9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

[GoodnNuff]

What about a landing pad like this? It'll probably be more stable.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PG3 ... 4EH2VFTQRW

I have this landing/launch pad and I like it. I can quickly remove the 6 inch legs and lay it flat on the ground. Or if I'm launching from a steep slope I can attach this pad to my tripod and have a level surface to land on or launch from.
The landing pad is perforated with small holes to eliminate prop wash.

And while some have never made it beyond hand catching, my buddies and I hone our landing skills by playing lawn darts and seeing who can land their drone closest to the center, using the rings on the pad to score.

If you are tipping over on landing or on launching, you need to practice more! Full throttle on launch, and gentle stable touchdowns with your hand off the right stick until you are down and ready to execute a CSC.

 

[BlackTracer]

Hand launch. Exactly the opposite of hand catch. Hold the craft in your right hand, throttle up until you feel it pulling, then release and both hands on the sticks. Easy to learn.

I have got to try this! Surely a crowd pleaser and useful when the terrain is questionable. I assume you hold it above your head level. Does it matter if it is on a slight angle when you let go? Will it self-level and go straight up?

 

[Mori55]

Seriously full throttle on takeoff. And don't fo csc on landing. Just pull the stick down.

 

[GoodnNuff]

Seriously full throttle on takeoff. And don't fo csc on landing. Just pull the stick down.

Yes. Wait until after you have landed to do the CSC to cut the power before you pick up the drone. Do not do the CSC as part of your landing technique.

 

[N017RW]

CSC for shut-down runs a small risk of tip-over do to the additional control inputs.

As mentioned just hold the left or throttle full down alone will shut-down in a bout 3 seconds with no risk of tip-over.

 

[JJM]

Re: 9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

Hand launch. Exactly the opposite of hand catch. Hold the craft in your right hand, throttle up until you feel it pulling, then release and both hands on the sticks. Easy to learn.

I have got to try this! Surely a crowd pleaser and useful when the terrain is questionable. I assume you hold it above your head level. Does it matter if it is on a slight angle when you let go? Will it self-level and go straight up?

If you have it in GPS mode it should level and attempt to hold its spot. If you're in ATTI mode, it'll carry some momentum towards the angle in which you released it. Might be pretty fast too so be ready to adjust.

 

[djsydvicious]

Re: 9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

I dont understand why you would land on a elevated platform and thereby increasing the chance of tip overs!

I always hand catch on landing. The step stool is just for takeoff

 

[djsydvicious]

Re: 9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

Hand launch. Exactly the opposite of hand catch. Hold the craft in your right hand, throttle up until you feel it pulling, then release and both hands on the sticks. Easy to learn.

I'm interested trying this for takeoff!

 

[BlackTracer]

Re: 9

Hand launch. Exactly the opposite of hand catch. Hold the craft in your right hand, throttle up until you feel it pulling, then release and both hands on the sticks. Easy to learn.

I have got to try this! Surely a crowd pleaser and useful when the terrain is questionable. I assume you hold it above your head level. Does it matter if it is on a slight angle when you let go? Will it self-level and go straight up?

If you have it in GPS mode it should level and attempt to hold its spot. If you're in ATTI mode, it'll carry some momentum towards the angle in which you released it. Might be pretty fast too so be ready to adjust.

Yeah I realized after I wrote the questions that they were silly.

 

[djsydvicious]

Re: 9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

Hand launch. Exactly the opposite of hand catch. Hold the craft in your right hand, throttle up until you feel it pulling, then release and both hands on the sticks. Easy to learn.

Do you hold it in Palm of hand or kinda grip the landing gear. I have big hands. So it shouldn't be much of a problem to do.

 

[JJM]

Re: 9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

Hand launch. Exactly the opposite of hand catch. Hold the craft in your right hand, throttle up until you feel it pulling, then release and both hands on the sticks. Easy to learn.

I have got to try this! Surely a crowd pleaser and useful when the terrain is questionable. I assume you hold it above your head level. Does it matter if it is on a slight angle when you let go? Will it self-level and go straight up?

If you have it in GPS mode it should level and attempt to hold its spot. If you're in ATTI mode, it'll carry some momentum towards the angle in which you released it. Might be pretty fast too so be ready to adjust.

Yeah I realized after I wrote the questions that they were silly.

Nah not too silly. Some people really don't know that.

 

[HailStorm]

CSC for shut-down runs a small risk of tip-over do to the additional control inputs.

As mentioned just hold the left or throttle full down alone will shut-down in a bout 3 seconds with no risk of tip-over.

Yeah, that too. I'm just too impatient once I'm on the ground. That 3 second wait seems to last forever. I've yet to have a tip-over when doing a CSC. Knock on wood. Once I do I'll learn to wait I suppose...lol.

I also have the UAVbits landing pad. Great for keeping the wet grass off my GoPro lens.

 

[djsydvicious]

Re: 9" Step Stool for TakeOff and Landing

Is there a possibility that the quad is getting different thrust from each prop? If one or more props are over the stool and the other(s) are over the edge it might cause the quad to tip as it lifts off.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[Mori55]

I'm sure the ones ones that are over the box are going to lift faster than the ones over the edge. But if you give full throttle it should shoot up pretty fast.

 

[happydays]

Here's what I do - especially on difficult terrain on in winds. Hold the craft in the right hand arm outstretched about face height. If it's windy, make sure the wind is coming from behind you, naturally.

With your left hand, thumb on top of the stick, throttle fully up - you'll feel the aircraft rising up, then simply release. Get to about 10', right hand back on the other stick, test all controls as normal and you're away.

 

[rickasaurus]

I just use a simple piece of plywood that I carry along with the other gear. It is solid and smooths out rough ground, and nothing for the bird to fall off!

I can't see the point of always hand launching and catching. Takeoff and landing are a key part of flying, and lots of fun. Of course, hand catching has a place when the terrain or conditions are unsuitable for normal landing, such as on snow, rocky ground or on a boat. And of course, there is always the slight risk of injury with hand catching, if you happen to trip, or whatever.

Re full-throttle takeoff, I usually spin up the props until just about to lift off, then give full throttle. It seems to take out some of the delay and risk of tipover.

 

[happydays]

I don't always hand launch, BTW, but I ALWAYS hand catch. Just my thing. The only thing my props have hit is air. Well on my V+ anyway. Everything else has been in the trees, P1, P2V. P2Vs are quite tough and are a great way to learn to fly. The gimbal on the V+ is too fragile and too expensive to risk whacking into anything for me, so I hand catch every time. And avoid foliage of any description, even grass.

 

[GmanTerry]

Just my two cents.

The problem with an elevated takeoff/landing pad is ground effect. The prop wash has to be the same for all four motors. If one of the motors is closer to the edge of the raised surface, it's ground effect lift won't be as great as the others and that will cause the bird to want to tilt. I saw a helicopter crash over the side of an aircraft carrier because he tried to hover too close to the edge of the ship. It just tipped over and fell. The ground effect is what causes the bird to bounce up and down as you try to land. The closer you are to the surface, the more the reflected ground wash will try to create lift. Unless all the four motors experience the same lift at the same time, the bird will want to tip over.
I hope I explained this so it's understandable.

Terry