Filming over water emergency plan

[Tommy Cook]

Hey All! I do a lot of filming on or around water and wanted to know what others do (if anything) to avoid saying " bye bye" to their equipment in the event of an automatic emergency landing.

 

[DroneDestination]

People use things like the Getterback to at least retrieve some of their gear in the event of a water crash.

 

[Tommy Cook]

That could be handy for all kinds of things! So far I've only found one setup that can even come close to actually saving the quad : DJI Phantom 3 & 4 Pontoon Landing Gear | Land on Water, No Camera Obstruction

Anybody have any experience with these?

 

[750r]

I use a getterback never needed it but gives me a little security just in case .
The only problem I see with what's in your link would be the flight restrictions or drag that you would get if wind would pick up . I have never used anything like that but remember reading some people having some small problems on older birds with what I mentioned above .

 

[flpholt]

you should be safe over water just watch out for wind it is number 1 killer of drones

 

[DroneDestination]

Also watch your battery voltages in each cell, and make sure you always take off with around 95% or higher.

 

[WetDog]

Just be conservative. Watch the wind. Don't try to set distance records. Watch for birds. Have fun.

Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball.

 

[syotr]

My solution: Phantom parts in a Dex shell. It's waterproof and it floats.

 

[Sim597]

My solution: Phantom parts in a Dex shell. It's waterproof and it floats.
View attachment 51677 View attachment 51678

Wow that's badass!! What kind of insides are compatible? Will they take P4s yet? And was it a kit to install the innards or was it all up to you? Never seen that before.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[syotr]

It was not a kit. I just purchased a shell and installed the components. The NAZA flight controller and main board were from a P1. The motors and ESC's are from DJI E300 kit. Had to use the external GPS antenna because the carbon fiber shell blocked the signal to the internal one.
I have built two more of these since with larger motors and props for more lift and longer flight times.
The shells came from Dexmodels.com in Croatia.

 

[WetDog]

What is waterproof about this? The motors appear open, so, aside from shorting them out, it would seem to allow water to flow into the case. The gimble also appears at risk. Have you actually got this thing wet?

 

[syotr]

What is waterproof about this? The motors appear open, so, aside from shorting them out, it would seem to allow water to flow into the case. The gimble also appears at risk. Have you actually got this thing wet?

Brushless motors are not bothered by water. Salt water might rust the bearings in time but you can rinse them with fresh water and dry them after dunking. The gimbal motors are also not bothered by water. The gimbal electronics are sealed water tight in the back of the motor housings.
The shell is completely watertight. There are heat sinks to cool the ESC's and Gortex vents to let the barometer breathe. I have landed and taken off from water many times but the real purpose of this design is to save the quad in case of a water crash. I have had one flyaway which ended in a water crash. All survived intact. I have a plastic bag which can seal up the GoPro well enough to survive a dunking. I am working on a gimbal for the GoPro in its housing.
Here is a video of mine landing in the pool:

Here is another from Dex showing how durable these shells are:

Edit: added one more video Dex mini hammer test

 

[Meta4]

Hey All! I do a lot of filming on or around water and wanted to know what others do (if anything) to avoid saying " bye bye" to their equipment in the event of an automatic emergency landing.

Most of my flying is over water and my recommendation is not to bother lumbering your Phantom with any hardware "solutions".
Your best precaution is to know how the Phantom works and how to operate everything and to allow a comfortable safety margin.
Make sure you are back before your battery reaches 30% and factor the wind strength and direction into your flight planning.

 

[WetDog]

Brushless motors are not bothered by water. Salt water might rust the bearings in time but you can rinse them with fresh water and dry them after dunking. The gimbal motors are also not bothered by water. The gimbal electronics are sealed water tight in the back of the motor housings.
The shell is completely watertight. There are heat sinks to cool the ESC's and Gortex vents to let the barometer breathe. I have landed and taken off from water many times but the real purpose of this design is to save the quad in case of a water crash. I have had one flyaway which ended in a water crash. All survived intact. I have a plastic bag which can seal up the GoPro well enough to survive a dunking. I am working on a gimbal for the GoPro in its housing.
Here is a video of mine landing in the pool:

Here is another from Dex showing how durable these shells are:

Edit: added one more video Dex mini hammer test

This is most interesting. Thanks. Are you quite sure about the stock P3 gimbals being watertight? They don't look it on casual inspection. I'll pass on the hammer business, but water resistance is definately a plus. The problem being that even if the bird survives, the camera is all drippy wet and you won't get good images. Perhaps Rainex on the filter.....

Do you get a performance hit with the body?

I really don't worry about being over water. Any over land crash above a 100 feet or so is going to result in pieces parts. About the only advantage is you could keep the crash pictures (always a plus - we love seeing them).

 

[syotr]

This is most interesting. Thanks. Are you quite sure about the stock P3 gimbals being watertight? They don't look it on casual inspection. I'll pass on the hammer business, but water resistance is definately a plus. The problem being that even if the bird survives, the camera is all drippy wet and you won't get good images. Perhaps Rainex on the filter.....

Do you get a performance hit with the body?

I really don't worry about being over water. Any over land crash above a 100 feet or so is going to result in pieces parts. About the only advantage is you could keep the crash pictures (always a plus - we love seeing them).

Can't answer for the P3 gimbal. The motors should be OK but the other electronics are probably exposed and would not do well. The gimbal in my photo was a Feiyu-tech 2-axis which was easy to seal up water tight. I have since switched to a 3-axis gimbal.
The biggest problem with the P2, P3 and P4 is the proprietary batteries. No easy way to use them in this type of shell.
I can fit two 4s 4000 mAh batteries ($28 each) in one of these Dex shells and get 47 minutes flight time. (This was with larger motors and props and without gimbal mounted.)
The carbon fiber Dex shells are extremely light, so not much performance hit. With a single 3s 5200 mAh battery in the carbon fiber one I get 16 to 17 minutes flight time with gimbal and camera. I don't normally intend to land and take off from the water. The purpose of the waterproof design is to survive a crash in water and be able to easily recover the bird.
Lots more info, photos and some videos at my blog on RC Groups:
syotr's blog - RC Groups

 

[Adam Morrison]

Hey All! I do a lot of filming on or around water and wanted to know what others do (if anything) to avoid saying " bye bye" to their equipment in the event of an automatic emergency landing.

Tommy. It looks like we're both new to the forum! A mutual welcome to you!

It turns out there is a new solution called WaterStrider. Full disclosure: I am affiliated with the company. I normally wouldn't say anything on forums about it, but in this case it definitely seems to be directly on-topic for this thread.

 

[Adam Morrison]

Here is our latest fun video showing a variety of takeoffs and landings with WaterStrider from water and other difficult terrain. The campaign ends on Monday, so time is running short to get a WaterStrider from our production runs in June and July (June is already full).