I find I use it quite a bit and have seen references to using it only for emergencies.

Is it possible it is harmful to the device in some way?

I don't do it, it just doesn't seem natural to put the added stress on it when I can just land the thing or use the controller to stop the blades.

I tend to launch from the carry case, usually on grass. Then catch and flip the spark to turn it off. Otherwise it might get caught in the grass - I need a landing pad.

I usually palmland (got quite good at it ) never did that 90 degree shut off.

I use it only when a good landing spot is difficult to find. Don't think it stresses your Spark as long as you tilt it quick enough because when you start tilting you here the motors working hard trying to keep the spark level.
Maybe a DJI mod can give an official answer on this.

Just land it on your Palm.. much easier and less dangerous.

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-8-16 23:41
Just land it on your Palm.. much easier and less dangerous.

Ok, but then you first need to switch to gesture mode isn't it? When you palm land (or just catch the drone), the motors keep spinning when not in gesture mode. You still need to stop them through the app (or the RC). Or am I missing something here?

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-8-16 23:41
Just land it on your Palm.. much easier and less dangerous.

you cant always do this if you only have one hand free.

ernieken Posted at 2017-8-17 02:41
Ok, but then you first need to switch to gesture mode isn't it? When you palm land (or just catch the drone), the motors keep spinning when not in gesture mode. You still need to stop them through the app (or the RC). Or am I missing something here?

you are correct but i just slide the auto land across the screen and then put my hand out to catch without gesture control.
as for an answer i do not have one but i think it will cause the motors to wear a tiny bit faster over time if you use this function more frequently than just emergencies. the motors speed up to full power while performing this so the bearings would wear faster if the motor is spinning at higher RPM.
just do it quickly and i thing you should be ok

ernieken Posted at 2017-8-17 02:41
Ok, but then you first need to switch to gesture mode isn't it? When you palm land (or just catch the drone), the motors keep spinning when not in gesture mode. You still need to stop them through the app (or the RC). Or am I missing something here?

No, just place your Hand under it and pull the stick down for landing. The spark will land on your Hand like on the floor.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-17 02:42
you cant always do this if you only have one hand free.

Sorry, I don't undertand this?

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-8-17 03:53
Sorry, I don't undertand this?

sorry i didnt explain myself better, what i mean is you cant always autoland on your palm because there may be an issue with RC or you only have one hand free to do a palm land(in which case you would need to activate gesture mode before hand which is kind of a hassle and annoying) so it is just easier to quickly grab the AC and tilt it 90 degrees.

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-8-17 03:53
Sorry, I don't undertand this?

For it is about landing it while moving (boat) or dicey spots where once I "have" the drone I want it to power down as quickly as possible. With the 90 degree technique I can quit thinking about the RC at all whereas holding the down stick down takes time and I have to do two things at once in an awkward fashion.

I think I will try to refine my method of hand catching to no use the flip for shutdown but it is damn handy for sure....quick flip and its off....no two handed manipulation while waiting for two seconds for the thing to spool down.

Probably sounds nit picky but it's a very reflexive action. Grab, twist, dead.

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-8-17 03:53
No, just place your Hand under it and pull the stick down for landing. The spark will land on your Hand like on the floor.

Ok but that's difficult when you're using an Ipad to control the AC but indeed an option when using RC.

ThirdEyeFlyin' Posted at 2017-8-17 05:55
For it is about landing it while moving (boat) or dicey spots where once I "have" the drone I want it to power down as quickly as possible. With the 90 degree technique I can quit thinking about the RC at all whereas holding the down stick down takes time and I have to do two things at once in an awkward fashion.

I think I will try to refine my method of hand catching to no use the flip for shutdown but it is damn handy for sure....quick flip and its off....no two handed manipulation while waiting for two seconds for the thing to spool down.

as i said earlier, i always hand catch by hovering the drone in front of me with the camera facing away, then i slide the auto-land button across(with two hands very easily) and then quickly put my hand under the drone to catch it! its simple.

if you are in a boat that is moving fairly fast you obviously can't do this and you would have to tilt to stop.

PALM LAND is what I use 90% of the time.  Works great and it's pretty easy.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-17 08:10
as i said earlier, i always hand catch by hovering the drone in front of me with the camera facing away, then i slide the auto-land button across(with two hands very easily) and then quickly put my hand under the drone to catch it! its simple.

if you are in a boat that is moving fairly fast you obviously can't do this and you would have to tilt to stop.

In a moving boat, yup...with a trembling hand....grab, twist, whew!

Plus you have to grab it  from towards the rear and sneak up on a good grab as if you are too slow coming up with your hand from directly beneath, the bottom sensors try to to maintain the minimum altitude. So it's more like get the thing to fly forward (or reverse) matching the boat speed, get it close enough to try for a grab, sneak under it from aft of the AC and grab it (while moving don't forget) before the sensors tell it to ascend away from your hand.

To be fair I've only done it once but it got my blood up for sure!

ThirdEyeFlyin' Posted at 2017-8-17 08:27
In a moving boat, yup...with a trembling hand....grab, twist, whew!

Plus you have to grab it  from towards the rear and sneak up on a good grab as if you are too slow coming up with your hand from directly beneath, the bottom sensors try to to maintain the minimum altitude. So it's more like get the thing to fly forward (or reverse) matching the boat speed, get it close enough to try for a grab, sneak under it from aft of the AC and grab it (while moving don't forget) before the sensors tell it to ascend away from your hand.

if you can master that then that's awesome. i imagine it wouldn't be easy. may i suggest these? it will prevent you from hitting the props and you can catch it quickly. i don't use them(and probably never will) but they look handy for your situation.

https://www.amazon.ca/TAOKE-Dam- ... Guard+for+DJI+SPARK

I've never used the 90 degree shut down. I've been palm landing or carrying a square piece of cardboard with me until my landing pad comes in. I can see its usefulness though under certain circumstances.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-17 09:31
if you can master that then that's awesome. i imagine it wouldn't be easy. may i suggest these? it will prevent you from hitting the props and you can catch it quickly. i don't use them(and probably never will) but they look handy for your situation.

https://www.amazon.ca/TAOKE-Dam-board-Protection-Finger-Guard/dp/B074M3NRTZ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502991034&sr=1-3&keywords=Finger+Guard+for+DJI+SPARK

nice! Thanks for that