LANDING OR HAND CATCHING DOESN'T MAKE YOU A BETTER PILOT EITHER WAY ITS A PREFERENCE. SOME TIME i TAKE OFF IN PLACES I COULDN'T POSSIBLE TAKE OFF FROM THE GROUND. hAND CATCH LOOKS WAY COOLER LOL SORRY CAPS NOTICED AFTER LOL
Landing the phantom 2 to the ground or hand-catch?
- Thread starter Mave
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N017RW said:
I'm already ineligible for the Never Tipped It merit badge.
I reject the notion that landing makes better pilots, though I accept the notion that landing makes better landers. Whatever you practice the most is usually what you end up being good at.
It also works the same way for hand catches. I love landing and like to do it for practice, but mostly I find myself catching.
If folks want to consider themselves better pilots because they land more than I do, that's ok with me. I don't consider myself a pilot, anyway.
I look at my flights as missions and each includes a launch and a recovery.
Between the two recovery skills, catching is definitely the most essential for the way I use my Phantoms. Backpack launch? Check. Backpack recovery? Umm, no. It just wouldn't make sense when I can hand catch, instead.
It's all about mitigating risk and that's my rationale for catching. The Phantom's landing gear are a compromise between stability, complexity (lightness,) and being unobtrusive. Some of the terrain from which I launch isn't optimum. Recovering by hand catch exposes my drone to less dust and debris as well. It just makes sense.
Clipper707 said:
+1
Actually it doesnt matter how good a lander anyone might be, if the terrain does not allow a risk free landing, it would just be a stupid thing to do when a hand catch is no big deal anyway.
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Deadmeat said:
I hand catch exclusively probably 200+ times now with no incident. I just bring the P2 about a foot above my head and park it there, reach up with my right hand, grab the landing gear next to the body and push the stick down and it cuts off.
I can land on the ground if I wanted to. The only problem I see with landing on the ground is the debris that flies up when you are close to the ground and blows all over the GoPro and motors. Nothing like flying around for a while and realizing you have a piece of dirt on your lense and you just ruined a shot. (especially after you get home)
I can also say, I have never tipped over OR broken a prop landing. I will take those Russian Roulette odds.
badbrad97 said:
To avoid sticky flying debris, you must hand launch as well? When you land and turn off your GoPro, just get in the habit of checking the lens and rig for debris, that should avoid the problem.
The Marine Corps Public Affairs Officer school is teaching students to fly the DJI Phantom. They use a second person to hand catch. The second person wears leather work gloves and eye protection. I am assuming since this is done at a military school house that this is the method that has less risk to operators, bystanders and the DJI itself.
I hand catch if it's windy (bloody weather is ALWAYS windy lately, it's really starting to annoy me). The phantom 2 is so incredibly stable that I've never felt remotely nervous about reaching up and taking hold of the leg. I'm more nervous about letting the directional stick go than I am about getting fingers chopped reaching for the quad.
However, that said, I enjoy the challenge - and show-off'iness of landing it on the Go Professional case I carry it in. I'm normally vastly better at it by turning it away from me and landing it LOS than I am at tilting the camera fully vertical and landing it FPV that way, but I practice both.
I've even landed it to the solarpanel on the roof of my 4wd several times. That's a great platform for take off and landing (except when I once "tripped" the quad over the basket around the solarpanel, and sent it tumbling off the top of the vehicle).
However, that said, I enjoy the challenge - and show-off'iness of landing it on the Go Professional case I carry it in. I'm normally vastly better at it by turning it away from me and landing it LOS than I am at tilting the camera fully vertical and landing it FPV that way, but I practice both.
I've even landed it to the solarpanel on the roof of my 4wd several times. That's a great platform for take off and landing (except when I once "tripped" the quad over the basket around the solarpanel, and sent it tumbling off the top of the vehicle).
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HailStorm said:
I only take off from clean areas or my case, and when I take off, there may be a blast of wind but the debris goes out and away. When you are landing, you come in slowly and hover causing a rolling wash that goes around the P2 as it contacts the ground.
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Just do what you feel comfortable with. You have to realize that there are some people who can't walk and chew gum at the same time, so neither method would be acceptable to them. I occasionally practice touch n goes just for drill but otherwise I hand catch. That way I remember to stop the camera before I shut down the battery. Whatever works for you is the correct way to do it.
I used to always land but now I hand catch 100% of the time. Much easier on the camera and the props
