This is probably going to be one of my misguided attempts at posting.  But nevertheless, here we go....

My MA2 took this "unauthorized" clip of me while I was trying to land it in the boat. I find at least 6 things that are wrong or curious in the photo. Can you do the same...or maybe find more? Don't be afraid to insult me. I am very used to it and won't take offense ;-)

1) You're not wearing a life preserver.  2) There's no hottie in the front with her top off.  3)  There's no safety observer to watch for other boats while you fly.  4)  You don't have the neck strap around your neck so you can hand land the drone thereby protecting your precious seat covers.  5)  The blue strap around your left arm is cutting off circulation.  6)  You're not wearing your gloves so you don't cut your fingers again making a hand landing.  7) You pushed the shutter button when you meant to push the RTH button to prevent the drone from landing into your precious seat covers.  8)  As a result of 7, you now have unwanted cuts in your precious seat covers.  9)  You're now glad you didn't bring the hottie as you wouldn't have wanted her to see a grown man cry.

1/Wrist band should go on wrist
2/Landing craft you should always face away from operator, insuring left is left, forward is forward etc...
3/Lanyard should go around your neck not your ba/ls
4/There is no auto photo on Air2
5/Looking in the mirror, it kind of looks like Air2 is sitting on back seat.

#2 is one you should really pay attention to as its not difficult to fly drone into your face.
Tip try practice flying with tail (rear) of craft at all times facing you !!!

Excellent for you both. I did forget about pointing the drone away from me. This was just a frame from the video, not a still. The band around my arm was a bandage from a blood draw earlier in the day at the doctors office. I was in a hurry to get the boat in the water so forgot to lose it. Neck strap was indeed useless at that point. Not sure why I took it off or when. Good eye about the mirror. It's the shadow of the drone on the rear seat. By the way, no using RTH in a boat...unless it's at the dock.

At least two more.....

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 06:02
Excellent for you both. I did forget about pointing the drone away from me. This was just a frame from the video, not a still. The band around my arm was a bandage from a blood draw earlier in the day at the doctors office. I was in a hurry to get the boat in the water so forgot to lose it. Neck strap was indeed useless at that point. Not sure why I took it off or when. Good eye about the mirror. It's the shadow of the drone on the rear seat. By the way, no using RTH in a boat...unless it's at the dock.

At least two more.....

I used to point the drone away from me when I had the Spark and only front obstacle clearance sensors just to avoid setting off the alert and having it pause in flight, but now with both front and back there's really no reason to...I can fly perfectly well with it pointed at me.

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 06:02
Excellent for you both. I did forget about pointing the drone away from me. This was just a frame from the video, not a still. The band around my arm was a bandage from a blood draw earlier in the day at the doctors office. I was in a hurry to get the boat in the water so forgot to lose it. Neck strap was indeed useless at that point. Not sure why I took it off or when. Good eye about the mirror. It's the shadow of the drone on the rear seat. By the way, no using RTH in a boat...unless it's at the dock.

At least two more.....

The boat engine is running???  Although I don't see that as an issue.

Rustic17 Posted at 7-26 06:27
The boat engine is running???  Although I don't see that as an issue.

Yes it is. And you are correct, not an issue.

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 06:02
Excellent for you both. I did forget about pointing the drone away from me. This was just a frame from the video, not a still. The band around my arm was a bandage from a blood draw earlier in the day at the doctors office. I was in a hurry to get the boat in the water so forgot to lose it. Neck strap was indeed useless at that point. Not sure why I took it off or when. Good eye about the mirror. It's the shadow of the drone on the rear seat. By the way, no using RTH in a boat...unless it's at the dock.

At least two more.....

When I said RTH button I was refering to the function of Pause...my go to button to push when panic is about to set in...like landing on the seat covers.

Your Watersense on the right side is not on... The boat in the top right has just avoided a collision.

(irony off)

Rustic17 Posted at 7-26 06:38
When I said RTH button I was refering to the function of Pause...my go to button to push when panic is about to set in...like landing on the seat covers.

Most people use left to go left right to go right forward to go forward and back to go backward, it is also the natural way our brain thinks. And while you may be proficient in flying your drone opposite to what’s natural it’s most likely a learned trait. So when teaching people to fly drones it’s always good to teach a correct and safe way to fly and control. In passing my commercial license we were required to fly and maneuver the drone on a mission of 300m from take off to landing with rear of drone always facing the operator.
And in close quarters this is always the safest way to fly drone under control .

Whatever the 'issues' in the selfie are - I will say you look like a man who is enjoying life Sir and good for you

I can only think life jacket and kill cord, in Ireland life jacket must be worn on all boats above 6m before getting on the boat and until you have left the boat safely. Maybe different in the US.


These are boats we use off northwest coast of Ireland Atlantic.

hallmark007 Posted at 7-26 08:07
I can only think life jacket and kill cord, in Ireland life jacket must be worn on all boats above 6m before getting on the boat and until you have left the boat safely. Maybe different in the US.

No personal floatation devices are require to be worn anywhere in the US as far as I know, except for children. We are required to carry at least one for each person on board. Kill cords are not required except on personal watercraft (jet-ski). I normally use one but I had to unhook it to get out from behind the wheel without stalling the engine. Each state in the US controls the recreational laws for some stupid reason. And as for law enforcement, you guys all have still missed a good one ;-)

hallmark007 Posted at 7-26 07:44
Most people use left to go left right to go right forward to go forward and back to go backward, it is also the natural way our brain thinks. And while you may be proficient in flying your drone opposite to what’s natural it’s most likely a learned trait. So when teaching people to fly drones it’s always good to teach a correct and safe way to fly and control. In passing my commercial license we were required to fly and maneuver the drone on a mission of 300m from take off to landing with rear of drone always facing the operator.
And in close quarters this is always the safest way to fly drone under control .

I totally agree.  There are still many times where you want to do a modified dronie and include yourself or your surroundings in the video.  In fact, probably 50% of my videos are of the area I'm located at.  In these cases, the drone is facing me.  It is a learned trait, but in my opinion all drone pilots should strive to be proficient in both nose on and tail on flying.  I would have thought your test would have included nose on you flying...it's much more challenging and a truer test of piloting skills, in my opinion.

Rustic17 Posted at 7-26 08:44
I totally agree.  There are still many times where you want to do a modified dronie and include yourself or your surroundings in the video.  In fact, probably 50% of my videos are of the area I'm located at.  In these cases, the drone is facing me.  It is a learned trait, but in my opinion all drone pilots should strive to be proficient in both nose on and tail on flying.  I would have thought your test would have included nose on you flying...it's much more challenging and a truer test of piloting skills, in my opinion.

Yes but safety is what everything is about, there are skill tests flying front on but safety should not be compromised, just because you choose to operate safely does not mean you can’t fly front on, it just means you are continually lowering the risk of accidents, and that has to be positive.

You don't have on a life vest, and you appear to be alone**.  Your choice....


** Normally nice boats are accompanied by Hotties in floss bikinis...

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 06:30
Yes it is. And you are correct, not an issue.

That one I will question.
I have seen a guy slip, and knock a boats throttle forward, causing (older cabin) boat to lunge.  Nobody hurt, but very close call.

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 08:36
No personal floatation devices are require to be worn anywhere in the US as far as I know, except for children. We are required to carry at least one for each person on board. Kill cords are not required except on personal watercraft (jet-ski). I normally use one but I had to unhook it to get out from behind the wheel without stalling the engine. Each state in the US controls the recreational laws for some stupid reason. And as for law enforcement, you guys all have still missed a good one ;-)

Really believe in Kill switches with cords.  Having been thrown from a small boat with outboard motor.
Boat circled, forcing me to ditch life vest, and dive as boat went right over me.
Before boat went out again, added mine own kill switch to outboard with decent self-coiling cord.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 7-26 09:27
That one I will question.
I have seen a guy slip, and knock a boats throttle forward, causing (older cabin) boat to lunge.  Nobody hurt, but very close call.

Pretty hard to do that in this boat. You would have to pull up on the latch in the handle while simultaneously pushing the handle forwards or backwards. I suppose it is technically possible but extremely hard to do by accident. On this rig, you could hit it with a big hammer and not move it without releasing the latch.

Still missing it...and it's right in the middle too ;-)

Dirty Bird Posted at 7-26 10:04
It is difficult to teach someone to fly an RC if they can't spatially visualize themselves inside the aircraft.  They can squeak by flying a drone as they can release the sticks to pause & orient, or go to the FPV view.  Flying a fixed wing without this ability is virtually impossible & a crash waiting to happen.

I guess my experiences in fixed wing have helped some in my drone flying.

Dirty Bird Posted at 7-26 10:04
It is difficult to teach someone to fly an RC if they can't spatially visualize themselves inside the aircraft.  They can squeak by flying a drone as they can release the sticks to pause & orient, or go to the FPV view.  Flying a fixed wing without this ability is virtually impossible & a crash waiting to happen.

Not sure about that, but I know many gamers use controls almost opposite they way we use mode2 so many of them choose other modes or find mode2 strange. Plenty of videos of people thinking forward push on the left stick facing the controller will make the the drone go away from the controller rather than through the controller.

Dirty Bird Posted at 7-26 10:07
So if I boarded the Queen Mary II in Ireland bound for New York I'd have to wearca life jacket the entire voyage?

Ha ha, after 13 meter you need life jackets for all passengers on board and 1 life raft per 8 people. I’m not sure if the QE2 would be allowed dock in the Republic of Ireland , but I’m sure if you felt you might drown at the bar they would allow you wear the life jacket, Irish people never drown at bars....;+):::

hallmark007 Posted at 7-26 10:45
Ha ha, after 13 meter you need life jackets for all passengers on board and 1 life raft per 8 people. I’m not sure if the QE2 would be allowed dock in the Republic of Ireland , but I’m sure if you felt you might drown at the bar they would allow you wear the life jacket, Irish people never drown at bars....;+):::

Irish people learn very early how to float on their backs in bars...no life vest needed.

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 06:02
Excellent for you both. I did forget about pointing the drone away from me. This was just a frame from the video, not a still. The band around my arm was a bandage from a blood draw earlier in the day at the doctors office. I was in a hurry to get the boat in the water so forgot to lose it. Neck strap was indeed useless at that point. Not sure why I took it off or when. Good eye about the mirror. It's the shadow of the drone on the rear seat. By the way, no using RTH in a boat...unless it's at the dock.

At least two more.....

You can always update the Home Point periodically while flying. In fact, I wish you could assign that function to the Fn button.

MisterFrag Posted at 7-26 11:30
You can always update the Home Point periodically while flying. In fact, I wish you could assign that function to the Fn button.

Sure you can do that, but within seconds of drifting with the tide or wind, that point is useless.

It's still good enough to bring the drone into your proximity if the connection is lost. And if the connection can't be re-established for some reason, you might be able to maneuver the boat under the drone before it takes a dip.

DJI Fly really needs dynamic home point support.

MisterFrag Posted at 7-26 12:45
It's still good enough to bring the drone into your proximity if the connection is lost. And if the connection can't be re-established for some reason, you might be able to maneuver the boat under the drone before it takes a dip.

DJI Fly really needs dynamic home point support.

It's easy to lose sight of the drone as you're looking at a blank screen and trying to figure out how to reconnect the RC to the mobile device.  At that point, I guess you could establish an HP to the RC in Menu, hit RTH, and like you said, the MA2 would at least get close to you.  At that point, you wouldn't have to maneuver the boat...just cancel the RTH with the RTH/Pause button and fly it over to you and the boat.

hallmark007 Posted at 7-26 08:07
I can only think life jacket and kill cord, in Ireland life jacket must be worn on all boats above 6m before getting on the boat and until you have left the boat safely. Maybe different in the US.

I think you have it backwards. The rules I found online say that life jackets must be worn by all passengers when the boat is LESS than 23 feet (7m) In length). But even then, you don't have to wear one while being below deck or at anchor.

See paragraph 6: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2005/si/921/made/en/print

The photo is reversed, ??
the insigna on your shirt reads backwards

No, but you are very close. It reads "United States Coast Guard". I served from 1969 to 1975. Since you are the only one to notice the patch, you win the prize, a free beer aboard the boat. And yes it is legal in Florida. Almost illegal to not have one ;-)

Remaining "issues": I am wearing a Greek fisherman's cap and am not Greek. The tablet on the remote is tilted way too far forward. The nav/sonar unit (black) is switched off. I should have been paying some attention to the water depth ;-)

My wife was gonna say your hat doesn't match your shorts...  she's always telling me that so...

Great post.  Nice boat.

Northwood Posted at 7-26 19:07
My wife was gonna say your hat doesn't match your shorts...  she's always telling me that so...

Great post.  Nice boat.

Thank you. My wife gave up doing that about 1 week after our marriage. She quickly recognized that it was useless information to me ;-)

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 19:15
Thank you. My wife gave up doing that about 1 week after our marriage. She quickly recognized that it was useless information to me ;-)

She keeps hiding my oldest t-shirts and sweat pants...  sheesh!    Ah well, its been said before that if it were not for women, us men would still live in caves...

Still she seems to approve of my drone hobby!

Northwood Posted at 7-26 19:46
She keeps hiding my oldest t-shirts and sweat pants...  sheesh!    Ah well, its been said before that if it were not for women, us men would still live in caves...

Still she seems to approve of my drone hobby!

Wife and I got married when were were both geezers (over 60). We know we need our spaces and that works for us. We even have separate but adjacent houses. It's is the literal dream marriage for us both. Her house is immaculate and organized. Mine is the opposite as you might expect ;-)

MisterFrag Posted at 7-26 12:45
It's still good enough to bring the drone into your proximity if the connection is lost. And if the connection can't be re-established for some reason, you might be able to maneuver the boat under the drone before it takes a dip.

DJI Fly really needs dynamic home point support.

Dynamic homepoint can cause just as many problems, yes it will continue to change homepoint but on landing this can not be changed except you can try steering craft which makes steering and correct landing very difficult.

Flying from a boat both landing and take off are were your going to have problems. So if you want to fly safely with your drone from a boat it’s simple and your drone is equipped to do this.
Always fly VLOS and set loss of signal to hover, never let battery go to critical this can easily be achieved if you want to let battery go to low and when Rth Kicks in cancel and fly back .

Although people think DH or reset HP are for use with boats, they are probably the last options you should be using from a boat.

Fly VLOS and use hover for loss of signal is by far the safest option for flying from a boat.

GaryDoug Posted at 7-26 19:51
Wife and I got married when were were both geezers (over 60). We know we need our spaces and that works for us. We even have separate but adjacent houses. It's is the literal dream marriage for us both. Her house is immaculate and organized. Mine is the opposite as you might expect ;-)

Now why didn't I think of that!  Congratulations too.

Thanks guys. I like to start topics that result in a lot of upvotes. I especially like Rustic's post #2. That was great ;-)

By the way, on the subject of landing on a boat, this video kinda stands out in my mind. I really don't think they used the RHT feature there ;-) This has to one of the wildest uses of a DJI drone ever. 30+ knot winds. They were going mostly downwind (broad reach), otherwise the P4P could not have kept up with the boat.

Hi. Thank you for creating this interesting post. I hope that our valued DJI co pilots join and provide the best response to this query. Nice photo and thank you for your valued support.

First thing I noticed is your shirt , Coast Guard!  Thank You Much!  I myself have wrung bit of water out of my socks.  Went Merchant route and ended up on shore Power Engineer. Father spent 30 years in Army, beginning in 66, retired O6 in mid 90's.  I moved around 23 moves with military life before going Maritime Academy.