How To Launch and Land Your Drone From a Moving Boat

[@exclusiveaerials]

I fly off boats all the time, in sometimes some harsh conditions. In addition to Billy’s tips, here are a few tips from my experience - no specific order: - Double check your props!! Especially on phantom or inspire. Secure them and pull on them to make sure they are secured! - Turn off obstacle avoidance: the drone might abruptly stop while trying to take off or land - Turn off vision positioning: this becomes more important when trying to fly low over water. The reflection of the water makes vision positioning inaccurate. - Set “remote controller signal lost” mode to Hover: unless you have a mavic or inspire 2 with dynamic home modes. Sometimes I find it hard to manually update my gps home location from my iphone. - Take off/land in ATTI mode - this is needed in some cases where the boat you’re on is traveling at very fast speeds. Gps mode in this case will try to keep it’s gps position when starting the motors and fight hard full throttle when trying to take off or after landing. You need to be comfortable with flying in ATTI mode, be mindful about wind direction and speed. - Catch landing - always make sure if someone is catching your phantom to catch with both hands. For inspire 1 or 2 catch on the opposite ends and make sure the person catching has done it before or is comfortable doing it, and holding on until you can switch props off. - Use polarizer filters - if you are filming, just helps a lot with sun glare and reflection on the water

[@carsenmiller5836]

Hand-catching my mini 2 on a moving sailboat at 2% charge was probably one of the most intense moments of my life.

[@rodgercolin2937]

Will I be able to hand launch my mini 1 even if the boat is moving

[@carsenmiller5836]

@@rodgercolin2937 hand launching was by far the easy part haha, just had to make sure no one was in the way as it flies off the back. I’d definitely try to be careful when landing though, maybe trying to launch as you’re getting ready to dock back on land so you can land safely. If you do have to land while in the boat, I’d try and have it fly along the side of the boat and have someone catch it with gloves, bc I cut myself a little bit when I caught it myself. Biggest tip on that ^ is to make sure you start bringing it back at about 30% so you have plenty of time.

[@GoGetFree]

It’s one of those moments where you know your hands will get chopped but don’t care. Me in Montenegro in 2020.

[@WayIntoAdventures]

That’s insane!

[@chrisgames5201]

@@GoGetFree I'd rather cut my hands than lose a $500 drone

[@CLOUDVISUAL]

Honestly don't think you've given any solid advice on how to take off and land from a boat. We work from boats all the time and GPS must be off during TO and Landing to stop it from trying to reposition. Put the drone up wind and let it come to you during landing. Also, no one is wearing any kind of neck or shoulder strap, so you're trying to catch a drone whilst holding a controller with zero support. What happens when you drop the controller overboard and you've got a drone still flying?

[@Cybertruck4WD]

Billy, you made my drone drop and break, I did exactly what you said, I armed it, then dropped it and it plummeted to the ground.

[@KCadbyRacing]

I think the percentage of no-lanyard pilots is small but this suggestion is really for those that might not have much boating experience (what's called Sea Legs)... IMO this is the one situation where everyone should use a lanyard (for multiple reason)... 1: If you loose footing in any way shape or form (anyone ever NOT seen that happen on a moving boat?) it's an automatic reaction to put your HANDS and arms out trying to balance, and at worst save yourself if/when your falling. That can (more than likely will) end badly for a radio that isn't "attached" to the pilot with the obvious worst case being the radio goes overboard. 2: The pilot wouldn't need to hand off the radio (on a moving boat?), even in these calm waters that looks sketchy/risky (again for what 'could' happen to the radio)...

[@a7wd]

My tip: turn off collision avoidance before trying to land. A small boat is both harder and easier. I was able to take off from the fantail as there was no cover - easy. Landing my M2P was very tricky. My buddy "stopped" the boat, but currents and a light wind kept the boat drifting, and of course if you're off shore the boat will be moving up and down, too. It was a matter of bringing the drone in toward me at about head height from the stern to match speeds then hand catch. One time it went pretty easy, the next time took a while (several minutes that seemed like forever). In retrospect I should have turned off the collision avoidance as the drone would detect the boat and try to move away.

[@RonaldBrown59]

I will probably never try this, I don't spend much time on boats. But I still found it very interesting and very informative. Have a great summer.

[@huwpenson2678]

don't you want to mention anything about the Return to Home location ?

[@thehippoz]

I've learned to fly with forward/back + yaw on the right stick. It makes everything so easy far as catching goes while moving. Adjust alt on the left stick and you can one hand fly it in, catch with the left. Mavic pro/2 you have to fly it above you, turn off the downward sensors.

[@jimmyhidalgo2680]

Oh thank you gonna do this soon perfect timing thx billy 0:57 that was scary.... 1:40 aghhhh

[@usmanaryan]

Hey man I am in ferry now it’s has top roof. I have Mavic Air should I fly it or not? I have 4 hours still in ferry. I am in China guilin Yangshuo River. Can I or not ? Wait for quick reply

[@jetmartin9501]

What about the Anafi? Granted it wouldn't be as easy to grab as a Phantom but it's pretty easy to hand catch...and the props will probably do less damage if they do happen to connect with your fingers.

[@zakiducky]

The built in hand launch function would make launching from a boat fairly easy I’d imagine. I don’t know about catching by hand though. While the propellers are smaller and somewhat flexible, they feel pretty damn sharp to me for thin pieces of plastic. Granted, it’s the only drone I’ve ever had, so I can’t really compare to the propellers on another drone from personal experience...

[@jetmartin9501]

@@zakiducky The catch would definitely be a bit challenging because the boat and the Anafi would be moving..but I still think the Anafi would be a lot less intimidating and I think much easier to catch than a Mavic Pro.

[@zakiducky]

Jet Martin I can’t disagree with the intimidation factor lol. If you can get your hand in from underneath around the back of the body/ where the battery connects, I can see that working well to hold it without slicing your fingers or dropping it. You’d need the anafi in more of an overhead position than the phantom though to get the right angle. Would be interesting to see some of the major brands develop drones specifically for catching and launching by hand- or at the very least attachments to make the former easier. Better yet would be an aerial drone with some water resistance and floating capabilities. That would be easier and safer to accomplish than landing on a moving object at the very least.

[@jetmartin9501]

@@zakiducky When I hand land my Anafi I just put my hand underneath it and hit the land button. Of course that's much easier when you are on steady ground vs a moving boat. There may be an opportunity for some 3rd party to develop a "handle" of sorts for catching drones. BTW, there are some water proof drones out there today that you can land in the water and take off from the water. Check out Dustin Dunhill's channel...one of his recent reviews showcases a waterproof drone that he uses for fishing.

[@zakiducky]

Jet Martin Ooh, I’ll definitely have to check that out. I’ve seen plenty of underwater drones, but can’t recall seeing anything that flies and can tolerate getting wet.

[@rianrex]

I fly Inspire 2 drones off boats all the time. Turn off all the downward positioning systems as they will actually work against you as you land. I also recommend attitude mode.

[@TOURMANBOB]

I have found a couple of things to do with my Mavic Zoom and Air drones. Launch ONLY when the boat is stationary and from a launch pad on the front of the boat. If you are not following the boat, and the drone is far away, update the home point before activating the RTH since you have likely moved since first launching. Then watch carefully for it's return to where you are stopped and when you see it overhead, cancel the RTH. Then manually land it in the slowest mode possible (Tripod etc), turn the camera down, and land it on the launch pad on the front of the boat. Works every time with never a problem. If you are following the boat, stop the boat before landing and do so manually in the slowest mode. Again, never a problem; just make sure you stay 30 feet above the water prior to landing to prevent visual confusion by the drone. I always keep the drones high above the water and use the optical zoom to bring the video in closer when needed.

[@SuperDaveJones]

Do you like turning the drone upside down to turn it off. I have the mavic 4 pro

[@lowhombre]

You almost dropped a brick @ 1:37 scary to loose that I2 that way.

[@MrBikboi]

Drop the Ebonics white boy

[@lowhombre]

T white boy?😂

[@Discover-Ireland]

Iv flown my zoom of a boat last week. I landed back on it by hand catching it. I had to bring it on to the boat by moving it sideways as its sensors wasn’t letting it come to close. it was nerve wrecking,,as there was 6 min flying time left on it and I was 8 miles out at sea. I’m not going to try that again unless it’s in sport mode and sensors are off.

[@leof.6288]

any news regarg the tripod for the Mavic?

[@ChristineLozada]

Helpful thank you! I like to fly my Mavic mini or Mavic air two from kayaks

[@BarryGrueter]

Great tips, what would happen if it goes into low battery warnings? Thanks for sharing man.

[@drewgotit3569]

Eventually it would land where you have it programed to. Which is usually where you took off or where the remote last updated its position, which on a moving boat is death to your drone

[@cityboymedia933]

The Mavic Air with wifi is no good for the boat launch?? Is the wifi that unreliable?

[@enrightdigital]

When I'm flying my Phantom 4 Pro from a moving boat it will operate normally for a couple minutes then only fly up and down forcing me to land the drone. The drone will not move forward or backward or side to side. Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[@ShorePelican55]

Have see you mention the impressive connectivity of the Mavic Mini using Wifi connection. In this video (bMM) you mention not using a wifi drone with a boat. Have your thoughts changed with the experience you've have with MM?

[@SKEPhoto]

Helps to have some insurance on your drone as well. You don't want to lose it, but if you do it helps ease the pain. Great video!

[@paulwediting7175]

Incredibly helpful tutorial for a shoot I have tomorrow from a barge. Thank you for the great video man.

[@3XDRONES]

Never even knew about the hand launch method with just priming the motors. Thanks, Billy!

[@KardosoMedia]

Great tips Billy! I had forgotten about that inspire launch off the back..your face when you looked back was priceless lol

[@muzikmon2267]

They have had handles that stick out and attached to the main body for the mavic series FOR A LONG TIME NOW so you have a long handle to grab.. I had one for the original mavic pro I'm sure they have them for the mavic 2 pro and probably the mavic air 2 now. This handle will in turn make it just as easy to catch as the phantom 4 pro..

[@mrminecraftvlogs6883]

Awesome video. Love the channel. Keep em coming

[@skycontrolproductions]

Taking my air 2s on a yacht tonight thanks for the tips

[@daviddrushler3598]

In love with Mavic Mini as first drone - got two of them to fly continuous.... This next summer, plan to fly off bigger keel sailboats from 18 to 40 foot... These boats are impossible to stop while sailing, so been thinking about landing.. may have solution... can the emergency shutoff be used (same stick movements to startup) while flying forward matching speed of boat underneath? Been doing nothing but hand launching and catching from land to date, but takes too long with initial popup after seeing hand and putting into landing mode to imagine doing while moving... Therefore, thinking to fly mini into butterfly net on moving sailboat and then immediately do emergency shutoff.... was thinking at first just to be ready to catch after shutoff, but why not a net, since props are so small and collapsible, as well as arms holding them... seen lots of videos with minis surviving crashes, think a net and shutoff could work?

[@nicklausponte1680]

Does it work with mavic pro 1?

[@SCAerialsSteveCarpenter]

All useful tips, Billy! The safest way is to stop the boat. Yes, the Phantom is the easiest drone to launch and land with on a moving vessel. I know because a friend lost his Mavic Pro to the deep blue Pacific Ocean. The late images he saw from his phone was the Mavic bouncing off the rear transom and into the water, and this was on a forty+ foot troller; it hit the Sunbridge coming in for a landing, AND he was skippering the vessel not good. Take Care!

[@hopeandsilverbullet]

Ya...this would have been GREAT to know last weekend when I took my Mavic Air 2 on a sail boat and I lost it forever because of those exact points you made. Couldn’t catch it, battery too low, couldn’t keep up with boat and it fell to its death in the water behind the boat and now it’s gone...sad day. 😭

[@aimeecpage]

Same thing happened to me last week with my mavic air 1!

[@hopeandsilverbullet]

@@aimeecpage Were you able to recover it?

[@hopeandsilverbullet]

Just saw your reply! 😱 unfortunately no. It wasnt recoverable. 😭

[@popeyesantuy2307]

Nice...👍 How about MJX B12 EIS ?

[@gabbiano07]

Hi, today I tried to get the drone to take off from the boat but despite acquiring many satellites it doesn't give me the chance to take off because the Ready to fly message doesn't appear. If I start it from the mainland or when the boat is moored at the dock in the port, then it's ready to take off. is there any operation or setting to do to make it take off from the boat? Could it be a problem that the drone detects vibrations due to the movement of the boat? Thanks bye. Pietro from Italy 😉

[@billykyle]

What drone are you using? Might be tough if you are using an Autel.

[@gabbiano07]

@@billykyle Thank you for your reply. I'm using a xiaomi FIMI X8 SE, and I'm afraid that when this drone is on the boat or I hold it in my hand to take off, it feels the vibration and the sensors don't start it. I tried to put it on a stable surface not in the boat, and then after it has taken the satellites and the word ok ready to fly appears then you can take it off from the hand .... too bad I wanted to make videos from my boat .. ...

[@ORGANIZEDCoNfUsioN]

Thanks for the tips Billy, now I just need to get enough courage to try it.

[@anthonyb5146]

On the mavic 2 pro how do you recommend hand landing with all the collisions sensors? Having issues with my boat and the tower, coming back to it stationary?

[@jkrsecret]

12/09/2020 inspire 2 R.I.P from mooving boat lunch. It crashed on the crane,broke a propeller and dive at the aft....

[@GregoryLongs]

I know this is almost a year old but, how would you accomplish this if your drone had obstacle avoidance sensors?

[@rorymurphy8711]

Can someone explain to me what he means by the Mavic Air runs off wifi?

[@checkeredflagfilms]

I have a MV2 but I would think landing an Inspire would be very tricky! What's your experience? Also, you didn't mention about disabling the sensors! I would think you don't want them fighting you along with the wind in your attempts to catch/land.

[@rsenn74]

The follow me feature you are mentioning... is it the active track Mode? I’m not aware of another follow feature on DJI mavic drones ... You didn’t mention which setting to choose preferably in regard of the return home function... just in case the Signal unexpectedly gets lost... Thank you

[@PurpleCarrotSociety]

My issue was landing on a boat not accelerating choppy seas. Almost lost my map the first time. Im thinking next time. Approach in tripod mode with sensors off for hand catch

[@IdahoQuadcopter]

Yeah Billy, I got scared silly just watching this. You possess a skill set that is beyond an old dude like me. Well done my friend!

[@michianadroneservicesllc858]

Use prop guards if you have them!

[@bayradian]

Is distance an issue ? Lets say you go 2 km, is the only issue return to home? What settings do you use for RTH settings ? Freaks me out when the voice says " your home point has been.......... ( I'm flying a spark ) Thanks, great video, as per usual.

[@rorymurphy8711]

Have you ever lost signal to the drone whilst the boat is still moving? What if it's a big boat and you can't tell the captain to stop.

[@SeanOzz]

Oh man. Did you ever see the video I made showing that toss trick with the drones ? So dang funny. Snow everywhere and did all the mavic and then the Autel. The evo results were hilarious

[@mosesjh8272]

Awesome tips sharing Mr Billy! Thank you!

[@stevebanks4072]

Hey Billy what about using the auto take off slider as this may b easier than pulling joysticks inwards when operating by yourself, cheers from middle earth down under drone dude

[@ColdWindPhoenix84]

I would think that WiFi would have less problems out on the water as far as interference. Do you have more reasoning for recommending against WiFi?

[@billykyle]

No matter what the conditions are, there will be more interference on a WiFi drone than one that runs a dedicated transmission system. They also don’t get nearly as much range.

[@ColdWindPhoenix84]

I'm sorry, I meant less interference than normal for WiFi, but I see what you're saying.

[@phildevore4543]

Do you hand launch your Inspire 2?

[@johnl.beasley6738]

Thanks Billy, great info!

[@fruitstick78]

When I hand catch my mavic 2 pro just normally on the ground it detects my hand and hovers for a few seconds before landing landing again. I would never do a hand catch with the M2P on anything moving. Too easy to lose

[@SteveH-TN]

I imagine flying the Mini from a boat will be a challenge. I recently sold my Mavic Pro and ordered a Mini. It should arrive this week. However I am concerned the GeoFencing will prohibit take off from my farm because I am near a grass run, like Russ.

[@scottdavis7743]

Awesome video.

[@FSEVENMAN]

That's a badass boat....

[@mattcero1]

Fast speed? How about slowing the boat down?

[@uasflightservicesllc3552]

Great info BK

[@bluegrassdroneguy3495]

Thanks Billy 👍 Landing skids from irepair make the mavic shaped kinda like Phantom, might could grab one of the skids

[@Eli-lb1lc]

5:51 billy is an expert at this 😬 Rip mavic 2 pro

[@jimmyhidalgo2680]

Lol

[@evaguerin6741]

Great information! Thanks for sharing! 👍

[@Gmurda1979]

Great content BK!

[@jimmyhidalgo2680]

Oh thank you gonna fo this soon perfect timing thx billy

[@bluegrassdroneguy3495]

Yea I believe the drone actually hovers 4ft AGL when hand launched before pushing forward on left stick 👍 Great tutorial Billy

[@DroneJunkieRc]

Great info 👍😎

[@mloredon]

It's also important that we turn off the sensors while landing on a narrow sail. I struggled to get it back with sensors ON since drone was keep moving backwards due to obstacles 😅

[@bananaking2828]

don't forget set the return to home at the remote, not the take off point

[@billykyle]

Yup

[@MikeKinney8675]

Hello Billy , you put this video out just at the right time. Going tomorrow with my pro platinum out on my friends boat. First time doing this for me Thanks for giving your tips. Mike in N.C .

[@360fullhd]

1:38 my heart is almost stoped 😖

[@gd198070]

Great advice common sense advice

[@overfly_pt]

Billy Kyle You are one expert 😉👌👌👌👌👌

[@thesmartbill]

Nice master!!

[@YardLimit]

Good video!

[@MsAngel1305]

Very nice precise information with clear demo really useful for beginners like me. Loved the tips which I will definitely be using next week on my trip to Tasmania. Keep up the good work mate. Cheers:)

[@billykyle]

Thank you!

[@manwithadronespain]

I'm gonna crap my pants the first time I toss my drone off the boat, for sure

[@RarePupper]

I can see the adrenalin in your eyes at 1:38

[@MikeFrenchParis]

That was my mistake taking off from the front off the boat …. But i guess you have to take off quickly and move up and fwd quickly bcz sometimes you can take off from the back of the boat

[@billykyle]

Yeah, need to go off from the back

[@TAPPChannel]

My mavic Air failed to fly from the boat... Thus drone is piece of trash... :(

[@Antsmith21]

Oh!!! I didn’t know that it would do that from a hover

[@QCGUY]

This comes up a lot in groups. You scared me a few times there but great video 👍

[@UserTeemu]

Smart tips! Well done!

[@kenosantos327]

That was close, your Inspire almost died 😂

[@avand2794]

Lol last year I bought a Mavic 2 Pro, and we went on holiday by renting a sail boat, and on its first trip we tried to take it off from the rear of a boat and plonk, it literally disobeyed the controls I gave the drone. anyway never using a Mavic on a boat anymore

[@antoniohagopian213]

You finally fixed you Phantom

[@OCEANCRAFTSMotionGallery]

Great detailed tutorial👏👏👏 Now I want to try launching and landing from moving boats🌈

[@fivezeroniner]

1:44 HEAVY BREATHING!! LOOOL!! xD

[@joeys5429]

Yes exactly how I launched my rc planes for mode 2 pilot only

[@airadaimagery692]

You might wanna think about turning off obstacle avoidance. Otherwise the drone may try avoiding your catch... Or, it may try avoiding the boat altogether and that wouldn’t be good either. Just sayin....

[@OzoneLead]

1:37 I peed a little

[@asvens6761]

Why don’t you simply stop the boat?

[@insanedb]

instructions unclear, now how do I land my cat from that tree?

[@billykyle]

You’ll have to go to Originaldobo’s channel to find that one out

[@fireislandmavic5939]

i need an injection of bravery

[@SouthFlaDiver]

Bring a net, catch like a butterfly (bring extra blades)

[@SaudiMarshal]

1:39 heart attack

[@BradleyFrench]

I catch my pro all the time. One hand under the body. Two fingers.

[@luckymefpv]

Not my race drone, wouldn’t hold the chainsaw in my hand like that

[@skatasdroneview5574]

Thanks, but not brave enough yet to lunch my P4V2 off a boat yet, lol.

[@toddhurdon2016]

LMAO on the near submarine off the aircraft carrier