Hi

I know it's not recommended but you can hand take off and land your phantom.

You need to make sure your confident in how to control it before even thinking about this method as a simple slip someone will get hurt.

See what you think of my efforts!

I hand launch and hand catch too.  But I've often thought one should be wearing safety glasses when doing so.  The props might just cut your skin a bit, but they can definitely destroy an eye!  

There are definitely circumstances that hand-launch or catching is the best option for the safety of your Quad.   I wouldn't do it unless its absolutely the best choice...

It's difficult one as on a boat there are so many wires and ropes for the rigging it's more likely to catch on that and then hurt someone then just holding it. I want to get the prop guards fitted for added safety.

Hand catching is easy & useful.  I'm not too worried about the safety aspect.  Yes, you could get hurt, but sometimes you need to take risks, otherwise you'd die from boredom.  Also, if you make things too safe, people tend to take their eye off the ball. Take driving for example...

I have only done a take-off by hand a couple times, surprising how well it went, as for landing, i almost exclusively hand catch especially throughout the winter as the ground is quite wet on the Wet Coast of BC....

nigelw Posted at 2016-3-12 10:19
Hand catching is easy & useful.  I'm not too worried about the safety aspect.  Yes, you could get hu ...

Hand catching is not only dangerous but very stupid as well, reaching for something with 4 props turning thousands of RPM's well trying to control the drone at the same time? I don't think so.

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-12 15:33
Hand catching is not only dangerous but very stupid as well, reaching for something with 4 props t ...

I also run with scissors.

I once stared directly at the sun.

I am so glad you showed that on a boat. Thank you.   Makes me very excited for the summer and boating for me now.

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-12 09:33
Hand catching is not only dangerous but very stupid as well, reaching for something with 4 props t ...

I so far will not even attempt that. But for water, you might just have too.  I think wearing construction gloves and safety goggles if I ever attempt this.
Lol

microcyb Posted at 2016-3-12 15:49
I so far will not even attempt that. But for water, you might just have too.  I think wearing cons ...

It's good fun really just need to be careful. You get some amazing shots you never could have got without one or a helicopter! I'd recommend plenty of practice of 'normal' use before flying in the wind from a boat over water...!

microcyb Posted at 2016-3-12 09:49
I so far will not even attempt that. But for water, you might just have too.  I think wearing cons ...

I would vote no on the gloves.  Bulky gloves will likely touch the legs before you have any grip on them and destroy your effort.  You want to very gently grab the vertical leg and kill the throttle at the same time you tighten your grip.  You are never fighting the control system.  Catch with the opposite hand from what you control the throttle with.  Doing all of this on a moving platform like a boat requires two people and a good pilot.

nigelw Posted at 2016-3-12 10:40
I also run with scissors.

I believe it, you don't seem like the brightest bulb,

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-12 08:52
I believe it, you don't seem like the brightest bulb,

R&L, many of us here hand catch. There's no need for name calling*. Done with care, it's not much of a risk at all. There are many cases where this is the safest thing to do, both for the craft and the operator.

I still have yet to figure out how to hand launch when flying solo (with a separate operator that can handle the remote), but I haven't found a need yet.

* We all try to be civil here. If you find online forums are the place you most enjoy to work out your frustrations, please go do it elsewhere.

Not A Speck Of  Posted at 2016-3-12 17:23
R&L, many of us here hand catch. There's no need for name calling*. Done with care, it's not much o ...

Be interesting to know if anyone has taken off single handed don't really think it's possible as need too many hands... dji need to design a take off platform!

Flying around in the marsh and taking off and hand catching off aluminum boat .  Had a hard time with interference around the boat. So took off in gps when possible other wise in atti . Flew around in atti but hand caught in gps http://youtu.be/HlPKbBMWTOc

All that rigging close by would keep you pretty alert.
I hand catch more more than I land. As a one man operation I hold the controller in my left hand so I can throttle down and shut down the motors with my left thumb. I believe someone in the video was holding the controller in their other hand which makes difficult or impossible to shut down single handed.
I think it's often much safer for the the drone to be caught in air and it requires no greater ability from operator.

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-12 16:52
I believe it, you don't seem like the brightest bulb,

So, explain why hand catching is so stupid. Really, if you're so intelligent you should be able to come up with a good strong argument as to why it's stupid, rather than just your arrogant & unhelpful opinion.

I personally think it's relatively safe if you think about what you're doing & carry out a risk assessment.  For example, the blades might cut you or worse, cut you eye(s).  An easy way to limit the likelihood of that happening would be to keep it above head level at arms length.  If you can't judge the distance between the legs & the props you probably shouldn't be flying in the first place.  As for trying to control the drone, once it's hovering you can easily judge how stable it is & normally it's very stable.  If it wasn't we'd all be taking off & landing with much greater distances between ourselves & the aircraft.  There's no controlling to do.

I've been hand catching since phantom FC 40 days. Hence, not one crash or bitched landing ever. Never a broken propeller. As to difficulty it is a joke. We are not talking Mediterranean mooring here. Easy as pie.

Meant botched landing :-)

I've always found it safe really both the take off and landing but I am careful with it too. Just have to take it steady and so long as people keep their arm stretched out its away from their face too

nigelw Posted at 2016-3-12 13:58
So, explain why hand catching is so stupid. Really, if you're so intelligent you should be able to  ...

4 spinning blades turning at very high RPM's , 4 fingers and a thumb made out of soft flesh and bones. What don't you understand?  DJI's drones come with a thing called "landing gear" use them!!!!!!

Not A Speck Of  Posted at 2016-3-12 12:23
R&L, many of us here hand catch. There's no need for name calling*. Done with care, it's not much o ...

Saying someone  " is not the brightest bulb" is hardly name calling, if I said he was a d*mb m*th*r f**cker which I my opinion would have been more appropriate for someone that hand catches a drone then that would have been considered name calling.i

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-12 21:51
4 spinning blades turning at very high RPM's , 4 fingers and a thumb made out of soft flesh and bo ...

You failed to understand the question.  I fully understand the danger you're referring to, what I don't understand is why you call it stupid.

Just because there's risk involved, doesn't make something stupid.  People do much more dangerous things for a living every day.  Have you ever worked on a construction site? or worked in a factory?  There is risk involved in pretty much everything you ever do, you just balance the risks against the benefit & reduce them as much as possible by carrying out a risk assessment.

The reason I & many other people choose to hand catch is because sometimes it's the best option.  For example, I first had to hand catch in the mountains where the only place to land was an 18" square of level snow that I'd cleared to take off from.  Due to the slope it wasn't possible to make a bigger platform.  When I brought it in to land quite a strong wind had picked up near the ground so I couldn't get the drone steady enough to land without risk of the props hitting the frozen snow, which would've potentially been a lot more dangerous than hand catching.  The stupid thing to do would have been to try & use the landing gear.

nigelw Posted at 2016-3-12 17:16
You failed to understand the question.  I fully understand the danger you're referring to, what I  ...

I'm done__

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-13 08:51
4 spinning blades turning at very high RPM's , 4 fingers and a thumb made out of soft flesh and bo ...

"Hand catching is not only dangerous but very stupid as well, reaching  for something with 4 props turning thousands of RPM's well trying to  control the drone at the same time? I don't think so."
"4 spinning blades turning at very high RPM's , 4 fingers and a thumb  made out of soft flesh and bones. What don't you understand?  DJI's  drones come with a thing called "landing gear" use them!!!!!!"

Spoken like someone who has never tried it and hasn't enough imagination to realise that it might not be the way he thinks it is.
What you don't understand is that you don't put your hands anywhere near spinning props when you are catching.
It's easy, it's safe and sometimes it's the only option available.
And after trying it, many users hand catch rather than land even when they are in a sutable location for landing.

nigelw Posted at 2016-3-13 09:16
You failed to understand the question.  I fully understand the danger you're referring to, what I  ...

"Just because there's risk involved, doesn't make something stupid.  People do much more dangerous things for a living every day.  Have you ever worked on a construction site? or worked in a factory?  "

He probably never drives on the highway, crosses a street or eats seafood either.

Don't hand launch but always hand catch.

Has anyone tried to hand launch by their self?

I do it once in a while just in case I may need it some day. Then again I practice in ATTI Mode quite often also.

rodger Posted at 2016-3-13 12:59
I do it once in a while just in case I may need it some day. Then again I practice in ATTI Mode quit ...

How does the Phantom handle in ATTI mode I've not had the nerve to use it yet! Despite being happy to fly from a boat!!

MYC Posted at 2016-3-14 13:46
How does the Phantom handle in ATTI mode I've not had the nerve to use it yet! Despite being happy ...

Go in a big field & try it.  If you don't, there's a good chance you'll lose your Phantom one day.  It's a piece of piss (if you're expecting it).

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-12 11:52
I believe it, you don't seem like the brightest bulb,

I've literally seen hundreds if not thousands of intelligent contributions on here which show how bright of a bulb his is.  What is your contribution?

Need a new ad campaign.

ryan209 Posted at 2016-3-14 10:26
I've literally seen hundreds if not thousands of intelligent contributions on here which show h ...

I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-3-15 05:06
I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish

That's too bad, You obviously don't handle English real well either.

ryan209 Posted at 2016-3-14 18:09
That's too bad, You obviously don't handle English real well either.

English is a second language for me.

Anderjon Posted at 2016-3-12 07:43
I once stared directly at the sun.

That's OK.  I hand catch my Phantom while looking directly into the sun and holding a pair of scissors.

MYC Posted at 2016-3-14 09:46
How does the Phantom handle in ATTI mode I've not had the nerve to use it yet! Despite being happy ...

Try it once you are comfortable with flying in GPS Mode. It is a ton of fun and it handles exactly the same as GPS Mode minus the GPS advantage. It is good practice to know how to handle the Phantom without the GPS in case something happens and you lose that mode. You will notice the difference in a Hover without using the sticks. It will drift a bit without the GPS especially if it is a windy day. Under power there is no difference in the handling of the Phantom. I was nervous my first time in ATTI but the fear left in a few minutes of practice. I do it all the time now. It feels good to know that you are the one flying the Phantom.