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Who Uses a Launching/Landing Pad?
- Thread starter Allezdada
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It's only 1/4" thick but very solid and a little heavy for it's size. Very dense and apparently high dollar countertop mat., luckily I found 4'x6' sheets for $10 each at Habitat for Humanity. I use them primarly in a dog brood building for easy cleanup.
It'd probably be too heavy to take on a hike to a launch spot over 1/2 mile or so.
It'd probably be too heavy to take on a hike to a launch spot over 1/2 mile or so.
2x2 square elevated, white with black circles painted. I drilled 3/4 holes to allow for max contrast
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UAVStickers made landing pads out of thin metal with the H on them, got one last year. Now I see they have stopped making them of metal & make them of some foldable material.
Nice items but I may get a hard case for my P3 instead of soft case so may just spray paint the H on it instead. Havent decided yet.
As for hand catching? Hmm, my current drone requires 2 hands to shut down the rotors so hand catching it will not happen. Sides, I've gotten really good at landing on the heliopad so I take off & land on it but I usually fly from grassy areas, not sandy. I can land on it then shut the engines down, once or twice I dumped it on its side was because I shut off too soon when it wasnt quite down. Props are expendable, thats why I have several spares.
Everyone has different styles & thoughts though, I just do not like hand catching unless its an emergency.
Nice items but I may get a hard case for my P3 instead of soft case so may just spray paint the H on it instead. Havent decided yet.
As for hand catching? Hmm, my current drone requires 2 hands to shut down the rotors so hand catching it will not happen. Sides, I've gotten really good at landing on the heliopad so I take off & land on it but I usually fly from grassy areas, not sandy. I can land on it then shut the engines down, once or twice I dumped it on its side was because I shut off too soon when it wasnt quite down. Props are expendable, thats why I have several spares.
Everyone has different styles & thoughts though, I just do not like hand catching unless its an emergency.
Since I'm a photographer by trade, I always have my tripod with me. I use a Manfrotto slide projector table attached to a quick release that fits my tripod head. The built in levels on the head allow for quick leveling and the Phantom fits perfectly. For landings, I hand catch with the wind at my back. ;- )
I've been flying off the beach a lot, ALWAYS hand catch, but figured out the need for a takeoff pad pretty fast. You all have me thinking I need to make something a little bigger to really do the job. The leveled slide projector is a cool idea. I also have a carbon fiber tripod that weights next to nothing. How important is the levelness of the takeoff pad? I've been just kind of eyeballing it. Another semi-related question: Is there anyway to launch from a small boat in the water? You won't have a stable platform during startup.
The P3 hovers so steadily even in the gustiest winds, that letting it hover at shoulder height, grabbing a skid, sliding my hand up, and then killing the engines with one finger, while the remote hangs by a shoulder strap, has taken ALL the angst out of landing, no matter what the conditions. I hand catch on the right rear, by the battery (heaviest end), and I think I like the wind in my face, with the quad pointed right into it. Then it's tilted a little downward already, which is where it's going to want to move if you only have one hand for catching. WOW AN IDEA! I use my normal catch technique, only forget about the RC shutdown. I grab the left rear skid with my left hand, then slide both hands up both the rear legs, then kill it with the battery button with my right thumb, and then quickly move to hold the bird level. I think that works, and I don't see how it could get me from that position. Hey, I think I'd want the wind at my back for that method too.
But this thread also made me think of something: I better keep practicing "regular" landings, so I don't get rusty, and spaz out (Like I kind of did with a Chroma the other day. LOL).
The P3 hovers so steadily even in the gustiest winds, that letting it hover at shoulder height, grabbing a skid, sliding my hand up, and then killing the engines with one finger, while the remote hangs by a shoulder strap, has taken ALL the angst out of landing, no matter what the conditions. I hand catch on the right rear, by the battery (heaviest end), and I think I like the wind in my face, with the quad pointed right into it. Then it's tilted a little downward already, which is where it's going to want to move if you only have one hand for catching. WOW AN IDEA! I use my normal catch technique, only forget about the RC shutdown. I grab the left rear skid with my left hand, then slide both hands up both the rear legs, then kill it with the battery button with my right thumb, and then quickly move to hold the bird level. I think that works, and I don't see how it could get me from that position. Hey, I think I'd want the wind at my back for that method too.
But this thread also made me think of something: I better keep practicing "regular" landings, so I don't get rusty, and spaz out (Like I kind of did with a Chroma the other day. LOL).
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