Looking for some experienced with help/advice: For Flying off of Boats

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Hi all,

I'm still fairly new to drone flying and learning on the fly (no pun intended).
I have a P3 STD and would like to fully understand and be educated for flights from a boat. I need to have someone explain in detail the following relating only to a P3 STD Control:
Which Control Settings (S1 & S2) for over water flight
  1. Position locking (if any) to return to controller (if possible)
  2. Can the controller be set as the home position ?
  3. Can P3 be switched into GPS mode once positioned over water to allow for stability in video's, then switched back out to manual control ?

I'll start with these questions before I go into brain overload.

Thank you for your time and patience.
 
I'm still fairly new to drone flying
I have a P3 STD and would like to fully understand and be educated for flights from a boat.
Your Phantom is easily capable of flights from a boat but the flying environment at sea is very unforgiving.
You need to be 100% familiar with all operations you would be carrying out and have practiced them on land.Out on a boat is a very bad place to learn new flying techniques.

DJI_0898a-XL.jpg

Which Control Settings (S1 & S2) for over water flight
  1. Position locking (if any) to return to controller (if possible)
  2. Can the controller be set as the home position ?
  3. Can P3 be switched into GPS mode once positioned over water to allow for stability in video's, then switched back out to manual control ?
You'll find an explanation of the S1 and S2 switch positions on page 23 of the manual here: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/pha...antom_3_Standard_User_Manual_v1.4_en_0112.pdf
Any of the switch combinations could be used over water.
1 & 2. You can reset the home point in the app (not the S1 & S2 switches)
It can be reset to the current location of either the Phantom or the controller (as long as you have a GPS enabled tablet or phone)
You would not want the Phantom to be landing on the boat.
The main reason for resetting the home point is to prevent getting into a situation where the Phantom attempts to return to the launch point because of a low battery.
So if the Phantom is reasonably close to your boat, resetting home to either the controller or the Phantom's location is equally useful.

3. You can use P-GPS mode or atti mode over water as you choose.
But be aware of the potential to drift with the wind if you are using atti mode.
 
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Your Phantom is easily capable of flights from a boat but the flying environment at sea is very unforgiving.
You need to be 100% familiar with all operations you would be carrying out and have practiced them on land.Out on a boat is a very bad place to learn new flying techniques.

DJI_0898a-XL.jpg

You'll find an explanation of the S1 and S2 switch positions on page 23 of the manual here: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/pha...antom_3_Standard_User_Manual_v1.4_en_0112.pdf
Any of the switch combinations could be used over water.
1 & 2. You can reset the home point in the app (not the S1 & S2 switches)
It can be reset to the current location of either the Phantom or the controller (as long as you have a GPS enabled tablet or phone)
You would not want the Phantom to be landing on the boat.
The main reason for resetting the home point is to prevent getting into a situation where the Phantom attempts to return to the launch point because of a low battery.
So if the Phantom is reasonably close to your boat, resetting home to either the controller or the Phantom's location is equally useful.

3. You can use P-GPS mode or atti mode over water as you choose.
But be aware of the potential to drift with the wind if you are using atti mode.


Thank you for that info. I will plan on practicing water fight over land prior to going out in the lake.
 
Yeah, Fiberglass would be safer. ;)

So my neighbor never hit my up again, I thought about during some of those sleepless nights.
I realized that the best footage would be with the sails up, etc.

Hum, trying to land on a sail boat with sails up and on a windy day and I have never even been on a sail boat. :eek:

Rod
 
Thanks Rod, now I'm even more reluctant to try it.............LOL ! I'm going out on a limb here and think that launching from a fiberglass vessel would pose less of a risk factor ?
Flying from boats required hand launching and catching.
That's one of the techniques that you need to be good at before trying it on the water.
 
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Flying from boats required hand launching and catching.
That's one of the techniques that you need to be good at before trying it on the water.

I've already mastered that end of it as I do fly solo allot and in locations of tall grasses...........;):)
 
resetting the home position periodically is important as is setting low battery to hover vs RTH or land, gives you a bit of time to bring it in yourself. As others have said, flying over water after taking off from water is heart pounding. One thing I remind myself though is if you crash from 30 feet over water it is bad and the phantom likely sinks before you get it, if you crash 30 feet over land, the phantom is there but in a bunch of pieces (still). Good luck, lots of great shots to be had out on a lake. What is your subject, the boat, the family hanging out in a party cove, someone slalom skiing/wakeboarding/etc.?
 
resetting the home position periodically is important as is setting low battery to hover vs RTH or land, gives you a bit of time to bring it in yourself. As others have said, flying over water after taking off from water is heart pounding. One thing I remind myself though is if you crash from 30 feet over water it is bad and the phantom likely sinks before you get it, if you crash 30 feet over land, the phantom is there but in a bunch of pieces (still). Good luck, lots of great shots to be had out on a lake. What is your subject, the boat, the family hanging out in a party cove, someone slalom skiing/wakeboarding/etc.?

My challenge will be filming a Boating Poker Run, so big and fast boats will be the main topic of filming as well as the fun people in their boats. I've just gotta suck it up and tell myself I can and will do this......the outcome will be what it is, wish me luck.....;):) Only other thing I'm struggling with is power for my tablet and the controller in which I've purchased as 30,000 mah battery power pack w/2.1Amp outputs.This should take care of those issue and support filming with the 4 aircraft batteries I'll have with me, and as an added failsafe I'll be wearing headphones connected to my tablet so if any warnings pop up I'll have a shot at hearing them and making corrections immediately.
 
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good luck, maybe there is a place you can go that you capture many of the boats coming or going underneath the bird.
 
Dang, how fast have you had that up to?

That trailer looks fast!

Rod
 

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