Hand catching

Defishinsea · Mar 25, 2017

Can someone explain what is the best technique for hand catching the drone in order to avoid landing on the ground? Thanks

HighTechPauper · Mar 25, 2017

I have never landed on the ground, only take off from the ground. This video should give you all the info you need.

Roccot312 · Mar 25, 2017

I bring in about five feet away from me and about two feet above my head. I walk to it and grab I with my right hand at the back L or corner of the left leg and with left hand on controller I push the left joystick all the way down till the props shut all the way off and the it turn off the battery. Always keep your hands and cloths clear of the props. Don't do it if the drone is moving around to much due to wind use common sense

Defishinsea · Mar 25, 2017

Thank you guys!

Great Pumpkin · Mar 25, 2017

Defishinsea said:
Thank you guys!

Also very smart to have the Phantom facing away from you when you bring it in to catch, so that if something goes wrong, it will fly away from you and not into you.

alokbhargava · Mar 25, 2017

Also hold tight else it will flip over to other side when props stop turning.

Dirby · Mar 25, 2017

hand catching is not a good idea.
one miss and you have a trip to the er.

SRJ_Phantom_4_Pro · Mar 25, 2017

Who let mother in here? Hand catching is the best idea if you use caution when doing it. And is way safer then running with scissors!

Meta4 · Mar 25, 2017

Dirby said:
one miss and you have a trip to the er.

Just like using a ladder, pouring coffee, crossing the road, driving on the freeway etc, etc.

DeeJayEyeGuy · Mar 25, 2017

SRJ_Phantom_4_Pro said:
Who let mother in here? Hand catching is the best idea if you use cation when doing it. And is way safer then running with scissors!

[emoji106]

John Locke · Mar 26, 2017

Roccot312 said:
I bring in about five feet away from me and about two feet above my head. I walk to it and grab I with my right hand at the back L or corner of the left leg and with left hand on controller I push the left joystick all the way down till the props shut all the way off and the it turn off the battery. Always keep your hands and cloths clear of the props. Don't do it if the drone is moving around to much due to wind use common sense

Good process! The only things I would add is to insure your fingers are OFF the sticks when walking over to grab the craft. I always watch the craft a few seconds in a hover on it's own to insure it's stable. And during that walk, don't take your eyes off the craft.

John Locke · Mar 26, 2017

Dirby said:
hand catching is not a good idea.
one miss and you have a trip to the er.

For some folks you are right. You cannot be timid or scared, you need to be confident and have a clear mind to follow a safe process. You need a step by step process to insure you're minimizing risk. If you follow a good process, it's pretty safe for the average guy.

Dirby · Mar 26, 2017

only takes one time.

Erised · Mar 26, 2017

I only hand catch if the terrain is not good or in high wind conditions. I enjoy to land my craft nice and smooth and with practice it is easy and gratifying. Hand catching all the time for me is like backing up your car and not using your mirrors and having to look back and some even open the car door to look back, learn to land as you have learned to use your mirrors, it's not that hard to do.

Roccot312 · Mar 26, 2017

I agree with you on that. I only hand catch when landing has risk factors. I enjoy self landing my drone. And only used auto land once or twice

AlanTheBeast · Mar 26, 2017

I'd say the most important thing is to catch by a vertical leg, close to the top, and never by the skids since it will rotate in your hand violently when the power comes off.

Use a neck strap for the controller. This is no time for butterfingers.

Other suggestions such as no loose clothing, following the same procedure every time and so on just make sense.

That said, I prefer bringing a sheet of plywood with me for it to land on. That's not an option for everyone, I know.