are now happily owned by two other forum members. The Moment pad is square, foldable into nine smaller squares, fits neatly into the
DJI Mini 2 carry bag, waterproof, washable, and the company gives a lifetime warranty. And it's not at all flimsy, so highly unlikely to move or blow away. Yes, it weighs a bit more than the
Mini 2, but that's inevitable if you want something that's quality. There's even a sturdy elasticated strap for holding it together when folded. I give it 5 stars. I have nothing whatsoever to do with the Moment company, but this is one of the very best accessories you'll ever use. I'm including a couple of photos below.
So what do you use as a landing pad? And, yes, of course we considered using a hand for takeoff and landing. i should also add that we've never crashed or suffered any damage whatsoever to a drone. "Be prepared" really works.
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Okay, to the answer. As I said in my original post, we work almost always in remote areas, thankfully well away from any concrete or paving, usually in rough terrain. That aside, sand is a well-known killer of camera equipment etc - if someone was taking off from a beach or where's there's sandy soil - and any tiny stick or other debris wouldn't be good to land on as that, too, could could a problem. DJI drones are very well made but they can be damaged through mild neglect.
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