AG0N-Gary Posted at 2017-3-12 12:03
Find an experienced friend with a Phantom who will help you.  Many drones have been retrieved from roofs, and trees by hooking from above and lifting it out.  Keep a long line on it so the "crane drone" doesn't have to get into the trees.  Careful maneuvering of the hook will possibly allow you to hook the stuck drone and either lift it up and lower it to the ground safely, or at least pull it loose to fall to the ground.  The "damaged arm" appears to have just been folded back.  You can still see it in the partially folded position.

I would do the same but would do a break away at a couple of pounds in case you get the hook stuck on a branch.  May be use a magnet inline that can pull apart?

superjet96 Posted at 2017-3-13 08:01
I would do the same but would do a break away at a couple of pounds in case you get the hook stuck on a branch.  May be use a magnet inline that can pull apart?

Not a bad idea.  Make it strong enough that you can "just" break it apart in case a little jerking is needed to free the Mavic.

Exactly.  You could increase the "break away" strength as needed.  I just picture the rescue drone's hook getting stuck and losing that also.

AG0N-Gary Posted at 2017-3-12 16:33
Don't forget your local power utility.  I live in a rural area and pay a pretty reasonable price to do antenna work in a bucket.  Also, an equipment rental company should have a tow behind basket that you can rent.  They aren't cheap, but you rent it by the hour or day and take it back.  It's just a trailer mounted basket (think bucket) that you park, setup, and ride it up to do your work.  You run it yourself.

I went to visit the place with a woodcutter.  He says it is like 22m (72 feet).
Tomorrow he rent this kind of bucket (used for antenna work, and so on) but it goes "only" to 60 feet and the ground is not safe.  So he can only suggest to chainsaw it or call a very experienced tree climber.

I call tomorrow morning the guy responsible to administrate the forest exploitation and will ask him if I can ask a guy to tree climb

What a f.... story o_O
But actually after only 2h of flight, I already missed it a lot ...  very addictive and beautiful scenery so worth fighting to get it back

The idea to use a second drone with a rope able to break in case, is excellent though
Just that around me, I am the first to buy such a device : don't have friends yet using it
was hoping to convince them ... before this crash story !!

Sounds like you are going down a good path now.

At least you didn't get a drone to remove the drone, and then need a third drone to recover the other two drones.... Just trying to add a little levity to it all.

Check in the regional thread or Craig's List to see if there is anyone else.  Long shot but worth a try.

Supervisor Posted at 2017-3-13 01:15
Depending on locality, it may be illegal to saw a tree.

The fine would probably be waaay less than cost of new drone.  Anyways that was tongue-in-cheek.  My post to to throw/use stone on a string will work 100%...

M_str Posted at 2017-3-13 10:57
I went to visit the place with a woodcutter.  He says it is like 22m (72 feet).
Tomorrow he rent this kind of bucket (used for antenna work, and so on) but it goes "only" to 60 feet and the ground is not safe.  So he can only suggest to chainsaw it or call a very experienced tree climber.

Don't climb it...not worth the risk to the person. Also don't use a 2nd drone- It will get caught and fall.  Use the darn slingshot method to yank on the branches- it will work guaranteed!  Bring enough string for several tries as it may fall to a lower branch and get stuck there, so you'll have to do it again, maybe a few times even BUT IT WILL WORK!

randy.sauder Posted at 2017-3-13 12:38
Don't climb it...not worth the risk to the person. Also don't use a 2nd drone- It will get caught and fall.  Use the darn slingshot method to yank on the branches- it will work guaranteed!  Bring enough string for several tries as it may fall to a lower branch and get stuck there, so you'll have to do it again, maybe a few times even BUT IT WILL WORK!

Somehow I can picture a tree with the Mavic still stuck in it and numerous lengths of string dangling from the branches as each try got stuck in the branches.

rig up a rescue drone with a hook and line....fly it up to hook onto your mavic and pull it out! Better yet at $1000.00 cut that tree down!

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2017-3-12 09:38
Take a 22 cal rifle and a box of shells and shoot the branch below the drone till the branch breaks. This does work, I've done it many times.

That is highly dangerous, imagine people hiking  behind and get hit with a bullet. very irresponsible.

try a bow fishing rig

Have you retrieve  your Mavic? It's not cheap!

randy.sauder Posted at 2017-3-13 12:34
The fine would probably be waaay less than cost of new drone.  Anyways that was tongue-in-cheek.  My post to to throw/use stone on a string will work 100%...

Fine is one thing. In some towns, it's a crime.

Funny how we can chop down entire forests, remove hundreds of thousands of animals from their habitat. Yet cutting down 1 skinny dead looking tree by an everyday Joe to reclaim his belonging, is a crime and comes with a fine. We as humans are the worst ! Shame on us.

You could get the drone and use DJI Refresh.

Could also use an archery bow fishing reel with a flew, flew arrow. But anyone can make one of these.

Petroboy Posted at 2017-3-13 12:43
Somehow I can picture a tree with the Mavic still stuck in it and numerous lengths of string dangling from the branches as each try got stuck in the branches.

That is the point- you only need one string to get stuck in the tree anywhere near the drone...then you shake the branches and it falls. Works - every  - time.

alirz5 Posted at 2017-3-13 17:17
Funny how we can chop down entire forests, remove hundreds of thousands of animals from their habitat. Yet cutting down 1 skinny dead looking tree by an everyday Joe to reclaim his belonging, is a crime and comes with a fine. We as humans are the worst ! Shame on us.

LOL...but hey the poor fellow thinks it is ok to risk someone's life to climb up this shanty tree

FrequentFlyer Posted at 2017-3-13 13:38
That is highly dangerous, imagine people hiking  behind and get hit with a bullet. very irresponsible.

I take it you are an Obama, Hillary supporter? Bernie sanders maybe??

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2017-3-14 02:18
I take it you are an Obama, Hillary supporter? Bernie sanders maybe??

yeh, only vice presidents are allowed to shoot people in the face lol

I did this a few years ago with my f450.....my wife posted an ad on local facebook sales page and got a guy who worked for a tree service to come out.....guy was cool as hell....he tried to climb first.....couldn't reach it so called a bucket truck. He didn't chage a dime, but we do vinyl graphics, decals and shirts so we hooked him up with a few freebies.

rydfree41 Posted at 2017-3-12 11:49
You can make your own retrival tool out of a heavy Bolt & Nut tied to string . Done it several times in very tall trees . Use a thin lightweight string to throw it near the branch and start jerking . Tree service with bucket is best though . They would probably charge $100 to get it without it falling to the ground .

No way, he lives in Belgium. I remember paying 350 Euros for an oil change once.

Mavic 007 Posted at 2017-3-14 07:21
No way, he lives in Belgium. I remember paying 350 Euros for an oil change once.

350e ?!  that's expensive ... (scam is everywhere I guess)

I am currently at work but a guy (ranger)  got it this morning     
He said "for free" but I ll give him a nice reward (100e ?)

So happy !!! I 'll check it later tonnight (work work work ...), and let it dry (smog) 2-3 days

M_str Posted at 2017-3-15 02:38
350e ?!  that's expensive ... (scam is everywhere I guess)

I am currently at work but a guy (ranger)  got it this morning     

That's great news. Out of curiosity did he tell you how he managed to reach it?

M_str Posted at 2017-3-15 02:38
350e ?!  that's expensive ... (scam is everywhere I guess)

I am currently at work but a guy (ranger)  got it this morning     

This great news! Cool that you will soon be able to fly again.
Offer him a round of your famous "trappiste" beer

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-3-15 02:50
That's great news. Out of curiosity did he tell you how he managed to reach it?

was a tree climber
he had still climbing material : apparently, he threw a rope (with kind of lead weight) directly to 12 m (about 36 feet) then it is about climbing there
then, what was said (I was not there), he did it again to around 18 m (60 feet) and finally caught it a bit higher
there were only very few branches

I used to rock climbing but don't have material anymore (don't know where it is actually) and I believe I'm not good at throwing things 10-12 m high

I am thinking to buy some material again because, I suspect this might happen again ...
Or a bow, cable and so on to make it fall ...?!

Safari Posted at 2017-3-15 03:30
This great news! Cool that you will soon be able to fly again.
Offer him a round of your famous "trappiste" beer

Excellent idea.  But actually we live in the same "city" : Rochefort.  One of our most famous Belgian Trappist is brewed here.  So, it would seem a bit common     even though we always like this kind of gift here
NB/ didn't drink any trappist the day of the crash

M_str Posted at 2017-3-15 04:36
Excellent idea.  But actually we live in the same "city" : Rochefort.  One of our most famous Belgian Trappist is brewed here.  So, it would seem a bit common     even though we always like this kind of gift here
NB/ didn't drink any trappist the day of the crash

I would love to see a drone video/pics of Dinant, that fortress is pretty impressive! Glad to hear you got your drone back in one piece.

Mavic 007 Posted at 2017-3-15 07:47
I would love to see a drone video/pics of Dinant, that fortress is pretty impressive! Glad to hear you got your drone back in one piece.

I am a bit surprised Dinant is known so far !
Unfortunately, Belgian's laws are quite boring with drones ...  Not sure I ll be allowed to do such video :-/  But if ever, I'll post it for sure

M_str Posted at 2017-3-15 11:10
I am a bit surprised Dinant is known so far !
Unfortunately, Belgian's laws are quite boring with drones ...  Not sure I ll be allowed to do such video :-/  But if ever, I'll post it for sure

Well, I know of it because I lived in Waterloo for a year and traveled the region quite a bit. Without getting into messy politics, I preferred southern Belgium, even though the north gets all the publicity.

M_str Posted at 2017-3-15 11:10
I am a bit surprised Dinant is known so far !
Unfortunately, Belgian's laws are quite boring with drones ...  Not sure I ll be allowed to do such video :-/  But if ever, I'll post it for sure

Get a professional fisherman, those guys can do some real accurate casting of fishing lines, just pay him the cost of nice fish supper.

And as a true fisherman , he will have some great story to relay to his friends, I can just about hear him telling his friends how he fished a jumbo jet from a tree..  hehe!!!!!

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2017-3-14 02:18
I take it you are an Obama, Hillary supporter? Bernie sanders maybe??

Actually I am a Trump supporter. Think about it shooting a gun Multiple time into the air without knowing where the bullet is going to land is pretty stupid. Maybe you should think about the situation again. What if people are hiking in the background and get hit with a stray bullet?
Just saying, use your brain...

Glad you got it down, now we need a status report!

FrequentFlyer Posted at 2017-3-16 08:37
Actually I am a Trump supporter. Think about it shooting a gun Multiple time into the air without knowing where the bullet is going to land is pretty stupid. Maybe you should think about the situation again. What if people are hiking in the background and get hit with a stray bullet?
Just saying, use your brain...

Yeah 22 can travel. Shotgun is what think he meant. 8s would get that down but probably more damage than it's worth.

Glad it worked out. Tree climber!

MavicUser Posted at 2017-3-12 17:51
Try this method:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOY0dvRI7oI

Awesome,  simple tool !!!   I can think of a few times in my lifetime when  I could have used this.  Might be worth making one up to have on hand as I learn to fly well

I've checked this thread a hundred times... Is she safe?!?

the mavic seems perfect (except for two broken propellers ...)
no fall, the guy caught it cautiously : if I had tried something like shooting or the youtube solution, I guess I would not have been able to catch it (and 20m - 70 feet is not easy to reach)

I charged yesterday the battery : seems ok !
lucky there was no rain during the 4 days spent up in the tree ... (VERY lucky for belgium that time of the year)
I ll try to turn it on before sunday (maybe I ll have to do some calibration ?!)

Great news, congrats!

M_str Posted at 2017-3-17 00:34
the mavic seems perfect (except for two broken propellers ...)
no fall, the guy caught it cautiously : if I had tried something like shooting or the youtube solution, I guess I would not have been able to catch it (and 20m - 70 feet is not easy to reach)

At last all is well and ends well. Good job..