Today I learned a lesson.

[Ben01]

I had a really good day droning today in a little beach town a couple of hours from where I live. I decided to make the most of recent nice weather and take the phantom out for some happy snaps.

Well right near the end of the day something incredible happened (that we had been hoping to happen). I was flying around taking photos and my partner yells at me “There are whales right there!!” - See at the moment humpback whales are making their way north up the coast of Western Australia with their babies to find warmer water and get some food!!

So at this very moment my battery was reading 34%. Being a very safe person, I’ve always set my battery alarm to 30% to bring it home. Well, I took off to the whales, following them up the coast and waiting, waiting and waiting for them to breach to take some snaps. 2 adults and one calf. The battery alarm goes off and I decided to ignore it for a while. Then, it happened - one by one they start breaching the water surface and I happily snap away as i continually fly away from home. My battery then reads 23% and I panic. Stupidly I turn the drone to the right and see land - immediately thinking that’s where I am and I head straight for it. Except I haven’t realised I am actually heading in the complete wrong direction and flying further away. As I approach the land I find it quite strange that I can’t hear it. I look down and freak out when I see I’m 700 metres from home .

I realise what I’ve done and turn around heading up the coast into a stiff head wind when the controller takes over and tells me it is activating RTH otherwise I will not arrive back in time. I’m really panicked at this stage and what felt like an eternity I look down and see I’m still 600m from home.

A few very anxious moments later and it’s 300m and I feel like I’m half a chance. I’m thinking about all these stories of people who’s drones drop out of the sky because the controller says they’ve got 20% battery but they really don’t. When it arrived back I had 15 percent battery and I cancelled the RTH because I had taken off from the bonnet of my car as there was sand and gravel everywhere and nowhere else flat enough to launch. (I’ve done it many times).

I try land on my bonnet and the screeching of the sensors on my controller further panic me and I abort that and land in a gravel car park with dust flying everywhere. My battery read 12% and whilst I was very annoyed at landing the way I did I have never felt so relieved in my life.

Lesson learnt - BE DISCIPLINED. When you’ve always decided to come home at 30% then ALWAYS do it and make no exceptions to the rule.

DONT PANIC - all I had to do is open up the map and turn my drone back to where I was. The distance I flew away from myself was further than I had flown out to meet the whales.

This is embarrassing for me but maybe someone might read this and think twice before flying into dangerous grounds!! I realise 30% is probably very conservative for most of you but I still consider myself a rookie and inexperienced operator so I feel it always gives me more than enough time to get home (providing I stick to it!!)

 

[go fast]

I always keep the radar circle in the bottom corner just for that reason so I can orient the A/C in relation to me . So let's see the pics...

 

[Boggus]

I catch mine in the air when I don’t want to land in dirt, gravel, etc.

 

[Ben01]

I always keep the radar circle in the bottom corner just for that reason so I can orient the A/C in relation to me . So let's see the pics...

Was a long day mate I’ve transferred them but gotta go over them in Lightroom first. I’ll put one or two up tomorrow [emoji106]

 

[WV. Rootman]

I would think the car bonnet would mess up the compass. I take off from the car floor mat. I catch it by hand when landing in dusty areas.

 

[KevMo Photog]

Dude! Learn how to hand catch 100% of the time. You'll never go back! And like the others said keep your radar and I also keep my small map in the bottom corner so I can point the red bird right at green line at glance. Thats pointed right at where you took off! Glad you made it home!

 

[Rncotton]

Glad you're home safe.

Nothing wrong with grabbing it by hand and shutting down the motors. I do that quite often if it's high grass, sand, or otherwise unsuitable earth under my feet.

 

[skysense]

I always keep the radar circle in the bottom corner just for that reason so I can orient the A/C in relation to me . So let's see the pics...

I catch mine in the air when I don’t want to land in dirt, gravel, etc.

^
Just do this, and you are safe as f...

I catch mine by hand 99.99999999999% of the time, and i fly all the time.

I have been flying for 4 years now, and i am always conservative when it comes to batteries. Keep my warning at 30% also, just so i know where i am, and i look at the voltage all the time also (habit i made before Phantoms and smart batteries). Just make sure your Critical Battery is at 10% (i would turn this off if i could).

 

[bluebird]

When catching by hand how do you shut down the motors with only one hand free?

 

[skysense]

Yes, just pull throttle stick down for 2-3 seconds. Much easier if you have some king of harness around you shoulders to hold your RC.

 

[Ben01]

Yes, just pull throttle stick down for 2-3 seconds. Much easier if you have some king of harness around you shoulders to hold your RC.

Yep I have the neck strap for the RC - but when I first got the drone I was looking up stuff and saw multiple videos of hand catching gone wrong and just removed the idea from my brain completely.

I think now I might look it up how to safely do it and use that from now on!

 

[skysense]

You don't have to use it always, only in dusty ground situations if you are not sure. I sometimes (dusty ground) even lift off from my hand (tricky one, because you need both hands to start motors - don't try).

Anyway, how i (and probably everybody) do it is just pull Phantom close to me, and while it hovers just take it for one of its back legs, and with your left thumb you shut down the motors. It is quite safe, just pay attention to what you are doing. Thats it

 

[Meta4]

A couple of extra things you can add to the lesson ....

Stupidly I turn the drone to the right and see land - immediately thinking that’s where I am and I head straight for it. Except I haven’t realised I am actually heading in the complete wrong direction and flying further away. As I approach the land I find it quite strange that I can’t hear it. I look down and freak out when I see I’m 700 metres from home.

Even if you can't see your Phantom and don't know exactly where it is, you have an instrument that helps.
The radar display shows you where your Phantom is and which way it is pointing.

Here the Phantom is out in front of the operator and just a little off to the right. It's pointing straight out to sea away from home which is at the centre of the radar display.
It's a simple matter to use the left stick to turn the Phantom until it's pointing directly at the centre of the circle and then push the right stick forward.
Or you could use RTH.

I had taken off from the bonnet of my car as there was sand and gravel everywhere and nowhere else flat enough to launch. (I’ve done it many times).
I try land on my bonnet and the screeching of the sensors on my controller further panic me

Ding ding ding - that's ringing alarm bells
Never launch or attempt to land on a steel (including reinforced concrete) surface.
I'm not sure how you've managed to get away if you do this regularly. If I put my Phantom on a car roof, I get a compass error every time.
Also if I bring the Phantom down close to a steel roof, reinforced concrete etc

There have been lots of lost or crashed Phantoms as a result of messing up the compass by launching from on top of steel
If you are planning some beach flying, use a folded towel, some cardboard etc as a launch pad.
(One of those big plastic saucers for big plastic plant pots works very well)

I abort that and land in a gravel car park with dust flying everywhere.

As mentioned above, hand catching is perfect for situations where a landing is not a good choice - long grass, rocky terrain, sandy areas, on a boat, etc.

I realise 30% is probably very conservative for most of you but I still consider myself a rookie and inexperienced operator so I feel it always gives me more than enough time to get home (providing I stick to it!!)

If flying offshore 30% probably isn't conservative enough - it's an unforgiving environment out there.
The sort of lesson that has you holding your breath and watching the battery indicator ticking down is the kind of lesson that has a lasting effect on you.
You had a memorable flight, learned something and possibly got some memorable images?

at the moment humpback whales are making their way north up the coast of Western Australia with their babies to find warmer water and get some food!!

ps ... by now southern hemisphere humpback whales have just about finished their warm water holiday and most are already heading south, back to Antarctica where they can eat again. (They don't eat at all during their time up north)
The mothers with calves are the last to go back south.

 

[With The Birds]

You don't have to use it always, only in dusty ground situations if you are not sure. I sometimes (dusty ground) even lift off from my hand (tricky one, because you need both hands to start motors - don't try).

Anyway, how i (and probably everybody) do it is just pull Phantom close to me, and while it hovers just take it for one of its back legs, and with your left thumb you shut down the motors. It is quite safe, just pay attention to what you are doing. Thats it

Isn’t it more cormflrtable to grab a front leg? Or you prefer flying nose out?

 

[Pharm]

Was a long day mate I’ve transferred them but gotta go over them in Lightroom first. I’ll put one or two up tomorrow [emoji106]

“Tomorrow” would have been Sunday. Today is Tuesday. Where are the pictures? I MUST see them!!!

 

[skysense]

Isn’t it more cormflrtable to grab a front leg? Or you prefer flying nose out?

I fly like that so the battery is facing me, camera looking on the opposite side of me (maybe that's nose out?). So i grab it by the back leg If i understood you correct.

 

[August]

Lo Same thing happen to me. It was so far, I did not think I was going to get it back. I was at 3% when it landed. But the ogito was worth it.

 

[August]

 

[skysense]

Lo Same thing happen to me. It was so far, I did not think I was going to get it back. I was at 3% when it landed. But the ogito was worth it.

3% when you landed? You mean 30%?

 

[Ben01]

A couple of extra things you can add to the lesson ....

Even if you can't see your Phantom and don't know exactly where it is, you have an instrument that helps.
The radar display shows you where your Phantom is and which way it is pointing.

Here the Phantom is out in front of the operator and just a little off to the right. It's pointing straight out to sea away from home which is at the centre of the radar display.
It's a simple matter to use the left stick to turn the Phantom until it's pointing directly at the centre of the circle and then push the right stick forward.
Or you could use RTH.

Ding ding ding - that's ringing alarm bells
Never launch or attempt to land on a steel (including reinforced concrete) surface.
I'm not sure how you've managed to get away if you do this regularly. If I put my Phantom on a car roof, I get a compass error every time.
Also if I bring the Phantom down close to a steel roof, reinforced concrete etc

There have been lots of lost or crashed Phantoms as a result of messing up the compass by launching from on top of steel
If you are planning some beach flying, use a folded towel, some cardboard etc as a launch pad.
(One of those big plastic saucers for big plastic plant pots works very well)

As mentioned above, hand catching is perfect for situations where a landing is not a good choice - long grass, rocky terrain, sandy areas, on a boat, etc.

If flying offshore 30% probably isn't conservative enough - it's an unforgiving environment out there.
The sort of lesson that has you holding your breath and watching the battery indicator ticking down is the kind of lesson that has a lasting effect on you.
You had a memorable flight, learned something and possibly got some memorable images?

ps ... by now southern hemisphere humpback whales have just about finished their warm water holiday and most are already heading south, back to Antarctica where they can eat again. (They don't eat at all during their time up north)
The mothers with calves are the last to go back south.

Yes mate I’ve since discovered you’re right, they are heading south I initially found conflicting information on the net combined with the fact that the whales were actually swimming north at the time I saw them.

Well my photos didn’t turn out that great after all, I think I was just too stressed and I knew time was literally ticking so composition etc was not the best. I got a few okay ones but nothing I’d really even bother sharing tbh.

Anyways, just wondering how you have that radar on bottom left and not the map box?? I’d much prefer just having that radar there !!!

ETA - I don’t know why I haven’t been receiving email notifications of posts in this thread as usually I do so I don’t realise people were still commenting!!