(Edited/Updated)

I have taken off from moving boats many times in the past with my previous drones (Matrice210, Inspire 2, Mavic2, MavicPro, Air2S, Phantom4, Phantom3, Wookong...).

However, now when I try to take off with the Mavic3Pro from a slowly moving boat (3 knots), I am getting the message "Aircraft Movement detected - Cannot take off". Actually, I get this message by just walking at a high pace on land with it on my hand (test it yourself!). Once I stop the boat, it allows the take off. The problem is that I also must operate on large ships, and in this case I cannot ask it to stop.

* I always hand launch and catch it with the sensors off. It was on the deck just for the picture.  
This "feature" is not documented in the manual and was not mentioned in any firmware update. I wrote DJI support asking more info about this (specifically which drones have this block now) but they responded that none of their drones support operations on boats/ships (Prosumer or Enterprise).

* I just tested my Air2S and now it is also blocked to take off when it detects movement (walking at high pace or faster). I did operate the Air2S on a moving ship in 2022 so this was probably implemented quietly in one of the firmware updates. I am currently on v02.04.2500.


Is anyone successfully taking off from moving boats with the Mavic3 or Air2S with the latest firmware? You can also test this by walking at a high pace with the drone on your hand and check if the top status bar will become red with the movement detected message.

Hi, there. We are sorry for any inconvenience casued, may we reconfirm if you contacted us via ticket #675664? If yes, please let me know, and we will ask the team to help with your issue ASAP, rest assured.

Hand launch it and land it. That's the best way from a boat. I have done it a ton from boats like this little V bottom in huge waves. It's the only way to do it safely.

Johnnokomis Posted at 1-24 19:15
Hand launch it and land it. That's the best way from a boat. I have done it a ton from boats like this little V bottom in huge waves. It's the only way to do it safely. [view_image]

Yes, I always hand launch it and land it. It was on the deck just for the picture. Even on my hand, the Mavic3 shows the red message "movement detected - cannot take off".

Are you flying from moving boats with the Mavic3 or other drone? I only have this problem with the Mavic3, all others works.

LFLots Posted at 1-25 02:28
Yes, I always hand launch it and land it. It was on the deck just for the picture. Even on my hand, the Mavic3 shows the red message "movement detected - cannot take off".

Are you flying from moving boats with the Mavic3 or other drone? I only have this problem with the Mavic3, all others works.

Yes this was with a Mavic 3 Pro and an M3E. If the drone isn't perfectly level when you start the motors they'll sometimes go to full speed instantly and require you to stop them and restart. Which can sometimes be tricky on a rocking boat. I've never seen the message that you're describing though. It could have been added with a recent firmware update.

I have a Mavic 3.
Launched numerous times from boats and slightly moving jetties. I've never experienced the message you have noted. Is it maybe to do with your software version?

DJI Natalia Posted at 1-24 18:40
Hi, there. We are sorry for any inconvenience casued, may we reconfirm if you contacted us via ticket #675664? If yes, please let me know, and we will ask the team to help with your issue ASAP, rest assured.

Hi Natalia,

When I searched for the ticked number I ended up finding DJI response on my spam box. My mistake. I am sorry for saying they did not respond, they were actually very considerate. The ticket is #5402136.

However, the response was not very encouraging, as I quote: "all of the enterprise series drones are not designed for the sea mission. (...) We are sorry for the sea work we don't have any suggestions and solutions for now." I got a similar response regarding the consumer line (Mavir/Air) from the consumer team.  

I am not sure if that was just a corporate/legal response to not recommend sea operations as they are risky, or if they really mean that all new drones have this protection/limitation that blocks the take off if it detects horizontal movement.

I asked them to clarify this, but I got a new response explaining the risk that the return to home would not work because the ship is moving, but did not address the take off issue.

Today I just sent a new email asking very specifically which drones have this protetion/limitation to block take off if it detects horizontal movement. Let's see what response I will get.

It is worth noting that this protecion/limitation is not mentioned on the manual.

Yesterday I tested the Air2S again and to my surprise it is also blocked now. Since I have previously operated it on ships, this protection/limitation might have been quietly implemented on a firmware update. I have the latest firmware on it.

Johnnokomis Posted at 1-25 04:25
Yes this was with a Mavic 3 Pro and an M3E. If the drone isn't perfectly level when you start the motors they'll sometimes go to full speed instantly and require you to stop them and restart. Which can sometimes be tricky on a rocking boat. I've never seen the message that you're describing though. It could have been added with a recent firmware update.

Thank you for following on this. It is very helpful.

Yesterday I did some new test that can be easily replicated if you could.

Test #1: I put the Mavic3Pro on a base tilted about 20 degrees. It had no problem to take off smoothly, so I don't think it has to be perfectly level.

Test #2: I held the Mavic3Pro in my hand and sarted moving it smoothly up and down and tilting it left and right (about 20 degrees to each side) for a few seconds, to simulate a boat standing on the sea (I understand this is not perfect, but very indicative). I got no error messages and was able to take off normally while doing this. So although this kind of movement is bad and sometimes can cause IMU error, specially during startup calibration, that is another issue and a different message.

Test #3: I held the Mavic3Pro as steady as possible, walked at a high pace for 5-10 meters, then  status bar turned RED with the message "Aircraft Moviment Detected" and I could not start the motors. This is the issue I am getting on moving boats.

I repeated the test #3 with my Air2S and to my surprise it also blocks the take off now. Since I have previously operated this on ships, I believe this was quietly implemented on a firmware update.

Test #4: I turned on the Mavic3Pro while walking at a fast pace, and started the motors as soon as it allowed, before it was able to detect the movement, and on this case I experienced what you mentioned as the motors were instantly to full speed. I held it and disabled the motors, not sure how it would have taken off.  

Test #5: I covered front part of the top of the Mavic3Pro with my hand, blocking the GPS, then walked at a high pace for 5-10 meters... it worked! No error message, since it did not know its position and horizontal speed, just orange status bar saying "take off without gps", which is exactely what you want when taking off from boats (basically the ATTI mode of the Inspire2 and older models). This is probably the SOLUTION because when you take your hand off (to clear the props) it takes a few seconts to re-lock the satelites, and in this meantime you can take off. I just didn't because it was very cumbersome to do this alone, but my colleage will come when it stops raining so we can test this on land and then on the boat.

I always just put the mavic3 in sports mode to take off from a back of a moving truck or boat to by-pass the downward sensors, , that has always been my work around

Ms Ivy Posted at 1-26 06:46
I always just put the mavic3 in sports mode to take off from a back of a moving truck or boat to by-pass the downward sensors, , that has always been my work around

I always just put the mavic3 in sports mode to take off from a back of a moving truck or boat to by-pass the downward sensors, , that has always been my work around
You got a few things wrong there.
The downward sensors aren't the problem, they can't detect motion before the drone is launched.
Sport Mode disables the obstacle avoidance sensors but not the downward sensors.
You can disable the downward sensors in current firmware.
You cannot change flight modes before takeoff.
No mater what position the Flight Mode switch is in, the drone will always be in Normal Mode when you takeoff.

Labroides Posted at 1-26 12:45
I always just put the mavic3 in sports mode to take off from a back of a moving truck or boat to by-pass the downward sensors, , that has always been my work around
You got a few things wrong there.
The downward sensors aren't the problem, they can't detect motion before the drone is launched.

I had always had trouble taking off from the back of the fire truck and the only solution was either stop the truck or select sports mode & then we had no problem lift off
and yes it does start in normal even in sports mode. . But with sports mode selected we are able to take off when the truck is moving during flood S&R  it was the only way to launch with people on the truck as it was moving hand launching . and you maybe are more than welcome to try it yourself.

i do not have a mavic 3 pro my is just the 2 camera m3

Ms Ivy Posted at 1-26 15:00
I had always had trouble taking off from the back of the fire truck and the only solution was either stop the truck or select sports mode & then we had no problem lift off
and yes it does start in normal even in sports mode. . But with sports mode selected we are able to take off when the truck is moving during flood S&R  it was the only way to launch with people on the truck as it was moving hand launching . and you maybe are more than welcome to try it yourself.

But with sports mode selected we are able to take off when the truck is moving during flood S&R  it was the only way to launch with people on the truck as it was moving hand launching .

1.  Having the drone in Sport Mode won't make any difference to motion sensing.
2.  Your drone won't be in Sport Mode when you launch - you have to select Sport Mode after launching

Labroides Posted at 1-26 16:13
But with sports mode selected we are able to take off when the truck is moving during flood S&R  it was the only way to launch with people on the truck as it was moving hand launching .

1.  Having the drone in Sport Mode won't make any difference to motion sensing.

I haven't tried it lately but sports mode was the only way we could hand launch  and land on the back of the moving truck last spring during the floods . what was that about 8 months ago so  any new updates may have changed that.
I have not flown off the back of the EMS truck since the floods last spring. so I have had no need to try it since.   But up until Last June this was the only way you could hand launch or land  off the back off the moving EMS truck.  

That has been my experience and what worked for me.    because last spring we could not launch or hand catch the M3 off the ems truck when it was moving unless we switched to sports mode to shut off the downward sensors so we could hand launch or hand catch . other wise we had to stop the truck.  again that was my experience to resolve that issue of flying off the back of moving firetruck during the floods.  there has been a bunch of updates since , So  please don't take my word for it . try it yourself or not I don't care one way or another .

I have never had any problem taking off while on anything moving, regardless of what mode I was in. Except for the motors jumping to full speed sometimes. I believe it is because the drone thinks it's unlevel and is fighting to correct itself. For hand landing it I go to sports mode to do it even if I'm standing on solid ground.

Johnnokomis Posted at 1-26 17:21
I have never had any problem taking off while on anything moving, regardless of what mode I was in. Except for the motors jumping to full speed sometimes. I believe it is because the drone thinks it's unlevel and is fighting to correct itself. For hand landing it I go to sports mode to do it even if I'm standing on solid ground.

if I remember right I think the big issue we were having was trying to hand catch the m3 during landing when we were driving through the flood waters and that was what  prompted us to go to sports mode.to be able to hand catch and after that we just used sports mode for launching as well.

Ms Ivy Posted at 1-26 19:34
if I remember right I think the big issue we were having was trying to hand catch the m3 during landing when we were driving through the flood waters and that was what  prompted us to go to sports mode.to be able to hand catch and after that we just used sports mode for launching as well.

after that we just used sports mode for launching as well.
What you are saying still makes no sense.
You cannot launch in any mode other than Normal Mode.

Labroides Posted at 1-26 19:49
after that we just used sports mode for launching as well.
What you are saying still makes no sense.
You cannot launch in any mode other than Normal Mode.

what ever dude!

SOLVED.

Today with the help of a colleage holding/moving the drone, I was able to use both hands to hold the control and look at the screen. After it blocks the motor start due to movement detected, another message comes up saying that "Taking off from a moving surface may lead to a colision. Continue?". Only when you accept it will let you start the motors.

I did not see this messagem when I was operating alone, because I had the drone on one hand and the control hanging upside down with the harness from my neck, so that I could do the CSC command with the other hand, but I could not see the screen. So the drone would not start the motors with several attempts, because it was waiting for my agreement to the colision risk.

Thanks for all the inputs.

LFLots Posted at 1-28 17:47
SOLVED.

Today with the help of a colleage holding/moving the drone, I was able to use both hands to hold the control and look at the screen. After it blocks the motor start due to movement detected, another message comes up saying that "Taking off from a moving surface may lead to a colision. Continue?". Only when you accept it will let you start the motors.

The warning requiring a response from you is similar to the behaviour during a low light warning when flying indoors and perhaps out doors.