Can I gaffer tape the Downward Vision and/or Infrared Sensing system's bottom sensors somehow to selectively disable Landing Protection but still preserve as much of their functions as possible?

I want to hand grab by fingers the hovering Mavic 3 from below (like holding a paper plane). It is impossible because of the Landing Protection can not be disabled, unlike in Mavic 2 Pro where this method works great.

not sure how the tape works but please check this:  

05:13
How does he make the drone not going up upon approaching with hand from below?

I want to grab a hovering drone from below instead of landing a moving drone on a stationary palm. The former gives much better control.

Did you ask a very similar question on mavicpilots?
https://mavicpilots.com/threads/ ... -of-landing.134041/
Grab by hand while hovering as a way of landing.
The paper airplane grip is mentioned in that thread too.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-6 11:15
Did you ask a very similar question on mavicpilots?
https://mavicpilots.com/threads/grab-by-hand-while-hovering-as-a-way-of-landing.134041/
Grab by hand while hovering as a way of landing.

no answer there.

Dirty Bird Posted at 1-6 11:10
Or skip the tape & just land on the ground.  If you don't want to land directly on the ground a 12" square of cardboard can serve as a landing pad.

Question was not about landing options but disabling landing protection for hand grabbing hovering drone.

Don't know if this would work for the Mavic3, as it has more sensors than the Mini3Pro (for which it works) Switch to sports mode before trying to grab it.

Blériot53 Posted at 1-6 11:54
Don't know if this would work for the Mavic3, as it has more sensors than the Mini3Pro (for which it works) Switch to sports mode before trying to grab it.

Tried. Aircraft still moves up from hover position upon approaching from below.

djiuser_PvNSuz4JK8bY Posted at 1-6 12:00
Tried. Aircraft still moves up from hover position upon approaching from below.

Ok. It was just a thought.

djiuser_PvNSuz4JK8bY Posted at 1-6 11:06
05:13  How does he make the drone not going up upon approaching with hand from below?

Transcript of the subtitles from 4:48

4:48 say hey i tried grabbing it out of the
4:50 air and the drone kind of took off well
4:52 it's doing what it's supposed to do
4:53 until you engage landing now as an
4:56 example like i said if you try to grab
4:58 the drone or move it
4:59 the drone is actually trying to just
5:01 maintain its hover but you're the one
5:03 that's actually interrupting it so if i
5:05 move the drone around just push it
5:08 around it's actually trying to just
5:11 maintain hover so if you just go in
5:12 there and grab it
5:15 it's going to fight you
5:17 it's going to fight you because you have
5:19 an engaged landing now in order for it
5:21 to not fight you what you want to do is
5:23 engage landing the same way if you were
5:24 to land your drone on the ground you're
5:27 going to be doing the same thing with
5:28 your hand now what exactly does that
5:30 mean well if you've ever tried landing
5:32 your drone on the ground and you press
5:34 that left stick down the drone will go
5:37 down and once it senses the ground it'll
5:39 actually pause
5:41 and then when you keep holding that left
5:43 stick down it'll then continue to land
5:45 you're forcing it or telling the drone
5:47 that it's a safe place to land when
5:49 you're holding that lipstick down so the
5:51 same thing happens here when you're
5:52 using your hand let me show you a quick
5:54 example so if i just put my hand
5:55 underneath the drone
5:58 it will automatically raise 6:00 as though there's an obstacle below it
6:02 or you're

Dirty Bird Posted at 1-6 11:10
Or skip the tape & just land on the ground.  If you don't want to land directly on the ground a 12" square of cardboard can serve as a landing pad.

Love how your assumption is that there is ground around those who are hand catching. The times I need to catch a drone are typically when I'm in a boat filming something at sea - there's no luxury of a nice solid ground to land on, let alone much room to stand sometimes.

I also don't want to damage someone's yacht or RIB landing on the deck, which the landing protection makes a million times harder to achieve.

The Phantom 4, Inspire series were a dream to hand catch on a boat by comparision to all the newer drones with this ridiculous landing system.

Dirty Bird Posted at 1-6 13:22
I have landed a drone in small boats.

Nice. Try landing a drone on the ground on a beach, rainforest, rocky hillside, swamp, desert sand, snow, mud....

It IS possible. Just bring the drone down to your hand, as has been suggested many times. If you insist on reaching up and grabbing it, please post  photos when things go wrong.

Can I gaffer tape the Downward Vision and/or Infrared Sensing system's bottom sensors somehow to selectively disable Landing Protection but still preserve as much of their functions as possible?

Why don't you just try it and see?

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-6 14:56
Can I gaffer tape the Downward Vision and/or Infrared Sensing system's bottom sensors somehow to selectively disable Landing Protection but still preserve as much of their functions as possible?

Why don't you just try it and see?

Will do. Was trying to see if someone has ever done it and/or it may interfere with other flight functions

Mobilehomer Posted at 1-6 14:23
It IS possible. Just bring the drone down to your hand, as has been suggested many times. If you insist on reaching up and grabbing it, please post  photos when things go wrong.

Very simple. Grabbing the M3 while hovering like the M2P with landing protection disabled. Either it is not possible or no one here is able to spell out how it can be done.

djiuser_PvNSuz4JK8bY Posted at 1-6 15:38
Will do. Was trying to see if someone has ever done it and/or it may interfere with other flight functions

I do not doubt  that it will interfere with other flight functions.
If you launch BEFORE the drone gets sufficient satellites then I expect the drone will go straight into ATTI and whilst GPS is deficient the drone will have no position holding or braking and you will have to manually make ALL the commands required to maintain horizontal position and direction of travel.I also suspect that the drone will not, automatically, slow its descent as it gets near the ground, you will have to control descent speed.
I also suspect you will not have access to precision landing.
I tried this once AND ONLY ONCE with a mavic 2 and did not like the results.

What is your objection to descending it into your hand?

djiuser_PvNSuz4JK8bY Posted at 1-6 15:45
Very simple. Grabbing the M3 while hovering like the M2P with landing protection disabled. Either it is not possible or no one here is able to spell out how it can be done.

You were told, in at least posts #32 & #36 of the Mavicpilots thread, how to grab the drone and, using the throttle, stop the motors and of the necessity to keep you hand still once you have captured the drone.
During the grab you just have to move quickly enough to beat the sensors and the drone's climb away from your hand and therein lies the risk, you will over reach and put your fingers into the path of the props.
You were also told of the snatch and twist approach.
As far as I can see every one of you question have been answered.

If you insist on grabbing the drone it will fight you and you have been told how to deal with that.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-6 16:12
You were told, in at least posts #32 & #36 of the Mavicpilots thread, how to grab the drone and, using the throttle, stop the motors and of the necessity to keep you hand still once you have captured the drone.
During the grab you just have to move quickly enough to beat the sensors and the drone's climb away from your hand and therein lies the risk, you will over reach and put your fingers into the path of the props.
You were also told of the snatch and twist approach.

You are incorrect. The posts you are pointing to do not explain how to grab a hovering drone.

They explaining how to move a drone onto your palm or fingers. It is quite different if a car hits you or you hit a car.

from post #32
if waiting for the drone making its slow descent onto your palm is not a viable option for you then the only other alternative is to bring the drone close to you, grab it from underneath with one hand, and hold the throttle stick down with the other hand until the motors stop.

from post #36
Once you grab it, just hold it steady while turning off the props on the remote.

from post #37
And to be specific, I grab it coming up from behind it, not below like I’d would normally land it on my hand,



obviously the posters of #32 and #37 differ a bit but really one needs to read the thread to get a proper understanding of those quotes

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-6 16:43
from post #32
if waiting for the drone making its slow descent onto your palm is not a viable option for you then the only other alternative is to bring the drone close to you, grab it from underneath with one hand, and hold the throttle stick down with the other hand until the motors stop.

32, 36 totally irrelevant.
37 understands the question, but does not provide details to replicate his approach, neither is anywhere close to how easily and safely one can do with MP2.

This may be an expensive option but you can get the a good idea to land on hands without risk.

Even in sport mode, the down sensor is not disabled at the moment of landing.


https://www.phantomrain.org/product-page/lunar-landing-pads-mavic

djiuser_PvNSuz4JK8bY Posted at 1-6 16:53
32, 36 totally irrelevant.
37 understands the question, but does not provide details to replicate his approach, neither is anywhere close to how easily and safely one can do with MP2.

The Mavic 3 AIN'T  a MP2, bigger and more powerful.

The Saint Posted at 1-6 10:41
not sure how the tape works but please check this:  https://youtu.be/XRV94Gr-Feg

Nice tip.   I didn’t k ow about this method.

Hand grabbing is possible if you are quick.    If the sensors are like the mavic 2 then if you cover them it doesn't like to descend.   I covered them once by mistake and had a hard job getting it down.  

Dirty Bird Posted at 1-6 13:57
I have landed in just about all of those environments.  Like I said, it takes a 12" square of space or material to make a suitable landing pad.  I enjoy the challenge of a successful landing.  It's 1/3rd of the overall flight experience.

You probably came to a stop in calm waters and had a nice flat deck to land on.

Typically I'm filming a sailing race from a RIB as we're bouncing all over from the swell in a boat with other photographers and support crew all vying for space. There is no option to land on a deck because there isn't any space and the conditions would lead to a loss of drone.

CloudVisual Posted at 1-6 13:14
Love how your assumption is that there is ground around those who are hand catching. The times I need to catch a drone are typically when I'm in a boat filming something at sea - there's no luxury of a nice solid ground to land on, let alone much room to stand sometimes.

I also don't want to damage someone's yacht or RIB landing on the deck, which the landing protection makes a million times harder to achieve.

You tube is littered with phantoms crashed on boats, no drones on boats are easy. But it helps if you have someone who can help, in fact professionally I would say it’s a necessity and If you’re shooting professionally preparing a risk assessment would be impossible. We survey offshore wind turbines from a tug and we would not be allowed do it on our own insurance would be impossible.

Privately I have flown DJI drones at sea on our own boat “rib” it’s almost impossible to land on a deck so you have no choice but to hand catch . Phantoms were better for those not used to drones and drone catching but it was always better to have two people even with those drones. I would say the risk for most is high flying mavic at sea on your own It’s much lower with two.

That’s an 8.5 metre rib below with a fairly large deck and I can tell you it was a lot easier hand catching the AIR 2, but not easy than trying to land safely. And it was fairly calm but the sea still moves very fast on the middle two hours of tide.

djiuser_PvNSuz4JK8bY Posted at 1-6 15:45
Very simple. Grabbing the M3 while hovering like the M2P with landing protection disabled. Either it is not possible or no one here is able to spell out how it can be done.

You’re are basically just grabbing it. That’s it , you can basically try sneaking up on the sensors quickly but it’s not easy and it takes practice. Taping sensors try it but if tape becomes loose and starts flapping around it could make aircraft unstable. If you can use a helper its very simple that way.

"Youtube is littered with phantoms crashed on boats..."

And that's even accounting for the fact that Phantoms are much easier to handcatch due to their long legs acting as great grab handles.  The Mavic-style drones have no such legs and thus are far more difficult to snatch out of the air.

This is a classic video demonstration.  In that last shot starting at about 4:30, after everybody  else missed snagging the drone, the helmsman makes a one-handed save.  But if  he hadn't been wearing that heavy rain suit, he would certainly  have suffered serious wrist lacerations from the razor sharp propeller  blades.  At least he was smart enough to hold it far away from his  face until the motors stopped.  Yeeesh!

"I want to hand grab by fingers the hovering Mavic 3 from below (like holding a paper plane). It is impossible because the Landing Protection can not be disabled,"

You need to be clearer on exactly what you're trying to accomplish.  


Are you attempting to:

• "Land" the Mavic by grabbing it out of the air until the motors stop?
• Or grab it momentarily while it's hovering, and then release it to continue flying?
  

It would help if you could explain more about the details of your problem and why none of the solutions presented above are applicable to your situation.

Zbip57 Posted at 1-8 08:33
"I want to hand grab by fingers the hovering Mavic 3 from below (like holding a paper plane). It is impossible because the Landing Protection can not be disabled,"

You need to be clearer on exactly what you're trying to accomplish.  

He has been perfectly clear, he wants to LAND the drone. He doesn't, however. want to listen to common sense and experience. He has posted this same on Mavic Pilots, with the same rejected advice.

Love how we're being told it's impossible. I probably hand catch 80% of all landings, it's actually easier and quicker.

I HATE landing protection, but you can still hand catch it fairly simply. On a boat is a different story.

Anyway, here's yours truly, on a shoot in London.

CloudVisual Posted at 1-8 11:07
Love how we're being told it's impossible. I probably hand catch 80% of all landings, it's actually easier and quicker.

I HATE landing protection, but you can still hand catch it fairly simply. On a boat is a different story.

He doesn't want to land it in his hand, he wants to reach up and grab it like you would hold a paper airplane. Between thomb and two fingers. On a boat. He HAS been told many times, here and Mavic Pilots, to land it as in your video. He doesn't listen.

Mobilehomer Posted at 1-8 11:15
He doesn't want to land it in his hand, he wants to reach up and grab it like you would hold a paper airplane. Between thomb and two fingers. On a boat.

So, exactly like I did in that video? That's the same way I do it on a boat.

CloudVisual Posted at 1-8 11:16
So, exactly like I did in that video? That's the same way I do it on a boat.

No, you did exactly as has been explained to him many times. He does NOT want to land it like that, he wants to reach up grab it.

Mobilehomer Posted at 1-8 10:46
He has been perfectly clear, he wants to LAND the drone. He doesn't, however. want to listen to common sense and experience. He has posted this same on Mavic Pilots, with the same rejected advice.

Actually, what he said is, "I want to grab a hovering drone from below instead of landing a moving drone on a stationary palm."

That's what I'm questioning.  It's not at all clear what he's trying to do.  Why does he want to grab it if the intent is not to land?

If the intent actually is to land, then all of the above advice makes sense.  But if he just wants to grab it for fun, nothing makes sense, as that's dangerous.  The moment you grab it, it'll fight you unless you're quick and strong enough to flip it over.


Hold out your hand beneath the drone.  If your hand is closer than 0.5m to the bottom of the drone, the landing protection system will automatically raise the drone to stay at least 0.5m above your hand.  If you keep moving your hand higher to chase it, the drone will keep moving higher.   If that bothers you, simple enough, just hold your hand still anywhere further than 0.5m below the drone and it'll hover and won't climb away from your hand.


Now hold the throttle full down to confirm you want to initiate auto-landing.  The moment it starts descending to land, NOW you can either:

• hold your hand still and wait for it to descend to land on your flat palm, or
• now you can reach up to grab it while it's descending, if that's what you prefer, because once it starts landing it'll no longer jump away to avoid your hand.
  

Zbip57 Posted at 1-8 11:38
Actually, what he said is, "I want to grab a hovering drone from below instead of landing a moving drone on a stationary palm."

That's what I'm questioning.  It's not at all clear what he's trying to do.  Why does he want to grab it if the intent is not to land?

To clarify, he does NOT want to use stick down to land. He wants to hover and grab from below.

Mobilehomer Posted at 1-8 11:18
No, you did exactly as has been explained to him many times. He does NOT want to land it like that, he wants to reach up grab it.

And in both threads he has been told that if he grabs the drone in the air the drone will fight him and he must hold his hand still and close the throttle and hold it closed until the motors stop. ......... Though Zbip57 raises a good point, that if he starts the final descent into a hand landing he might be able to grab it without it fighting him.

I have tried the "grab and flip" with my 2S just to learn. I would not try that with a Mavic 3, too powerful.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-8 11:55
And in both threads he has been told that if he grabs the drone in the air the drone will fight him and he must hold his hand still and close the throttle and hold it closed until the motors stop. ......... Though Zbip57 raises a good point, that if he starts the final descent into a hand landing he could grab it without it fighting him.

It won't fight him if he keeps the throttle down and doesn't obstruct the sensor. You didn't see the drone try and fly upwards when I caught it.

Hovering it with your hand below and then instructing it to land is just stupid. Just do it in one swoop and it's done.

As for flipping it upside down to turn the motors off; I personally don't agree with doing this as a habitual thing.