Launching and flying from a moving boat - Technical Question

[Pinchio]

I want to fly from my boat.

Questions

1. Do I hand launch or platform launch.... remember the boat is moving, might not be in forward motion but the waves... you know... move

2. Do I update the home position relative to me or the current position from take off.... I'm thinking "me" since I will be in motion with the boat... or is there another option used most by folks

3. If the quad looses connection and initiates return home ..... it will return to launch location (if set relative to quad, see above).... this will be bad since the boat and me are no longer there.... what is best setup for this?

Any other tips... things to look out for?

Thank You

 

[28wins]

1. It isn't just the movements of the boats, it will be windy too. I would hand launch, only because I'd be forced to in this scenario.

2. Relative to you.
With frequent updates between videos sequences/ photos recordings.

3. You can set it to hover instead of landing.
But then the problem is power management. Head back to the boat early so account for any potential issues and before you get low battery warning.

Additional: depending on the kind of boat you'll be on, you may not be able to calibrate the compass.
I have never tried.

Thank you for posting this interesting thread. I'll be following to learn from others' replies too.

 

[PWdrone]

Power management is key. I learned this the hard way, as my first P3S is still sitting 35 feet below the surface.

 

[Scooter Post 127]

I'll be that guy - if you're in the US it's against the law...wait a minute, I'm wrong. I'm glad you posted this because it helps solve a problem I would with creating a video I have in mind where I need to do it from a moving vehicle.

FAA: No operations from a moving vehicle unless the operation is over a sparsely populated area.

When I first read all the rules a few days ago I thought it said no flying from a moving vehicle. SWEET! Thank you for asking the question.

 

[brettinteriors]

I'm planning on a boat run this weekend. I want to record my kids tubing. I am the skipper so I'll be driving. I have a dedicated tube spotter. I have my buddy who also flies a drone and will supervise/control the drone. My basic plan pending low wind conditions ect. I have a p4. I will set loss of connection to hover.
1. Stop and prep. Kids on tubes. Drone on my front platform.( I have a 27 foot chaparral deck boat with a big front swim deck perfect for take off. I have taken off here before).
2. Take off to appropriate altitude and set the visual active track.
3. Pray...
4. Go easy at first and ramp up the fun slowly.
5. Run to 35 percent minimum
6. Hand catch. Again, I have done this on the boat before and I feel much more comfortable landing this way on a rocking boat.

Sent from my SM-N910V using PhantomPilots mobile app
I

 

[28wins]

Great. That should work!

 

[Mako79]

Anchor to hand launch.
Anchor to hand catch.

 

[Deforester1]

I know this its an old thread, but I was wondering. Can you set the P3S to hover instead of landing? I am planning on filming my kids tubing, and basic lake stuff. We have 2 40' docks, and I dont know if the RTH feature is that exact that it will find it, and the land has a lot of trees, so i dont want to do that either

Thanks
Derek