IMHO, everyone should try to get comfortable with hand catching your Phantom, even if you need a glove. It sounds like some are afraid, and that's OK if it can't be overcome. However that puts you at other risk of damage or possible loss of the craft in certain scenarios. At some point you'll need to catch the bird, so practicing this in a controlled area helps for flight options when they are needed.
Scenarios where hand catch can be helpful, assuming you're comfortable with it:
1. In a park when unleashed dogs appear that want to chase your craft.
2. Going through the forest or desert on a trail, capturing a hike, motorcycle, or dunebuggy trip, but at the end of the the battery life there is not a nice flat place to land.
3. At the beach, where you don't want to land in the sand.
4. On a boat, where it's easy to take off, but not so easy to land.
5. If little kids appear in the area to watch you fly. Sometimes I don't trust them to keep back when landing. Some kids just don't listen.
Is hand catching dangerous? Yes it can be if not practiced, but there's only slight risk if practiced regularly. You have to use common sense. If you are afraid to try, then don't do it. But if you can master the technique, your flying options increase.
I find flying options very helpful to increase my flight locations. Backpacks increase flight location options. Mountain bikes increase flight options, Electric bikes increase flight options even more. And for those that would love to own an Inspire, you don't have all those options with that craft, it's simply too big ..... although I want one anyway for other reasons.
