Why *I* Don't Catch *My* Drone

[Marich]

I've been using a thin Archery field target. Folds up nice.
Bullseye!

 

[redriderroy]

Here's my $7.99 Yoga mat from TJ Max with Velcro around the backpack's side handle. As a Snowmobiler its long enough to roll it out on the snow, lay my backpack on it, and takeoff and land on the mat with no issues. I picked orange for the safety factor (Stay Away, Caution, etc...). Sometimes I bring four small orange soccer comes to mark my spot if there could be people around but mostly fly away from people for safety.

 

[SkycamJoe]

Please go to ebay or amazon and search " filet gloves"
Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair Amazon.com: Epica Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair: Kitchen & Dining
and "arm cut protection"
eBay

Why *I* Don't Catch my Drone (the link is an article)

Some of you might find this article of interest. It surely sparked a number of dissonant responses in the DJI world. View attachment 2283

 

[PdxSteve]

I'm designing some "catch your drone safely" gear. Here's what it looks like so far: https://rawkandrolljunkie.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/chainmail-armor-shirt-4.jpg

 

[SkycamJoe]

(Use these)

Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair Amazon.com: Epica Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair: Kitchen & Dining
---------

Cut Resistant arm protection, eBay

Why *I* Don't Catch my Drone (the link is an article)

Some of you might find this article of interest. It surely sparked a number of dissonant responses in the DJI world. View attachment 2283

Why *I* Don't Catch my Drone (the link is an article)

Some of you might find this article of interest. It surely sparked a number of dissonant responses in the DJI world. View attachment 2283

 

[SkycamJoe]

Please go to ebay or amazon and search " filet gloves"
Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair Amazon.com: Epica Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair: Kitchen & Dining
and "arm cut protection"
eBay

OK...they won't link us post links!....do a search for yourselves.

 

[User Name]

(Use these)

Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair Amazon.com: Epica Cut Resistant Gloves with CE Level 5 Protection, 1 Pair: Kitchen & Dining

Has anyone put them to the test with a multirotor? Seems like they'd be perfect... if they worked. The Solo isn't too bad, but man, 250's typically have props spinning at 25,000+ rpm. That's over 400 revolutions per second!

 

[SkycamJoe]

Has anyone put them to the test with a multirotor? Seems like they'd be perfect... if they worked. The Solo isn't too bad, but man, 250's typically have props spinning at 25,000+ rpm. That's over 400 revolutions per second!

OK...they won't link us post links!....do a search for yourselves.

(Turns out the links did post!)

Yes, these are seruous cut protection items. Yes, it will still bitch when struck by a fast big prop...but at least you won't bleed or lose a body part!

We have both the gloves and arm protection. Our Spotter/Safety Officer will wearing them.

I don't particularly always want the drone grabbed out of the air. There are situations like boat landings when it's safer especially now with protection.

Just in case our drone goes "Rouge" on set, I want the Safely Officer to safely grab it to protect others. This is being written into our "Closed-set" Safety Manual for our 333 exemption.

 

[Iconic Images]

Been hand catching my Phantoms for a couple of years without incident. I do many aerials from boats as my job and in difficult to land areas out in the wild.... It really isn't difficult.
Having said that, the design of the SOLO makes it MUCH harder to attempt a hand catch. I would certainly think twice before considering doing it. Landing mats are a great idea but you still need to have it level and you can't always place it where you want (especially if on assignment and you have to sometimes take off from the most difficult terrain.

Gloves are a great idea but I also do think a catch handle of sorts would be awesome.

 

[EyeWingsuit]

Been hand catching my Phantoms for a couple of years without incident. I do many aerials from boats as my job and in difficult to land areas out in the wild.... It really isn't difficult.
Having said that, the design of the SOLO makes it MUCH harder to attempt a hand catch. I would certainly think twice before considering doing it. Landing mats are a great idea but you still need to have it level and you can't always place it where you want (especially if on assignment and you have to sometimes take off from the most difficult terrain.

Gloves are a great idea but I also do think a catch handle of sorts would be awesome.

I hear you about the Phantom. FWIW, every cut you see in my article is from a Phantom.
I realize that it's easy to catch a Phantom in particular, compared to a Solo. That merely means the risk is potentially lessened, but it's still a risk, one that is generally unnecessary and it's arrogant/ignorant man that believes he is so skilled as to be immune from the potential harm one can do to themselves or others. And every time someone is injured or flies intoa building, car, person and it's publicized, it makes the rest of us look bad to the general public.

People are gonna do what they're gonna do, so I'll leave you with this small story from the skydiving community.

On December 9, 2011, I met a young man named Tim. He had been flying a very small canopy (parachute) in spite of warnings from other, much more experienced skydivers. He had been flying the canopy at a high rate of speed in a discipline known as "Swooping."
On Dec 9, I had a conversation with him and explained in clear terms that if he continued his swooping under this smallish canopy, he was going to be badly hurt or worse. His response was identical to the one above. "I've been doing it for a while, and while it's not completely safe, it's not that difficult." The conversation was not a completely unusual one, but out of habit I logged it in my skydiving logbook as an S&TA conversation (Safety & Training Advisor).
On December 11, I stood in the loading area as Tim got on the plane and he joked "Seriously, I'll be fine" (These famous last words are frequently joked about in skydiving, as is 'hold my beer and watch this').

Imagine the horror of watching Tim pound in 20 minutes later so hard it left him a paraplegic and without memory of his wife or child.
He was so certain of his skill and ability even after having been warned by someone who not only was significantly more experienced, but by someone who has been specifically trained in sport-risk mitigation. And now his entirely family pays for his momentary lapse of judgement, for the rest of their lives.

No, I don't equate the depth of injury of skydiving to flying UAV, but the decision tree is entirely identical.

 

[Iconic Images]

I hear you about the Phantom. FWIW, every cut you see in my article is from a Phantom.
I realize that it's easy to catch a Phantom in particular, compared to a Solo. That merely means the risk is potentially lessened, but it's still a risk, one that is generally unnecessary and it's arrogant/ignorant man that believes he is so skilled as to be immune from the potential harm one can do to themselves or others. And every time someone is injured or flies intoa building, car, person and it's publicized, it makes the rest of us look bad to the general public.

People are gonna do what they're gonna do, so I'll leave you with this small story from the skydiving community.

On December 9, 2011, I met a young man named Tim. He had been flying a very small canopy (parachute) in spite of warnings from other, much more experienced skydivers. He had been flying the canopy at a high rate of speed in a discipline known as "Swooping."
On Dec 9, I had a conversation with him and explained in clear terms that if he continued his swooping under this smallish canopy, he was going to be badly hurt or worse. His response was identical to the one above. "I've been doing it for a while, and while it's not completely safe, it's not that difficult." The conversation was not a completely unusual one, but out of habit I logged it in my skydiving logbook as an S&TA conversation (Safety & Training Advisor).
On December 11, I stood in the loading area as Tim got on the plane and he joked "Seriously, I'll be fine" (These famous last words are frequently joked about in skydiving, as is 'hold my beer and watch this').

Imagine the horror of watching Tim pound in 20 minutes later so hard it left him a paraplegic and without memory of his wife or child.
He was so certain of his skill and ability even after having been warned by someone who not only was significantly more experienced, but by someone who has been specifically trained in sport-risk mitigation. And now his entirely family pays for his momentary lapse of judgement, for the rest of their lives.

No, I don't equate the depth of injury of skydiving to flying UAV, but the decision tree is entirely identical.

I agree wholeheartedly that it is not without risk. The same goes for those who decide to jump out of airplanes, ride motorbikes, etc. I scuba dive for a living shooting underwater videos and even frequently encounter sharks such as Tigers and Great Whites. While I am sure there are accidents, many still conduct these activities while trying to mitigate risk. Those foolhardy enough to believe themselves invincible are most prone to danger. (If you smash your car while racing around after getting your learners permit, it's your own fault).

With reference to your story buddy, I would suggest only hand catching under reasonable conditions (no strong wind, stable foothold, from a non moving postion, etc). Wearing gloves is a great idea too. The idea is to only do it when necessary and also to recognize your own level of skill. Knowing how to hand catch safely is a necessary skill to have in my line, given where I need to fly the drone. If it isn't necessary to attempt, you would be doing so at your own risk.

On a separate note, I think most people are actually flying their aircraft into their hands.... I can't imagine how else they would be getting cut (or perhaps they were flying in terribly windy conditions whereby I wouldn't be flying anyway). If one needs to hand catch, you should have the craft at a height over your head and hovering, walk over, grab firmly, power down while keeping your arm in that position instead of wrestling it down with the props turning...... I am sure there are some uncoordinated people that can't manage that. Perhaps it may seem simple to some while being tough for others. If you are unsure, don't try it obviously (even more so with a SOLO that has no sturdy legs/handle to grab and hold on to).

 

[EyeWingsuit]

The idea is to only do it when necessary and also to recognize your own level of skill. .

You do realize this is virtually impossible for anyone not full-time involved with any activity, yes? Even then, it's questionable.

If you're a professional diver, you likely are aware of Dunning/Kruger. I submit that in almost every case we've seen a drone operator f**k up and make the news is the direct result of Dunning/Kruger. It certainly holds true in Filmmaking and Skydiving, and in scuba diving, I frequently refer to the story of Guy Garmin/Doc Deep when speaking with new divers. He is a perfect example of the DK affect.

The point being, I'd submit most drone operators have a superior opinion of their own abilities. Catching a drone is easy, until a sink, a burble, a sudden wind gust, a slip on the throttle, a distraction makes it not so easy.

A great way to get yourself never asked back to even an MOW crew is to try to show off catching any sort of drone (or any sort of cowboying at all).
Why? Normalization of a deviance is something that simply cannot be allowed in the production world (If you're not familiar with the term, check out the Challenger disaster and NASA's post-mortem).

Catching a small one on a boat or other moving platform, the need to do so is fairly apparent.

Frankly, I don't care if someone slices their nose, eye, throat, bicep, wrist, finger. I only care about the perception it creates in the community and media (assuming they don't drop or spin the drone into a bystander).
My hope in bringing the subject to the fore is to help new UAV operators understand that catching the drone in unnecessary circumstances is a deviation, not a norm.