3dr Solo Boat operations

OVERtheBITE · Jul 31, 2017

This video shows the difference in landing in a "Cup" vs a "Flat" open space on a boat. There may be a few people out there considering boat operations now that we have green cube and I want to point out the obvious. "BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR BOAT TO SEA OR LAKE." LAND AND TAKE OFF OF Your boat a lot while on your dock or trailer to help you understand basic problems the down drafts will create. You don't want the first time its gets all squirrely with you being when its 10-15 feet from your friends and family faces. with my boats I separate people from drone as a precaution and brief them on where to duck their head to if they are prairie dogging. A drone can cover 10 feet very fast. I also set my sliders to slow/slow in solex.

3DR Solo boat operations

OVERtheBITE · Jul 31, 2017

Landing in a boat using "kill motors" feature.

OVERtheBITE · Jul 31, 2017

This is why I let the drone fall into a catch net now. its just too inconsistent to land in the back of a boat. Sure YOU can land on the bow but it pitches more there and next stop is ocean so that is not were I land. just skip to final 10 seconds if all you want to see is crash.

OVERtheBITE · Jul 31, 2017

If its calm out consider using floats and landing beside boat.

Pedals2Paddles · Jul 31, 2017

You're the first person to venture out on the high seas with a green cube Solo. Until now, all we could do was say "it has boat mode so it should work" but had no real world testing on the solo. Really glad you were successful with this!

Damien · Jul 31, 2017

I would have thought that perfecting the hand catch would have been the safest way to go, especially if you can map the kill motors to A or B on the controller so you can hit it by feel as you grab the leg

OVERtheBITE · Jul 31, 2017

Pedals2Paddles said:
You're the first person to venture out on the high seas with a green cube Solo. Until now, all we could do was say "it has boat mode so it should work" but had no real world testing on the solo. Really glad you were successful with this!

Thank you it will only get better from here. Ive gone through my steep learning curve and the risky bits should be all worked out now. Im only out a few sets of blades and 1 motor so far and have 2 other drones for spare parts so as long as I keep it out of the water I should be off to a good start. Future videos this fall will have lots of game fish filmed by 3dr as well.

OVERtheBITE · Jul 31, 2017

Damien said:
I would have thought that perfecting the hand catch would have been the safest way to go, especially if you can map the kill motors to A or B on the controller so you can hit it by feel as you grab the leg

I've seen pictures of flesh injuries from these drones and that is not something I want to risk 30 miles offshore. Safer is better than expediency...in my opinion. A boat can pitch really hard offshore.

Dmitry · Jul 31, 2017

Damien said:
I would have thought that perfecting the hand catch would have been the safest way to go, especially if you can map the kill motors to A or B on the controller so you can hit it by feel as you grab the leg

Flip the solo 90 degrees or more, firmly holding the legs and the motors will stop

andrew.baker.142 · Jul 31, 2017

Dmitry said:
Flip the solo 90 degrees or more, firmly holding the legs and the motors will stop

Problem with this technique is the Pixhawk will report a crash in the BIN files and tlog. I use these files on www.dronelogbook.com to record my flights. A+B+Pause is a better option unless you have Solex (with instant motor kill enabled).

Damien · Jul 31, 2017

Dmitry said:
Flip the solo 90 degrees or more, firmly holding the legs and the motors will stop

Didn't know that, thanks.. Is this standard or just the green cube?

Barramundi · Jul 31, 2017

Damien said:
I would have thought that perfecting the hand catch would have been the safest way to go, especially if you can map the kill motors to A or B on the controller so you can hit it by feel as you grab the leg

The hand grab / release is easy in calmer conditions ( I do most of my fishing by boat inland) and it isn't a problem. Offshore with chop and swirl would definitely be more challenging... Better safe than telling the "this is the 3dr drone scar I scored when out fishing" and not following basic safety instructions I guess...

Barramundi · Jul 31, 2017

Here is a clip with a mate doing the hand grab for the first time from a boat. He had full confidence in the pilot... little did he know...
GoPro Splice

Dmitry · Aug 1, 2017

Damien said:
Didn't know that, thanks.. Is this standard or just the green cube?

I do not have a green cube, you can still lower the stick down to the stop and after two seconds the engines will stop. The stick that answers you for lifting and descending, in my case it's the right stick, in your most likely left.

hackbard23 · Aug 1, 2017

Dmitry said:
I do not have a green cube, you can still lower the stick down to the stop and after two seconds the engines will stop. The stick that answers you for lifting and descending, in my case it's the right stick, in your most likely left.

yes, when you pull the left stick down for descending and solo doesn´t "see" decreasing altitude it assumes it has landed.

Soupdaddy · Aug 1, 2017

i have landed many times , on land , by the hand catch method, due to having had difficulty in confined areas and to fight the backdraft created when landing, if you practice and are careful it is very easy...simply hover at a decent height in a boat would be fairly simple to judge a good height slightly above head height, obvious care taken to account for pitch and roll of boat ,then when in position ...press fly button to land and it will descend into your hand grab leg and stabilize your Solo and in few seconds Solo will think it has landed...if not ....carefully hold on and implement kill command A,B,Pause

Kamehameha1 · Aug 5, 2017

Just hover and land grabbing solo under body behind the gimdle left stick down and left kills the motors practice works for me.

mike sember · Aug 5, 2017

I Have done the hand catch several times in rough ocean seas with a pretty good current. Take solo to the bow of the boat, hover, and then grab the body and hold fire while throttling down. I have never had a problem.