Cooler with wheels--best practice

[hblink93]

Here's a best practice I'd like to share with the community:

When I am flying for an event for aerial photography, I use a wheeled cooler (beverage cooler with wheels and a handle) as a convenient way to create a mobile home base. I carry my P3A, batteries, and RC in a backpack case and pull the cooler behind me. There's a lot of good storage space in the cooler.

Benefits:
1. It is a seat (sometimes there's a lot of waiting involved); 2. If it begins to rain, I can quickly put everything inside 3. It is a launch pad for taking off in muddy/sandy/grassy areas; 4. I bring along icebags to keep the inside cool. This helps batteries cool down post-flight so I can recharge them sooner. 5. I bring my chargers, a power strip, and an extension cord, all fit inside (along with other things that don't fit in my drone case); 6. It is a clean platform for swapping out lens filters, microSD cards, and other delicate operations.

I thought of this prior to a video shoot I had for a crew practice. My launch and operation site was on the banks of the intracoastal waterway in Virginia. The bank was muddy, I had to do several battery swaps, and there were a lot of folks who were encroaching on my position to get a better view. The wheeled cooler ensured I had a place to launch, work, and sit while I flew the drone.

After some post-production work, I finished the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLCmg0fzDIU

Enjoy! If you have any ideas for improving my cooler idea, I'd like to hear them!
hblink93

 

[SoCalDude]

It's against the forum rules to post a message about a new tip or procedure without including photos or—better yet—a video on the suggested tip.

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I'm just joking! However, it should be considered inappropriate to introduce a new technique without corresponding photos/videos. Could you share some?

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[eaglegoaltender]

Enjoy! If you have any ideas for improving my cooler idea, I'd like to hear them!
hblink93

Well, that was a very cool video and nice post filming work - however the other "cool" as in "cooler", not sure how one can come up with ideas to improving something they only have a brief description of - any photos to post? I realize, yes, it is only a cooler - still good to put a visual up here as "SoCalDude" stated for others to see.

 

[hblink93]

OK---fair enough. You may be underwhelmed by the pictures, but at least they give you something to look at. In the picture of the open cooler, you'll see that I have 2 batteries on the right side in a smaller cooler, (we have lots of coolers). Those batteries are next to an ice pack to cool down. Once they're cool, they'll go on the chargers. I keep the chargers on the left side, along with the extension cord and plug bar. Closing the cooler give me a platform that is big enough to launch from (I do catch recoveries), sit on, and work on. The whole kit can be closed quickly and rolled around as needed. Here are the pics...

 

[SoCalDude]

Cool. Thanks for being a sport about this. Now, if you could rig it to attach an open beach umbrella to it, you could be relaxing in the shade!

 

[eaglegoaltender]

Here are the pics...

LOL - what an agreeable guy you are. Looks great - and is a good idea for exactly what you mentioned in your OP. I did post add an electrical outlet inside the cooler but probably not such a good idea. Throw in a cushion to put on the lid when you are sitting around on it would be my suggestion.

 

[Pete Gianakos]

Good tips. Thanks hblink. I've only used return to home a couple of times, is it accurate enough to land on your cooler?


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

 

[SoCalDude]

Good tips. Thanks hblink. I've only used return to home a couple of times, is it accurate enough to land on your cooler?

For better precision, it's easier just to manually land top of the cooler.

I typically do not use training wheels such as auto-take-off and auto-landing. Personally, I prefer to have fun actually flying my aircraft.

 

[hblink93]

Good tips. Thanks hblink. I've only used return to home a couple of times, is it accurate enough to land on your cooler?


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

No, I don't land on the cooler. (Never tried.) I prefer to catch-land. Much easier to do and safer for the aircraft. Taking off from the cooler is no problem, though.

 

[hblink93]

For better precision, it's easier just to manually land top of the cooler.

I typically do not use training wheels such as auto-take-off and auto-landing. Personally, I have fun actually flying my aircraft.

Myself, I don't trust auto takeoff or landing. I take off and quickly get out of ground effect, hover at about 10 ft for a few seconds, then do my flight. Coming home, I fly an "approach" towards me. I try to fly it the same way each time, so I've gotten good at it. When the aircraft is about head-height, I grab a landing gear and throttle down until the motors stop. Easy.

 

[peter west nz]

Myself, I don't trust auto takeoff or landing. I take off and quickly get out of ground effect, hover at about 10 ft for a few seconds, then do my flight. Coming home, I fly an "approach" towards me. I try to fly it the same way each time, so I've gotten good at it. When the aircraft is about head-height, I grab a landing gear and throttle down until the motors stop. Easy.

I agree absolutely. I fly an approach like a model heli to a hover, turn it looking away from me, then lower it to grab height. Turning it away means I don't have to think about control reversal if I need to take control in atti mode.

 

[dtviewer]

Great idea with the wheeled cooler. Thanks for sharing!

 

[NRJ]

Here's a best practice I'd like to share with the community:

When I am flying for an event for aerial photography, I use a wheeled cooler (beverage cooler with wheels and a handle) as a convenient way to create a mobile home base. I carry my P3A, batteries, and RC in a backpack case and pull the cooler behind me. There's a lot of good storage space in the cooler.

Benefits:
1. It is a seat (sometimes there's a lot of waiting involved); 2. If it begins to rain, I can quickly put everything inside 3. It is a launch pad for taking off in muddy/sandy/grassy areas; 4. I bring along icebags to keep the inside cool. This helps batteries cool down post-flight so I can recharge them sooner. 5. I bring my chargers, a power strip, and an extension cord, all fit inside (along with other things that don't fit in my drone case); 6. It is a clean platform for swapping out lens filters, microSD cards, and other delicate operations.

I thought of this prior to a video shoot I had for a crew practice. My launch and operation site was on the banks of the intracoastal waterway in Virginia. The bank was muddy, I had to do several battery swaps, and there were a lot of folks who were encroaching on my position to get a better view. The wheeled cooler ensured I had a place to launch, work, and sit while I flew the drone.

After some post-production work, I finished the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLCmg0fzDIU

Enjoy! If you have any ideas for improving my cooler idea, I'd like to hear them!
hblink93

Great video and I like your idea of using a wheeled cooler to transport your drone and stuff. I may have to incorporate your idea and do the same thing. If and when I start using this, I may come up with improvements or other ideas after first experiencing it's use. I'll post them here in the future if idea's are found. Thanks for the idea and keep up the good video work.

 

[Providian623]

Here's a best practice I'd like to share with the community:

When I am flying for an event for aerial photography, I use a wheeled cooler (beverage cooler with wheels and a handle) as a convenient way to create a mobile home base. I carry my P3A, batteries, and RC in a backpack case and pull the cooler behind me. There's a lot of good storage space in the cooler.

Benefits:
1. It is a seat (sometimes there's a lot of waiting involved); 2. If it begins to rain, I can quickly put everything inside 3. It is a launch pad for taking off in muddy/sandy/grassy areas; 4. I bring along icebags to keep the inside cool. This helps batteries cool down post-flight so I can recharge them sooner. 5. I bring my chargers, a power strip, and an extension cord, all fit inside (along with other things that don't fit in my drone case); 6. It is a clean platform for swapping out lens filters, microSD cards, and other delicate operations.

I thought of this prior to a video shoot I had for a crew practice. My launch and operation site was on the banks of the intracoastal waterway in Virginia. The bank was muddy, I had to do several battery swaps, and there were a lot of folks who were encroaching on my position to get a better view. The wheeled cooler ensured I had a place to launch, work, and sit while I flew the drone.

After some post-production work, I finished the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLCmg0fzDIU

Enjoy! If you have any ideas for improving my cooler idea, I'd like to hear them!
hblink93

Great video. As far as carrying all my spare stuff ........ I use my wife! ........... Actually the wheeled cooler is a good idea. I have something similar since I am a amateur radio operator. I bought a tool box with wheels and an extended handle. Same principle as what you are using, but I use a much smaller cooler for food & battery cool down. I place the batteries in zip lock bags before placing them in the cooler. But since I have 6 batteries (I have 2 drones) it isn't much of a problem.

 

[AuldGimpy]

Ahah!! I knew that if I held onto my old camping Cool-Box for long enough, someone would come up with a useful idea for it. Thankyou! Thankyou! Nick of time as I was just about to bin it.

The Gimp in my name refers to the problems I have boogying on down down on my knees to set up my P3/4k. Also balancing on a pair of sticks and keeping my head tracking the flight can be entertaining .. for others. I had to give up beach-casting for the same reason.

This simple idea means that I have a (slightly) raised table to work on and a seat to park my back-side on. Not that I need the extra carrying power, just enough room for a cushion.

 

[happydays]

Include beer?

 

[BigAl07]

Very good idea. I've got that exact same cooler. I might have to look into it.

If it starts raining does the aircraft fit inside the cooler with props on (maybe if you turn them just right?)?