Flotation mod?

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I've seen some of you guys taking the P3 apart for crack repairs, etc. I haven't had my P3 apart yet, since I don't have cracks yet (knock on wood, or plastic, whatever). I'm wondering if there's enough room inside the body to install adequate custom shaped Styrofoam in the arms, enough to support 3lbs in the water so the bird won't sink, making it possible to retrieve upon system failure (or pilot error). Since all of the insurance policies require the bird for evidence, I'm thinking that maybe a flotation mod might be a worthy project since many of my flights seem to be over water. I'm thinking Styrofoam wouldn't weigh much, if feasible. Has anyone else come up with a solution for water retrieval, other than scuba.
 
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I don't think there is enough room for enough foam for flotation. But the biggest issue with putting foam in the shell may be heat desapation. All that foam would block airflow and act as an insulator

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I don't think there is enough room for enough foam for flotation. But the biggest issue with putting foam in the shell may be heat desapation. All that foam would block airflow and act as an insulator

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Yeah, good point. Maybe I can strap mini noodles around each landing leg. I like Dirkclod's idea of the Getterback flotation device. That might be the ticket.
 
Mal could have done with these a couple of weeks ago [emoji6]
 
Ever had to use it?
Never on any of my birds but have with a Loomis Rod once and seen em work with some other folk's rods where I used to fish a lot .
They do work and have had one on all my P2's as well as a tracker since I started flying . Ya can't tell it's on .
Here's one from a year ago .
5.jpg ya can take it on and off whenever ya want with the Velcro. Worth it IMO
 
I use one of these . getterbacks How It Works
What a great product, that guy was thinking! How cool that his last name is Fisher. Did you happen to weigh it, and where did you locate it on your bird? Do you think there's much chance of it fouling on the structure when it deploys?
 
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I'd like to know where the centre of gravity is, and how much wave motion it could stay upright with. More importantly, it doesn't leave much clear space for the camera with those two great silos sticking out the front. Back to the drawing board I think.
 
What a great product, that guy was thinking! How cool that his last name is Fisher. Did you happen to weigh it, and where did you locate it on your bird? Do you think there's much chance of it fouling on the structure when it deploys?
It didn't when I used my first one but was in open water with my rod .Weighs 12.3 gram's and the Velcro wraps a couple of times around my skid .
IMG_1379.JPG mia.jpg
 
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It didn't when I used my first one but was in open water with my rod .Weighs 12.3 gram's and the Velcro wraps a couple of times around my skid .
View attachment 31385 View attachment 31386
There are lakes and ponds all around me. My three worries have been: The Bald Eagle which nests near the top of a big pine at the edge of the reservoir, big Pines, and the reservoir.
I never fly within a half mile of the Eagle during nesting season (then it's gone). I set the RTH to clear the Pines so I don't have to do any climbing in case the P3 doesn't make it to the ground. But the water has always concerned me. It's not over skin diving depth but I'd have to find StumbleBee first. Now I can! (LOL, not that I want to have to!)
 
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There are lakes and ponds all around me. My three worries have been: The Bald Eagle which nests near the top of a big pine at the edge of the reservoir, big Pines, and the reservoir.
I never fly within a half mile of the Eagle during nesting season (then it's gone). I set the RTH to clear the Pines so I don't have to do any climbing in case the P3 doesn't make it to the ground. But the water has always concerned me. It's not over skin diving depth but I'd have to find StumbleBee first. Now I can! (LOL, not that I want to have to!)
Well this does come up and would pull a quad up unless it had wedged in something in which case ya could follow the line down .
I fly over water around me some and have just always used it . Got mine from Amazon but BassPro and others have em .
 
If you are flying over the sea don't bother - salt water is nasty stuff!

My only thought is as a last hope resort. No GPS or RTH, so it slowly lands itself. On a "perfect day" (highly unlikely), I guess it could land right on the floats and wait for you to pick it up!
 
The critical issue is the weight - and the designer gives no clue.
Weight is critical in flight.
Another important factor is how much does the size affect flight by increasing wind resistance and sail area to catch the wind.
Things like this appeal to nervous flyers but lumbering around the sky with this is probably going to seriously affect your performance.
If the P3 can fly with it, it might be suitable for fun in a still swimming pool, but I'd never rely on it to keep my camera high and dry in salt water.
The P3 on floats would be very top heavy - would it stay upright?
And if your P3 takes a fall and doesn't come down in the normal landing position ... ?
All up, I don't think this is a viable proposition.
My Phantom is going to fly much better unencumbered by this sort of thing.
 

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