Flying over water

[Creek.Jumper]

Hi!

I'm still a rookie at 6 flights, but in 2 weeks I will be visiting a beautiful area and will be doing some Arial shots of some trout lakes.

Of course I'm very worried about sinking the phantom 2 -- these lakes are deep 100+ feet in places so a dunk in the water means its lost forever, where as a recovery could possibly be salvaged with significantly less cost.

I see some people have made some pontoons on youtube out of foam. Is there a recommended way of doing this? I imagine this adds some drag, does it cause any flight issues?

Any other tips welcome

 

[QYV]

there's a device called a "Getterback" that was originally designed for fishing rods that someone figured out you can easily use on a Phantom. it weighs next to nothing, and when it goes into water for a few minutes it pops a cork that floats to the surface so you can grab it and pull in the line, which is about 100ft.

I guess that doesn't help you over the deeper parts but at $20 it's an easy layer of protection to add. just strap it to a leg of your Phantom.

good luck with the pontoons heh

 

[ProfessorStein]

Some folks are using these, and there's even been an post or two about how they helped recover wet Phantoms (they do seem to work!)

http://www.getterback.com/

At 100+ feet, you're pushing the limits where you'll be flying, but it could still be a little bit more peace of mind than you have now. And a lot less drag and weight than pontoons.

 

[Noël]

An other option (not mine)

 

[QYV]

An other option (not mine)

okay, that's freaking awesome.

 

[Fotoman]

I wouldn't waste too much time on this pontoon idea. The device mentioned by QYV might be worth looking into but at the end of the day if your bird goes in the water it's pretty much over. You have to figure out before you take off if you're ok with this possibility or not. I bought my P2 in May to use it on my boat. I did one quick test flight in the parking lot to get familiar with the controls and haven't flown over land since. It's a bit riskier if something goes wrong, agreed. But it's also easier to fly because you have great line of sight and very few if any obstacles. I even tried the RTH feature a few times and it landed right at my feet on the dock. So all this to say that if your Phantom behaves good over land, there is no reason it won't over water. Let go of the fear and bring back some great images!

 

[ProfessorStein]

An other option (not mine)

okay, that's freaking awesome.

LOL! Indeed!
There's something very redneck and yet very genius about that!

 

[fastsmiles]

Flying over water makes me a little uneasy also, but I just double check everything and give myself plenty of battery reserve to return to shore.

 

[syotr]

Hi!

I'm still a rookie at 6 flights, but in 2 weeks I will be visiting a beautiful area and will be doing some Arial shots of some trout lakes.

Of course I'm very worried about sinking the phantom 2 -- these lakes are deep 100+ feet in places so a dunk in the water means its lost forever, where as a recovery could possibly be salvaged with significantly less cost.

I see some people have made some pontoons on youtube out of foam. Is there a recommended way of doing this? I imagine this adds some drag, does it cause any flight issues?

Any other tips welcome

I have tried numerous float systems for my Phantom. Anything that has enough volume to keep the bird safely floating (not tipping over) will get in the way of air flow from the props, get pushed around by the wind, show up in the video and affect flight time.
I have given up on floats and started building a waterproof quad that has enough volume to float.

 

[syotr]

An other option (not mine)

okay, that's freaking awesome.

LOL! Indeed!
There's something very redneck and yet very genius about that!

That was my Phantom in the pool. The "redneck" version uses beer bottles.

 

[Meta4]

I'm with Fotoman on this. Flying over water is a lot like flying over land in that a crash is likely to wreck your Phantom anyway. Fly like the birds that don't care what's below them - after getting some practice on dry land. My favourite flying is over the sea. Trees are the natural enemy of the Phantom and there are no trees at sea.

 

[WPSPETE]

I was taking pics of a campsite and flew Over the lake to get the beach shot. Yes I was nervous, but it was no different.

 

[Buckaye]

I'm with Fotoman on this. Flying over water is a lot like flying over land in that a crash is likely to wreck your Phantom anyway. Fly like the birds that don't care what's below them - after getting some practice on dry land. My favourite flying is over the sea. Trees are the natural enemy of the Phantom and there are no trees at sea.

amen brother... got mine stuck in a tree sunday... got a pole to get it free... of course it landed on the sidwalk after falling 30 ft.... got lucky - all damage easily repairable... but trees are no bueno.

 

[rrmccabe]

The only problem is the more we add to these things to recover them the more likely they are to crash.

When I fly over water and crash I plan on walking away.. crying. I have no intention of going after it unless its in waist deep water.

 

[Creek.Jumper]

Well I will have a canoe, so I can go get the phantom if it does go down.

I purchased the "getterback" For $20, if nothing else I should be able to at least get some good footage

I imagine the light weight and relatively small profile will have minimal effect on flight time and drag.

 

[sidebox]

Well I will have a canoe, so I can go get the phantom if it does go down.

I purchased the "getterback" For $20, if nothing else I should be able to at least get some good footage

I imagine the light weight and relatively small profile will have minimal effect on flight time and drag.

Yep. Get this guy and attach to the landing gear: http://www.getterback.com/

 

[ElGuano]

Fresh water is one thing, saltwater is completely different. I'd probably try to recover anything I could from a freshwater dunk. On the other hand, losing anything in saltwater (where I frequently fly), I'd physically destroy any components to ensure they don't accidentally get re-used or pawned off on some other unsuspecting Phantom pilot.

 

[syotr]

I have to disagree with those who say that there is no difference in crashing in water vs crashing on land. I have had a couple of land crashes and the damage was easily repaired. If you crash in fresh water, you may be able to salvage the bird "IF" you can find it. In salt water it will probably be a total loss.
That's why I am building a waterproof quad. Should be able to do maiden flight tonight.

 

[ProfessorStein]

I'm not sure anybody is saying that there's no difference in CRASHING, but that there's no difference in FLYING.

 

[tedw123]

I wouldn't waste too much time on this pontoon idea. The device mentioned by QYV might be worth looking into but at the end of the day if your bird goes in the water it's pretty much over. You have to figure out before you take off if you're ok with this possibility or not. I bought my P2 in May to use it on my boat. I did one quick test flight in the parking lot to get familiar with the controls and haven't flown over land since. It's a bit riskier if something goes wrong, agreed. But it's also easier to fly because you have great line of sight and very few if any obstacles. I even tried the RTH feature a few times and it landed right at my feet on the dock. So all this to say that if your Phantom behaves good over land, there is no reason it won't over water. Let go of the fear and bring back some great images!

The main purpose for retrieval for me would be my micro SD card anyway, would suck to have great photos lost! If the Phantom still works that's an added bonus!