Takeoff/landing pad
- Thread starter 3rdof5
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Ok so where exactly and what color? Do i want green and red for starboard and port? Include a compass so i can align the pad with north and have a blue led at north? So many decisions!!!
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I use the top of my foam carrying case the phantom shipped in. It’s always with me when conducting a flight so takes no extra backpack space.
Hover the craft and then walk to it and grab a leg. Do NOT extend your hand and get the craft to meet it.
I've only once taken off any other way and it tipped over. I hand launch and catch always.
Ok so using that method, your AC would be roughly 2m up from the ground at take off and landing and that's also where the home point would be recorded. Which leads to a question, what would happen if RTH (and auto landing) was initiated and you simply let it land on the ground? Specifically, what will the AC do when it registers zero altitude 2 to 3 meters from the ground? Will it keep descending anyway?
My portable landing pad is an unfolded FedEx box.
They're free, lightweight, come in various sizes, &
easily replaceable...
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They're free, lightweight, come in various sizes, &
easily replaceable...
LIKE THESE EMOJIS
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Quick and cheap, homemade takeoff/landing pad - one garden cushion; bag of gel cat litter; one mouse pad plus super glue.
Remove foam from cushion and replace it with cat litter - it will be heavy enough not to take off with the props' backwash and flexible enough to flatten for a flat take off surface.
Glue mouse pad to cushion, stitch cushion ties so that they become a handle and, voila, launch pad.
Remove foam from cushion and replace it with cat litter - it will be heavy enough not to take off with the props' backwash and flexible enough to flatten for a flat take off surface.
Glue mouse pad to cushion, stitch cushion ties so that they become a handle and, voila, launch pad.
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...I've always enjoyed the hoodman landing pad - highly visible from above, folds up tiny and has lead around edge to keep it flat during windy days
and launches/landings!
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This looks very nicely made! This is a bit late in your project, but you did ask about design. You have the props aligned with the diagonals of the landing pad, rather than the sides. Will the drone always land with this orientation? I would have sized/shaped the pad so that the props would have plenty of clearance along the sides no matter the orientation of the drone when landing — I suspect why the commercial pads I have seen are round.
Yes it will always land at that orientation. And thx its still not finished on the landing area yet. I have a friend in graphics design working on a cool decal but otherwise I'm using it and theres plenty of room to land. Here's a pic with the AC.
I like portable, too. I have a Nanuk(?) case (just like a Pelican case). If it's grassy or dusty, I'll use that as a takeoff point, and either carefully land it back on the case or just catch it. Basically, I'm too lazy to build a platform
.It's a good idea, though, and it looks good.
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By adding a fan the pad is going to be more complicated. You'll need the electricity for it, so have to carry another battery. (!)
To have the type of a landing pad we are talking about here, the simplest way is to go to the market and buy a kitchen desk of proper size. It'll do just fine.
About hand catching I would like to warn all of you to be really careful and not doing it just like that, with the left hand as we say.
I'm practicing it every time where the landing ground could be a problem. But I can show you pretty deep scratches in my right forearm I've got last month.
I turned off the motors just a piece of a second too late and grab the landing arm a bit too gently. The phantom turned to me and falls right on to my hand. The propellers are pretty painful. As I was in the situation weather hold the phantom and get some more scratches until the rotors stop or drop it down to the ground. I decided to have a few more scratches.
I have the so called low noise propellers on. It would be worse if I had the standard ones. I'm still do a hand catch if necessary but I'm doing it much more carefully. And don't grab the phantom from the front or back side because sensors can move it in undesired way.
To have the type of a landing pad we are talking about here, the simplest way is to go to the market and buy a kitchen desk of proper size. It'll do just fine.
About hand catching I would like to warn all of you to be really careful and not doing it just like that, with the left hand as we say.
I'm practicing it every time where the landing ground could be a problem. But I can show you pretty deep scratches in my right forearm I've got last month.
I turned off the motors just a piece of a second too late and grab the landing arm a bit too gently. The phantom turned to me and falls right on to my hand. The propellers are pretty painful. As I was in the situation weather hold the phantom and get some more scratches until the rotors stop or drop it down to the ground. I decided to have a few more scratches.
I have the so called low noise propellers on. It would be worse if I had the standard ones. I'm still do a hand catch if necessary but I'm doing it much more carefully. And don't grab the phantom from the front or back side because sensors can move it in undesired way.
Yes... 2m of altitude drift during a flight is nothing. It will use the downward sensors.
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I never do hand take off. But if you go up from the very small place, from the stone maybe, it is not likely that the craft would land rignht on the same spot. What would happen at RTH I don't know, but I always take off from the place where few cm left or right will also go. And you can stop RTH whenever you want.
And I forgot to mention that at hand catch never do that with the propellers at the level of your head. It must be at least 20cm above. You never know if maybe a part of prop. falls apart. It is your eyes which must be protected anyway.
And I forgot to mention that at hand catch never do that with the propellers at the level of your head. It must be at least 20cm above. You never know if maybe a part of prop. falls apart. It is your eyes which must be protected anyway.
The model will continue to descend till it grounds out. Once it stops on the ground - if you have left stick down - motors will stop.
ZERO height has no effect on ascent / descent. Home point is only the geographical coordinates. The zero at home is only a reference for Barometric pressure to allow computation of altitude and change.
Nigel
If it tipped over on take-off ... then it means you were not 'definite' in ascent command.
Easily the best take-off is to just let the app do it for you ... tap the take off icon ... and let her spin up and automatically ascend to a hover ... once there and all fine ... go fly.
As to landing : again why hand catch if ground is good ... descend and just before touch ease off and choose your spot. Make sure when you land - once grounded LEFT STICK DOWN ONLY and not auto-land or need CSC ... If you do CSC (both sticks down and IN ...) - that is when people have the tip-overs ...
Hand catch - I can do it and occasionally circumstances call for it. But 90% of the time - ground is fine to do a proper landing. Far safer.
Nigel
Personally I enjoy the challenge of precision landings with any AC. The turbulence from the prop wash close to the ground is always interesting lol. As was mentioned earlier, depending on where you grab onto with a hand catch the VPS could try to compensate as well so unless a hand catch is my only safe option I'll avoid it.
