Need safety feature when flying over a pond

[Roger Donnay]

I'm fairly good at flying my Phantom 3 and so I decided I want to create a video adventure in which I chase my RC boat across the pond. I got the idea from re-watching an old James Bond film - From Russia with Love.

It's a great Chris-Craft style boat and would make a good video. This will take 2 operators of course. One for the boat and one for the Phantom.

After some trials however, I realize that I can't get a close enough video unless I'm flying 6 ft or less above the water. This can be very dangerous. I have good GPS in the area (12 satellites) so vertical stability shouldn't be a problem. My biggest worry is that I will accidently move the altitude adjustment when making sharp turns and find myself hitting the water.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to add some safe guards? I thought about putting a mechanism on the left joystick that would require much more pressure to move the stick up/down but still allow free left/right movement. I can visualize how I would do this with a simple washer and rubber band.

I would feel much better if I could set a minimum height. The home point for takeoff would be about 6 feet higher than the water level. It would be great if there were a safety feature that makes it stop or slow dramatically if the height ever goes below home point height.

Any ideas?

 

[Meta4]

I have good GPS in the area (12 satellites) so vertical stability shouldn't be a problem.

GPS provides horizontal position holding but isn't involved at all in vertical.
I can't think of any gadgets or settings to handle the situation so it's just going to come down to being extra careful.
Try a few practice runs at a safer height to see if you feel comfortable that you can do it down lower.

 

[Pharm]

Getterback. It won't keep you above the water but it'll help you fish it out after it goes swimming. Available at Amazon.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Getterback. It won't keep you above the water but it'll help you fish it out after it goes swimming. Available at Amazon.

I use them.

 

[Roger Donnay]

>>> GPS provides horizontal position holding but isn't involved at all in vertical.

How does it determine altitude then? Does it have an altimeter? What keeps it stable? It always hovers nicely for me.

 

[HWCM]

>>> GPS provides horizontal position holding but isn't involved at all in vertical.

How does it determine altitude then? Does it have an altimeter? What keeps it stable? It always hovers nicely for me.

VPS and barometer.

 

[FantomFlier]

I'm fairly good at flying my Phantom 3 and so I decided I want to create a video adventure in which I chase my RC boat across the pond. I got the idea from re-watching an old James Bond film - From Russia with Love.

It's a great Chris-Craft style boat and would make a good video. This will take 2 operators of course. One for the boat and one for the Phantom.

After some trials however, I realize that I can't get a close enough video unless I'm flying 6 ft or less above the water. This can be very dangerous. I have good GPS in the area (12 satellites) so vertical stability shouldn't be a problem. My biggest worry is that I will accidently move the altitude adjustment when making sharp turns and find myself hitting the water.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to add some safe guards? I thought about putting a mechanism on the left joystick that would require much more pressure to move the stick up/down but still allow free left/right movement. I can visualize how I would do this with a simple washer and rubber band.

I would feel much better if I could set a minimum height. The home point for takeoff would be about 6 feet higher than the water level. It would be great if there were a safety feature that makes it stop or slow dramatically if the height ever goes below home point height.

Any ideas?

Consider these:-

Gimbal-Guard

 

[Roger Donnay]

Consider these:-

Gimbal-Guard

View attachment 59528

Perfect! Thank you! This will save me a lot of time. I will report back in a week or so about my successes or failures.

 

[Roger Donnay]

Getterback. It won't keep you above the water but it'll help you fish it out after it goes swimming. Available at Amazon.

I looked at the 32 reviews on Amazon. Great reviews for the concept, but not a single success story. The pond is an old rock quarry that is fed by the Boise River. It is very deep, so I anticipate that the device would deploy if I lost it in deep water. Any ideas what the cost would be for repairs? I assume that the camera and gimbal are a full loss from anecdotes I have heard.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I looked at the 32 reviews on Amazon. Great reviews for the concept, but not a single success story. The pond is an old rock quarry that is fed by the Boise River. It is very deep, so I anticipate that the device would deploy if I lost it in deep water. Any ideas what the cost would be for repairs? I assume that the camera and gimbal are a full loss from anecdotes I have heard.

Go get a State Farm policy....
$60 for a year.
That's what I would do anyway.
JMO


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Roamer105]

I would use Autopilot with Airspace and work that mission "hands-off". I would not dare a manual flight like this while on a shaking, bouncing boat.
You can setup a very cinematic and dramatic mission by setting up an ORBIT with Autopilot with Focus=Device (subject = RC/iPad). As you take off with the boat, Autopilot will try to keep the RC in frame and orbit distance while attempting to fly an orbit. For more effect, you can increase or decrease the speed, change the altitude or change the distance during the mission using the RC's throttle (altitude) or right stick (up/down for distance, left/right for speed). Furthermore, if "dynamic home-point" is enabled, Autopilot will continuously update the home point as the RC/Device moves with the boat. So, if for some reason RTH is invoked, the bird will come to your boat and attempt to land there. I suggest, you take over when it is close and hand-grab it.

 

[Pharm]

I looked at the 32 reviews on Amazon. Great reviews for the concept, but not a single success story. The pond is an old rock quarry that is fed by the Boise River. It is very deep, so I anticipate that the device would deploy if I lost it in deep water. Any ideas what the cost would be for repairs? I assume that the camera and gimbal are a full loss from anecdotes I have heard.

No idea of repair cost. Whether or not camera and gimbal are a full loss would depend on how long it was underwater and how thoroughly it was cleaned and dried afterwards, plus a few other factors. I wouldn't guarantee the Getterback will work but it gives me a sense of semi-security when flying over water.

 

[alokbhargava]

Please ensure you keep your VPS definitely off when flying low on waters.

 

[Solar Deity]

I'm fairly good at flying my Phantom 3 and so I decided I want to create a video adventure in which I chase my RC boat across the pond. I got the idea from re-watching an old James Bond film - From Russia with Love.

It's a great Chris-Craft style boat and would make a good video. This will take 2 operators of course. One for the boat and one for the Phantom.

After some trials however, I realize that I can't get a close enough video unless I'm flying 6 ft or less above the water. This can be very dangerous. I have good GPS in the area (12 satellites) so vertical stability shouldn't be a problem. My biggest worry is that I will accidently move the altitude adjustment when making sharp turns and find myself hitting the water.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to add some safe guards? I thought about putting a mechanism on the left joystick that would require much more pressure to move the stick up/down but still allow free left/right movement. I can visualize how I would do this with a simple washer and rubber band.

I would feel much better if I could set a minimum height. The home point for takeoff would be about 6 feet higher than the water level. It would be great if there were a safety feature that makes it stop or slow dramatically if the height ever goes below home point height.

Any ideas?

Roger, it's easy to do. Did it all weekend following the kids getting pulled on the tube. Start with a few trial runs and stay 20-30 feet above the water. I had no problem maintaining the same height above the boat and water. After 8-10 batteries, I was comfortable about 10-12 feet above the water or 5' above the boat/jet ski. During your trial runs, practice panning without losing altitude. Do you pinch the sticks or use all thumbs? Easier to maintain altitude by pinching, but I learned with my thumbs and it was easy enough.

 

[jcoop]

I'm fairly good at flying my Phantom 3 and so I decided I want to create a video adventure in which I chase my RC boat across the pond. I got the idea from re-watching an old James Bond film - From Russia with Love.

It's a great Chris-Craft style boat and would make a good video. This will take 2 operators of course. One for the boat and one for the Phantom.

Wait...
Isn't it an rc boat? So you'll be on land, and you won't have to worry about bouncing around, right?
Will autopilot track and orbit such a small thing?
Also, if you do do it, and make a video, post it here or something, because I would love to see it!



Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[WetDog]

P3's are pretty stable altitude wise. I fly 2-3 feet off the water all of the time. Turn VPS off as suggested. Practice. Practice. Practice. The P3 won't lose altitude unless you push the left stick. So don't push the left stick. When you're done stop, take a deep breath and think about what do do next.

Do you have access to an RC car? You could find a nice flat field and practice. One advantage of water is that it won't sneak up in altitude like land can. Tends to stay pretty flat.

Also, this would be an excellent mission to plan with Autopilot. It adds a whole new level of complexity to the game, but if you are really serious that is probably the best way to go. You can choreograph the P3 and fly autonomously, leaving you to manipulate the camera while somebody else flies the boat.

It is how a pro would do it. (Along with having three boats, four aircraft, 10 crew and a caterer.)

 

[Roamer105]

Wait...
Isn't it an rc boat? So you'll be on land, and you won't have to worry about bouncing around, right?
Will autopilot track and orbit such a small thing?
Also, if you do do it, and make a video, post it here or something, because I would love to see it!



Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

If it is a small RC boat, that is a different story. You would have to setup an Airspace in Autopilot defining an airspace device that is in the RC boat (like an iPhone). Then define that device as the focus. One big note of caution (aside from protecting the iPhone from water ) - If you are in an area with poor, or no cellular service, Airspace is severely limited in distance (distance between your RC/iPad and the iPhone in the boat). If the airspace communication breaks down, the bird remains focused on the last known position.

 

[FantomFlier]

The P3 won't lose altitude unless you push the left stick. So don't push the left stick.

An example of a very close call:-

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[kirk2579]

I'm fairly good at flying my Phantom 3 and so I decided I want to create a video adventure in which I chase my RC boat across the pond. I got the idea from re-watching an old James Bond film - From Russia with Love.

It's a great Chris-Craft style boat and would make a good video. This will take 2 operators of course. One for the boat and one for the Phantom.

After some trials however, I realize that I can't get a close enough video unless I'm flying 6 ft or less above the water. This can be very dangerous. I have good GPS in the area (12 satellites) so vertical stability shouldn't be a problem. My biggest worry is that I will accidently move the altitude adjustment when making sharp turns and find myself hitting the water.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to add some safe guards? I thought about putting a mechanism on the left joystick that would require much more pressure to move the stick up/down but still allow free left/right movement. I can visualize how I would do this with a simple washer and rubber band.

I would feel much better if I could set a minimum height. The home point for takeoff would be about 6 feet higher than the water level. It would be great if there were a safety feature that makes it stop or slow dramatically if the height ever goes below home point height.

Any ideas?

be carefull with vps on when flying low over water, maybe shut it off since you have a p3

 

[Roger Donnay]

>>> I would not dare a manual flight like this while on a shaking, bouncing boat.

I will not be in a boat. The pond is much too small for that. We will be controlling everything from shore.