Phantom Rain - Why you should hand catch every single time you land your drone .

[bdooley]

Like everything in life ... we can all present our views in various forms ... I am an advocate of land when possible, avoid hand catching unless necessary. I have been in and seen too many events where props have caused injury. From small 4" up to huge 22" props ... NONE are safe when they 'bite'.

Nigel

Agreed. Been flying Phantoms for 4 years and have never felt the need to hand launch or catch. Much easier to learn to land safely than to catch safely. Too many things can go wrong when hand catching.

Been flying RC for 18 years and suffered my first case of prop bite this summer. Believe me it is no fun! Since then, I am even nervous about reaching between the props to shut off the battery of my Phantom.

That said, I do not advocate intentionally placing my hand anywhere near the moving props of an airborne drone. And keeping the dirt and grime out of your drone can always be accomplished other ways.

 

[UAS0750]

I don't understand hand catching other than for an emergency of some kind. I do not fly in "severe" weather unless for search & rescue. Coming back home I have to go around a catamaran mast with a flag on top, an elm tree, a palm tree, and over the rail on my deck. Lands like a butterfly's kiss on the deck every time, even in a bit more wind than I'd like. Practice hovering below rail levels in a wind. Can land it on a picnic bench, park seat, or card table. Prefer some kind of raised surface rather than ground. So far, never so much as scratched the landing gear. Yes, I know there's always a first time! Flying right seat in light planes in younger years, and "flying" Lockheed Martin/Microsoft Flight Sims in every version since 1995 has been a huge help. Flying the Drone seems surprisingly natural. The new DJI Drone Flight Sim is a wonderful and long needed advancement, as soon as I figure out what I'm doing wrong in setting it up. The DJI Drone Flight Sim will mean much better and safer piloting for all Drone Pilots.

 

[BigAl07]

100 % AGREE!!!!!

Learn your Aircraft.
Learn how to fly.

If landing is always in question then the endeavor if flying ANYTHING UAS/UAV is not for you.

I can assure you I know how to fly, know all of my aircraft, I can land, perform emergency ops etc but there are many times when hand catching is a much preferred method than landing on terra firma. Since I made my initial post earlier today I went to a job site and made 11 successul hand catches with a DJI Mavic Platinum. I'd put my flying skills, logged hours, and flight proficiency up against just about anyone on this forum any day of the week.

Basically it's like this:
if you're comfortable, proficient in aircraft control, and feel like it's for you then HAND CATCH! The phantom series has an awesome built-in handle that makes it so easy (and SAFE) to hand catch. When flying the Mavic or Inspire it's not nearly as easy but done correctly it's safe and works.

If you're not comfortable hand catching then simply don't do it... it's really THAT SIMPLE! No need to belittle, preach, or get all dramatic because others are able to do this process SAFELY!

Some of us do it dozens of times a day, several days a week all with no injuries, amputations, or neck lacerations what so ever.

To each their own . . .

 

[Blade4]

I can assure you I know how to fly, know all of my aircraft, I can land, perform emergency ops etc but there are many times when hand catching is a much preferred method than landing on terra firma. Since I made my initial post earlier today I went to a job site and made 11 successul hand catches with a DJI Mavic Platinum. I'd put my flying skills, logged hours, and flight proficiency up against just about anyone on this forum any day of the week.

Basically it's like this:
if you're comfortable, proficient in aircraft control, and feel like it's for you then HAND CATCH! The phantom series has an awesome built-in handle that makes it so easy (and SAFE) to hand catch. When flying the Mavic or Inspire it's not nearly as easy but done correctly it's safe and works.

If you're not comfortable hand catching then simply don't do it... it's really THAT SIMPLE! No need to belittle, preach, or get all dramatic because others are able to do this process SAFELY!

Some of us do it dozens of times a day, several days a week all with no injuries, amputations, or neck lacerations what so ever.

To each their own . . .

I don't understand hand catching other than for an emergency of some kind. I do not fly in "severe" weather unless for search & rescue. Coming back home I have to go around a catamaran mast with a flag on top, an elm tree, a palm tree, and over the rail on my deck. Lands like a butterfly's kiss on the deck every time, even in a bit more wind than I'd like. Practice hovering below rail levels in a wind. Can land it on a picnic bench, park seat, or card table. Prefer some kind of raised surface rather than ground. So far, never so much as scratched the landing gear. Yes, I know there's always a first time! Flying right seat in light planes in younger years, and "flying" Lockheed Martin/Microsoft Flight Sims in every version since 1995 has been a huge help. Flying the Drone seems surprisingly natural. The new DJI Drone Flight Sim is a wonderful and long needed advancement, as soon as I figure out what I'm doing wrong in setting it up. The DJI Drone Flight Sim will mean much better and safer piloting for all Drone Pilots.

Agreed! I have similar experiences and US Army UAV school Ft. Bliss TX and Commander of our RCMAT Aerial Target Drone Detachment for a number of years. Fly both Fixed Wing and Rotor Wing UAVs.

I simply think encouraging EVERY FLIGHT to hand catch is reckless. Having someone extremely proficient in doing so TEACH it to you personally, then ya, its good to have the ability as a back pocket emergency. I guess it is the FAA CFI in me that kicks in when I see something unsafe.

 

[shegeek72]

I bring it in and hover in front of me slightly above head height. Watch it hover a second looking for flight issues. Inspect the undercarriage. Then walk up and grab an arm from underneath with one hand but don't try to move it, just be ready for the full weight. Then throttle down until the drone turns off.

I would add to rotate the bird so the battery is facing you. That allows you to grasp the strut on the side with the battery which is heavier, so the weight isn't toward the front putting more stress on the strut.

 

[shegeek72]

I haven't had any problems hand catching my P3A. You just have to go slow and be careful. Hover the bird several feet away and walk up to it. As I'm powering down the motors I'm letting the bird drop a little to one side so as not to put much stress on the strut. I also catch it on the battery side so most of the weight is in my hand. I think both hand catching and ground landing have their place and both skills will be needed depending upon the conditions.

 

[zaheed]

It's funny how a lot of people think hand catching safety is only about being good at it. Guys, there's a reason you aren't supposed to fly drones over people. There's always a chance of a mechanical failure, if not electronics or battery. If it hasn't happened to you yet then that's because you haven't flown long enough or you've been lucky so far. Granted it happens rarely but when it does you don't want anyone to be close to it, definitely not hand catching it.

It takes just one time for it to go wrong and you might have to suffer your whole life. I know because I've seen it happen, more than once. Is it really worth that sightly higher risk of damaging your drone by landing it? I'm sorry but this should be a no brainier.

Also, if you remain fully focused, in the worst case you might still crash land your drone due to wind gusts and what not, but landing it should never become more dangerous to people gathering around, compared to hand catching it. It's a good thing if people move away to make space. That's more important than them standing under it and gaining false sense of safety. I'd argue when you can do a calm, gentle landing with zero fuss, people see how well controlled the drones have become, which actually inspires much more confidence compared to having to take the risk of getting within inches of fast rotating props to shut it down. Let's face it, props haven't become any safer, the stability and control is what got amazing over time. And that also made landing a lot easier, then why bother hand catching if you can show that off by landing safely?

In any case, you're most welcome to do what you wish, but please don't advice people to take risks for keeping their drones new. It's not worth it. You can always buy a new drone, chances are you'll anyway when there's a new model, but you can't but an eye or a finger so easily, if at all. I've seen people take crazy risks to save their smartphone or DSLR, I'm just too stupid to understand how things have become more valuable than our own body or life.

 

[BigAl07]

I haven't had any problems hand catching my P3A. You just have to go slow and be careful. Hover the bird several feet away and walk up to it. As I'm powering down the motors I'm letting the bird drop a little to one side so as not to put much stress on the strut. I also catch it on the battery side so most of the weight is in my hand. I think both hand catching and ground landing have their place and both skills will be needed depending upon the conditions.

That's most likely the most logical, common sense, and well worded post on this whole thread. Well done sir.

 

[Andy9]

I've got three pretty long scars just in the middle of my forearm after one clumsy hand catching. I shut off the motors a part of a second to early when my hand hadn't squeeze the Phantom's leg enough and the drone while it party lost the power turned aside with the props right on my forearm and the props were still spinning. I still do a hand catch as I did before but the drone must be hand stabilized before you stop the motors.
My scars would be much deeper if the blades were spinning at full power and if I didn't have those low-noise props which are curved at tips.
But I'm still convinced that hand-catch is OK if you do it right. In windy weather It is much safer than landing on the ground.
Of course I will not recommend to others to do it. There is always the risk. But what in life is 100% safe?

 

[BigAl07]

Agreed! I have similar experiences and US Army UAV school Ft. Bliss TX and Commander of our RCMAT Aerial Target Drone Detachment for a number of years. Fly both Fixed Wing and Rotor Wing UAVs.

I simply think encouraging EVERY FLIGHT to hand catch is reckless. Having someone extremely proficient in doing so TEACH it to you personally, then ya, its good to have the ability as a back pocket emergency. I guess it is the FAA CFI in me that kicks in when I see something unsafe.

Encouraging on every flight? Please don't put words in to my mouth. Your statement about me is hardly the case. I clearly stated that if you feel comfortable doing that then do it but if you don't then don't do it. I merely stated that we do it almost every single flight. With over 4 decades of sUAS flight experience I feel safe and comfortable enough to hover a phantom in front of me, step up and grasp a rear strut, and kill the motors all in one smooth maneuver. It's beyond simple to do and those who are concerned about the safety of it DO NOT DO IT! Plain and simple.

Now with ALL of this being said, there are some aircraft that are not well suited for hand catching and those should be avoided if possible (even though we had to hand catch one when shooting from a bouncing boat off the coast of NC's Outer Banks). We don't hand catch when we fly an M210, Yuneec H520, or the M600 class aircraft because of their size, no good handle, and the increased danger because of more powerful motors with stiffer props.

 

[mdurbanek]

Like everything else in life, solutions are situational. Things can change in an instant and a routine landing can morph into a hand catch.

A great solution to the landing pad is a replacement pan for a dog crate. I use a 42" size. It's a sturdy black hard plastic base with a 1" lip on the edges. I used athletic tape to mark the corners and a big "x" in the middle so it's easy to see from the air. Cost $14 on Amazon.

It's big and doesn't fold, but I just stand it up horizontally against the spare tire in the back of my suburban.

 

[umanbean]

I haven't had any problems hand catching my P3A. You just have to go slow and be careful. Hover the bird several feet away and walk up to it.

That's most likely the most logical, common sense, and well worded post on this whole thread. Well done sir.

I agree with you Big Al, very well said

 

[bsartist]

There is a time and place for everything in my opinion and when you have a hammer, not everything is a nail and all that good stuff. So, while I agree hand catching is a useful tool in the toolbag (I do hand catch often) I'd stop short of recommending to do it every time. At least not without some caveats. So a couple additional comments ...

Another good reason to catch with the battery toward you is so stick movements move the bird in the same direction. If the bird is facing you, you have to mentally translate the stick movements to opposite motion. Not optimal in a hand catch situation especially. Although I admit to breaking this rule.

I worry about torquing the landing gear by applying that moment to one leg and possible creating stress cracks. So I try to catch as close to the body as I can. But this means being real careful not to get a finger up in the blade. I did that once. In my case it wasn't guaranteed blood (didn't break the skin) but hurt like "H E double hockey sticks."

I fly off a small boat sometimes and hand catching is the only way for me to safely land. Practice turning off OA for this because you can't walk up to it. And it sometimes refuses to come all the way to you. And when I take off from my deck railing at the edge of a steep hill, I have to hand catch because it's safer than trying to land it on the railing or between the Adirondack chairs. But when I have a hard flat surface like my driveway, I'll soft land it.

No don't have a landing pad. But if someone made one that was 18% neutral gray on one side and true white on the other' I'd buy it in a minute so I could meter off it and set white balance.

 

[umanbean]

There is a time and place for everything in my opinion and when you have a hammer, not everything is a nail and all that good stuff. So, while I agree hand catching is a useful tool in the toolbag (I do hand catch often) I'd stop short of recommending to do it every time. At least not without some caveats. So a couple additional comments ...

Another good reason to catch with the battery toward you is so stick movements move the bird in the same direction. If the bird is facing you, you have to mentally translate the stick movements to opposite motion. Not optimal in a hand catch situation especially. Although I admit to breaking this rule.

I worry about torquing the landing gear by applying that moment to one leg and possible creating stress cracks. So I try to catch as close to the body as I can. But this means being real careful not to get a finger up in the blade. I did that once. In my case it wasn't guaranteed blood (didn't break the skin) but hurt like "H E double hockey sticks."

I fly off a small boat sometimes and hand catching is the only way for me to safely land. Practice turning off OA for this because you can't walk up to it. And it sometimes refuses to come all the way to you. And when I take off from my deck railing at the edge of a steep hill, I have to hand catch because it's safer than trying to land it on the railing or between the Adirondack chairs. But when I have a hard flat surface like my driveway, I'll soft land it.

No don't have a landing pad. But if someone made one that was 18% neutral gray on one side and true white on the other' I'd buy it in a minute so I could meter off it and set white balance.

Also agree with all that too... except I do have a landing pad LOL

 

[BigAl07]

No don't have a landing pad. But if someone made one that was 18% neutral gray on one side and true white on the other' I'd buy it in a minute so I could meter off it and set white balance.

That’s an excellent idea! Could be a money maker for someone.

 

[mbb3sfnm]

We started Catching the drone with one hand , because we were constantly flying in severe weather and it was essential for a safe landing. Let alone being on a boat.

Here is what we learned:

It takes practice to get good at hand catching . So doing it every now and than in an emergency is a bad idea, better to do it all the time every time.

One of the added benefits is , there is much less wear and tear on the drone in several ways.
All it takes is just one bad landing for the Leg Clips to become loose or cracked open or for a lens to get scratched or tip over.

Also the skid pads take a beating and when you go to sell it, all that wear and tear is going to show on the skid pads, the color green is not good nor is brown and black. Goo gone only goes so far.

We also found that bringing the drone down to a hover above your head gives you plenty of time to Inspect the drone much more easily than when you land it and than pick it up , your just not as apt to hold it over your head and inspect it well so this really is great training.

So the inspection would be : , check for debris, check the lights , that its keeping a stable hover.

We have also found that it show Confidence to others in your ability to handle the drone.

We have a tendency to gather a small crowd when flying , and what normally happens is if I let it land on its own, the crowd will stand way back as if its a JET or something and so that fear spreads but when you hover it for just a few seconds and everyone watches it , and you reach up and grab it, everyone feels safer and not so fearful.

You can create the Fear , and you can take it away.

Bringing the drone to hover is actually easier than letting it land ever so softly , hoping that it lands on very flat ground and that the camera does not flip on the grass and that its not a hard landing , you skip all that nonsense by learning how to Hand Catch.

If you have ever seen a drone tip on a bad landing the Props crack and fly everywhere not safe for bystanders.

So when an emergency does happen you can run out with confidence and capture your drone , no one will know you were in panic mode.

Seriously taking the Fear out of the Drone is really powerful especially for your clients.
Were not saying that there are not some beautiful landing , but the more of those you have the less prepared you will be for the emergency one hand catch..when it has so much to offer.

This is one of the Reasons why we built the Phantom Wet Suits with all 4 Legs covered with Neoprene was to provide a really nice handle for one hand catches that feel secure ..
Keep in mind that you really only have two chances to show the client that you are Professional , Take off an Landing, that is what they will be watching very carefully as do crowds.

Landing a drone and watching it tip over is a nightmare for you, the client and bystanders.
We recommend you master the skills needed to protect yourself , the drone and the bystanders and take the fear away.



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Good information, I always catch my P3P on landings, and normally use my landing pad for takeoffs to avoid dust or debris in the motors.

 

[3rdof5]

Need to hand catch because it is too windy to land??

Pick a different day to fly!

With that much wind/poor weather conditions what is your reason to launch in the first place?

Well said. As many of you know I built a large wooden landing pad that its excellent in any environment and if i cant take off and land with it, i simply don't fly. While I agree that hand catching has it's place in an emergency and really shouldn't be all that difficult to do if done carefully, slowly, and precisely, the same care also allows safe landing on any pad.

 

[Nightwolf]

Wow, you people get riled up about silly stuff. I hand catch, didn't ask you to approve. To say "hand catch= injury is directly proportional" or that "a hospital trip is guaranteed" is absolutely ridiculous.

Hand catch or don't! I roll my way, you roll yours

 

[Dallas Drone Guy]

In my experience, hand catching is the safest way to get my bird out of the sky. For a couple years I would land on the ground. Twice I have had props chewed up by tipping back from a little gust. and many more close calls. Started hand catching every single time about 1.5 years ago and have had zero close calls, zero incidents. More control, safer for bystanders, safer for the equipment. And all this talk about bringing big pieces of carpet and even folding tables?? My clients pay by the hour and prefer that my time on site is spent in the sky, not setting up landing pads and tables. Win-win with the hand catch IMO and personal experience.

 

[umanbean]

Hand catch or don't! I roll my way, you roll yours

Seems to me what most people were getting riled up about is the title and the lengthy post #1 urging to hand catch every time.

To wit:

"Why you should hand catch every single time you land your drone"