DON'T lose your drone while flying from a boat.

[@keldonlemon]

doing a yacht shoot in a few days and have 5 to do in one shoot, so I appreciate these tips big time!

[@xzces]

I've been flying above water and also from boats for quite a while now, before sensors and such were even added to the dji drones. So I already know a thing or 2 about how to do this, still there was so many useful info in this video. Especially the quick way to turn of the drone, in choppy water it takes a long time for it to shut off. I never thought of anything different until this vid. Thanks a lot! There are also quite a few birds that get aggressive near the drone, not just seagulls. I always avoid birds now. Had 2 close calls and it's just not worth it.

[@NorthOlbo]

Great video. I would add that many larger boats have two levels of radar, a high power and low power. Don’t fly through that microwave energy of the high power radar, see if you can ask the captain to turn it off while you fly. Otherwise just be aware and avoid flying near it.

[@VISTATREKKER]

Excellent video and knowledge

[@sfry5739]

Very Good tips thanks...........Ive had the drone switching from mode to mode due to the magnetic interference. Launching from hand is the only way around it. The active track mode with dynamic positioning tip was great I didnt know that. Now I know why it didnt work.

[@MsAngel1305]

Great video with loads of useful tips and live experience specially the two memory card cases and changing the memory card with battery tip. I am a beginner and doing bit of research before flying on water I have a shaky feeling whenever I think of flying my drone on water so I haven't tried it yet. Thank you for sharing this video and keep up the good work:)

[@osullivanstudios]

I actually think it’s easier to fly over water than land. You don’t have to worry about hitting any trees, buildings or telephone lines. Just be careful flying low over the water.

[@888jucu]

Nice one, best video yet on drones over water. Used mine first time off a boat last week and didnt manage to lose it so I call it a win 👍. Thanks for the settings tips I was already doing some but not all

[@osullivanstudios]

J Lee Cool I’m glad you found that useful

[@volgoden]

Very useful tip for boat landing of modern drones like Air 2S is to turn off obstacle avoidance system before landing. Otherwise it is very frustrating and can lead to panic when it is impossible to approach close to boat. Be calm and keep in mind such things.

[@bluelighthousemedia4538]

Great details! Thanks. What will be the setting for a dji Mini 2? It's not possible to disactivate RTH and the landing sensor....

[@axemanarbor]

Great info. I think the best I have found. I thought it best to have rth set to me but then I thought what if I disconnect and can not re connect. After hearing about leaving it to hover I guess I will use that. If I can't see it and I'm still disconnected I guess I will have to wait and be ready with a big giant butterfly net when the battery is done. Yes I have had it disconnect and no matter what I try I couldn't re connect. Thanks for the tips. Well done just those points I made be aware this can happen.

[@captainjohnnybahama2249]

Wow! Picked up a bunch of good ideas. Thanks.

[@jeffneale827]

That’s just what I needed cheers John

[@chermontro]

Awesome video, thanks! I've just started looking at sailing/racing drones. I wonder what you'd recommend these days please? I might be shooting video for a club, semi-casual.

[@osullivanstudios]

A Mavic 2 would be a good start. A sailboat would not go faster unless you're shooting for the America's Cup. It's fast in sport mode and won't get blown around as much when compared to a spark or a mavic mini. Also, because it's a 2 and not a 3, you won't cry yourself to sleep if you hit a mast and lose the thing. Also, a Phantom 4 drone is great for hand-catching. The Mavics are a bit of a pain to catch if you are also on a boat.

[@speliotis]

great video to keep coming back to.. Thank you

[@tentmaran]

Great video. Good advice and tips in it

[@jorge8915]

thanks for the tips great video

[@ancientcitydroneservicesll9062]

Great stuff, thanks!

[@osullivanstudios]

Cool. thanks for taking a look. :-D

[@pollomacco]

Really good video! Thanks for all the new informations!

[@happy1wandering]

Great video! Thanks so much for sharing! Do you turn off VPS when flying over water ?

[@osullivanstudios]

There really isn’t any point to use that when you are over water. I used to turn it off but now I just leave it alone. Just don’t fly low and fast over water.

[@happy1wandering]

@@osullivanstudios Thanks for the tip! Do you calibrate the compass on the boat every time before you fly ?

[@osullivanstudios]

@@happy1wandering I used to be really strict with that but for some reason my mavic requires me to calibrat the compass nearly every time I fly so I tend to only do it every now and again. Typically when I fly over water, there is so much room that I am not worried about hitting anything. The only dangerous thing is flying low over water. For some reason drones tend to lose altitude if you get really close. I am guessing they cant detect the surface that well; especially if they are moving. If you have to fly a lot over the water, a phantom drone is one of the best to get because they are so easy to catch. There is no ATTI mode on mavics which makes them a pain to release if your moving. I know that was more than you asked but more info can't hurt.

[@happy1wandering]

@@osullivanstudios great info! Subscribed (-: I only flew it a handful of times over water but never low. Will see what it’ll do in ny next trip! How often/when do you reset/calibrate IMU ? Also do you only disable landing protection so you can hand catch it or do you disable all obstacle avoidance when flying from your boat ?

[@osullivanstudios]

@@happy1wandering For me depends on the situation. I try to leave the sensors on unless it causes a problem and only then do I turn them off. The Mavic 2's sensors are more sensitive than the Mavic 1, so I find myself turning them off more often than I did with the Mavic 1. Keep in mind. There is a quick way to shut the motors off by tilting the drone to its side after you catch it. If you turn off obstacle avoidance, then that maneuver doesn't work. I try to hand catch the drone by flying it backwards towards me and catching it closer to the front. If there are a lot of waves I tend to turn off the sensors.

[@davideastaugh8896]

Great vid thanks subbed

[@gstevejordan]

If the drone is set to "Return to Me" as you suggested, wouldn't that mean that if the RTH feature is enabled (rather than "Hover") that the drone would return to the location of the controller? I'll have to test this, but perhaps you already have and this option does not work as one might expect. Thanks for these excellent tips, BTW...

[@osullivanstudios]

If you tell the drone to RTH it will go back to this point that it has marked as the home point. If you update the home point to your location it will go to that location. If the drone is set to "hover" it will simply hover if the drone disconnects from the remote. However, it will still RTH if you tell it to.

[@constantinslotty5309]

Great tipps, thanks!

[@upperechelon3456]

Some great comments and ideas. One question. Have you considered foam flotation attachments as an added security feature? They cost next to nothing and can mean the difference between a lost and recovered drone in case of a dunk.

[@osullivanstudios]

I put some floats on a Phantom 2 once but it didn't handle as well in the wind. instagram.com/p/3MCbkMnb4Q/ I have looked into putting some sort of float on the Mavic... but if I did... it would only be enough to salvage the drone in the event that it went into the water. In my experience, it's more likely I will fly in high gusts of wind than be in a situation where the drone might fall in the water so I'd rather just keep it as arrow dynamic as possible. (but that's just me)

[@bluegrassdroneguy3495]

Thanks for the great information

[@lucapat]

Nice video. I have a question: which is the safest way to catch a drone while on a moving / sailing boat? I have seen somebody catching it with a net right after swing it off. It was a Mavic Mini not easy to grab by the hand... Any idea here? Thanks

[@osullivanstudios]

I don't know if you would want to use a net because you might damage the drone. The best drone to catch is a Phantom. Their form factors is really easy to grab but if you only have a Mavic, then do whatever you makes feel comfortable. I was thinking about lining the bottom of the mavic with velcro and then having it land on a surface covered with a material that the velcro would stick to it. But it is easier for me now to catch it by hand. I have clipped my fingers several times with a Mavic, and while it hurts, it's cheaper than replacing a motor or camera. If you want to get more comfortable hand catching, the best thing to do is to practice hand catching in the wind onshore and you will get more comfortable doing it.

[@lucapat]

@@osullivanstudios Thanks!

[@shelleylipke1]

Really informative video. Thank so much! I have been searching for information exactly like this. I am about to try this for the first time from my sailboat. One question for you though, which intelligent flight modes do you recommend to use for footage when filming from a moving boat? Do you prefer active track follow feature or what others do you suggest I try?

[@osullivanstudios]

The number one thing I would practice is launching and catching the drone with your hand. I’d also stay away from flight modes if your moving. The follow feature is cool but your going to want keep your hands on the sticks 100% of the time if your moving so you won’t need it. Also, practice resetting the home point!!

[@shelleylipke1]

@@osullivanstudios Yes I am nervous about the hand retrieval. I have ordered a landing skid which seems like it will be easier to retrieve from a moving boat and a bit safer. Here is the link.....www.irepairmd.com/product-page/arris-raptor2-skid-for-the-dji-mavic-2-pre-order-for-11-15-20-shipment So you suggest manual operation while moving rather than the intelligent flight modes but, are you in P mode most of the time? I imagine Tripod is too slow on the sailboat? And what are your thoughts on the boats backstay and rigging when retrieving, has that been problematic at all for you Jon?

[@osullivanstudios]

@@shelleylipke1 If the boat is moving, the easiest location to take off and land from is the back of the boat. Keep in mind that if you are going too fast, the drone is going to try and maintain it's position and is going to pull quite a bit. Be ready for that. When you let go, it may try to adjust its position, and during that adjustment time, it may drop a few feet. Those skids look cool. They remind me of the form factor of the Phantoms. The phantoms are the easiest drones to catch and release. I've never used those before but they look like they might help. Just practice, practice, practice before you do the real thing. I have never had a problem with rigging; the only issue that I have had is catching the drone with waves while moving. It sometimes takes me a few attempts before I can grab it. When it's really windy, I try to land with 50% battery to give myself time to make a few attempts to grab it. Worst-case scenario you can always cut the motors over the boat and have it drop into someone holding a towel or a bag etc.. (I don't know what would happen, but at least it won't go into the water) 😬 If the boat is anchored, feel free to play with all the flight modes but if your moving, I personally wouldn't mess with anything until I was super comfortable receiving the drone if it gets "confused." I doubt you would want to use tripod mode.. Tripod mode is hat's great for indoors but in my opinion, sort of slow when used outside. When I take off and land, I use "p" mode, but if there is a lot of wind, I'll switch to sport mode, but that's only if I need it. When I hand catch, I make sure that the drone is back in "p" mode, and I fly it in backward towards me, so the front vision sensors don't detect the boat.

[@shelleylipke1]

@@osullivanstudios Wow! Thanks so much Jon. I really appreciate your guidance with this! Great info about flying it backwards towards the stern of the boat. It sounds like its all on me doing a stellar flight manually so I better get good at flying! Now it's time for me to practice retrieving by hand:) have a great weekend Jon and thanks again! 😊

[@14chaychay]

Great Video!

[@haashaas2508]

THANK YOU

[@oztropics]

Nice one, very informative!

[@mauriciojeronymo]

Thenk you. Very good!

[@vladimirsecrier8520]

Thank you.

[@osullivanstudios]

Glad to be of service 😇

[@apaarjain]

This is amazing tutorial

[@JohnG-cw6zm]

Nicely explained

[@haashaas2508]

GREAT TIPS

[@Emmcsouza]

Tysm!!

[@kristenluzun7502]

Anyone else have a problem while on the boat the drone wanted to fly alone very fast and was very hard to hold on your hand? We panicked and could’ve lost it. I believe we had lowered all sensors for mavic should we have not touched the sensors or was it something else could’ve been interfering?

[@Eec2023]

Can you land in sport mode to disable the sensors?

[@osullivanstudios]

That’s an interesting thought. I don’t know if I ever checked to see if the sensors were off on the few occasions I caught it in sport mode. It’s a little trickier to catch it when it's in that mode so I tend to take it out of sport mode right before I need to catch it. I tend to fly it toward me with the sensors on and no longer have any issues catching it. I might try that one day just to see.

[@samho321]

I 'm unable to shutdown the motor by hand catch and do side way. When I do the side way the motor never cut off. I only success once by 180 degrees upside down the drone with 2 second. My drone is Mavic 2 Zoom. Why? How can you do it? Any setting about this?

[@osullivanstudios]

Cowboy Ho Ground sensor need to be on.

[@samho321]

@@osullivanstudios Mavic 2 senor is super fast response, very hard to catch it without disable ground sensor

[@osullivanstudios]

​@@samho321 I don't have that one yet. :-(

[@samho321]

@@osullivanstudios My Mavic 2 Zoom crashed, but I tested it on my new Mavic Air 2, it work!

[@AbdulAhad-vr6bp]

Great info thanks bro 😘😘❤️❤️

[@Beniamin1968]

Hello, excuse me , i dont know if this issue has been already discussed, i mean when drone is following your boat for a mile and battery will be empty to the point of RTH , what happens it will go back from where you started or get back where you actually are ?

[@osullivanstudios]

It depends on if you are resetting the RTH point. If you are using active track it will dynamically reset but if not you will have to manually reset the RTH. SO... if you don't reset the RTH it will go back to where you took off from.

[@Beniamin1968]

@@osullivanstudios it goes back regardless to the point rth is update, if battery is going to be empty of course

[@johngalloway3595]

I see that you are flying with the larger Crystal Sky monitor, I have the same set up with the 5.5. How do you find the comfort and ease of operation with the larger monitor ?

[@osullivanstudios]

I don’t mind at all. I’ve flown almost non stop for a full day and didn’t find any issues. My ONLY problem with it is how often it crashes while I’m flying

[@johngalloway3595]

@@osullivanstudios I have the larger Crystal Sky now, I have yet to fly with it, but now I'm concerned after hearing you have had issues with it crashing. Could you tell me a little more about that. Thank you.

[@osullivanstudios]

@@johngalloway3595 I am not sure if it's just me but I have found that the Crystal Sky crashes at least once every 4 batteries. (If I can use that as a unit of measure) Basically, it just locked up and I either have to reboot the thing or the DJI software reboots on its own. I have had ipads and iphones do the same thing but to me, it just seems like the Crystal Sky locks up the most. I also discovered that if it isn't connected to a wifi hotspot (i.e. your phone) it will give your files some crazy creation dates. I have Mavic flights with files created in 2012. It's not a big deal, just annoying. I still love it because I can quickly swap out batteries, run an extra monitor from it and it's just brighter in the sun but you have to keep in mind what to do if it shuts off mid-flight.

[@johngalloway3595]

@@osullivanstudios Thanks for the heads-up, hopefully I will be ready to react.🤔

[@EdwinvandenAkker]

2:16 I remember I used the swipe-to-left shortcut menu when I used my phone or tablet, years ago. But I was never able to get to the shortcuts on my smart-controller. Am I missing something? Is there even a shortcut menu on the smart-controller?

[@asad_yousafzaii12]

I lost my dji mavic mini yesterday by flying from a moving boat and I don’t know what just happened it was working perfectly fine and then drown like it was landing on a surface (82ft under) , I had a chat with rescue team and they said they will try to find it out so my question is will it work perfectly fine if we get it out? Bcz they will take some charges too if they find it, wish if I had seen this video before.

[@osullivanstudios]

I hate to say it but I highly doubt it will work. My guess is that the connection between your remote died, or you might have hit a NFZ.... but those are just guesses

[@EdwinvandenAkker]

I never had that experience with _seagulls._ The birds I always have a hard time with are the _plaice magpies._

[@MaximusPanin]

I watched a video about a Mavic with a float kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXO7YnaQp96NjJY Have you tried it with Skydio ? Or maybe there are other ideas ? I also want to know what lift Skydio has. Can it lift a GoPro or dual battery like the Air2+ does ?

[@osullivanstudios]

No idea. I only have DJI drones

[@RemyRAD]

Yeah that's the best. RTH Return To Home, feature. Where the boat used to be in the water. As when your batteries get low. It knows exactly where to go. Into the Drink. LOL. And you got your FAA Part-107 Drone Pilot License? Really? Have you ever learned what a compass is? How about an altimeter? How about Return and Banking indicator? And why can't these things carry, little miniature solar panels? So they can stay aloft almost indefinitely? I mean come on now? The time is come the walrus said. To speak of many things. And something about, boogers and sealing wax? What the hell is that? What the hell did they teach us as toddlers? And you're still there? This is why God invented pot. It's to help you grow up. So you don't need to play with your little model aircraft as an adult. Instead you can get a job and make a family. It's an awesome concept. It might one day catch on? But no. You know how Americans are. If it's not on KZbin they don't want it. What with affiliate link below. I mean with affiliate link, blow. It used to be called, Payola. Some DJs got nicely wealthy that way. They got wealthier when they became, DJI. And started flying around China. Looking for, cute chicks. Or anonymous men. Then DJI came to America. To look for the same thing. And a bevy of, Pedophiles. Which they thought meant bicycles. While some were Audiophiles. They are just as bad. They abuse under age audio equipment. That's almost like putting your jockey shorts on over top of your blue jeans. RemyRAD

[@osullivanstudios]

Also, nothing to clean up.