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

[PeakXV]

Hand catching reduces overall wear, tear and the very hard to monitor/gauge "cumulative concussions" to the drone components. It also saves time by eliminating the step of securing a level, dry, grit-free landing pad - especially so when operating along remote beaches and/or in snowy condition. If you do ground land your drone, make sure the feet are checked and cleaned thoroughly before the next take-off as moisture, sand, pebbles can accumulate and gravitate towards undesirable areas over time and future take-offs.

 

[wa5tef]

No more hand catching for me. I had one mishap that caused a mild cut in one firearm. I had rather watch my P4 softly land at the spot I guide it to. We have no hills or terrain features here that would cause landing problems but I feel safer not getting close to the powered propellers.
Thanks
Jim
WA5TEF

 

[Deleted member 29014]

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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Coal

I haven't seen any need to "hand catch" in 4 years and hundreds of hours, they are designed to land on the ground. Professional pilots don't "tip over." I understand you are selling a product but we have enough legends and myths about drones, don't need any more. Unless you are on a boat, no point in it.
BTW, how do you hand catch an M600???

 

[Deleted member 29014]

This is the one I have - mini landing pad. However, I will probably make a light but more solid one that will be more stable on soft snow and won't blow away under a strong gust of wind.

Chris

It will take a hurricane to flip this one. I work a lot of construction and this helps to keep the dirt from getting everywhere.

 

[Chrislaf]

It will take a hurricane to flip this one. I work a lot of construction and this helps to keep the dirt from getting everywhere.

I saw that one on Amazon too, but can’t fathom spending that much money on a landing pad. I think I’m going to go to our local hardware store and get a small piece of a rubber runner mat cut, and use it as a landing pad. Used it last winter to protect our deck from skates and it never blew away.

Today I was out in cold weather (-10C with wind chill) and had my gloves off to catch my P3S. Didn’t take long for my hands to get cold.

Chris

 

[Harleydude]

I try to land in ATTI mode with the drone camera facing me. That's a good skill to master, IMHO. If you can do that in high wind, you know you're a good pilot.

D

 

[shegeek72]

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

Thank you. Though it's ma'am, not sir.

 

[BigAl07]

Thank you. Though it's ma'am, not sir.

Please accept my sincerest apology. Apparently I did not pay much attention to your screen name.

Thank you for your contribution!!

 

[Fat Albert]

Hogwash, I’ve only been flying 2 years and always land manually on the ground and never had a problem

 

[LARA images]

Suggestions for a landing pad?

I use the FSLabs Drone landing pad - bought on Amazon for $15 and it fits in my P4 backpak