Flying Over Water - 5 Ways to Avoid Losing Your Drone
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- #dji #drones
Is it safe to fly your drone over water? Yes, as long as you follow a few simple tips to keep your drone safe. I explain a few tips to keep your drone safe and how to get those great shots over water.
**
Thinking of getting a DJI Drone? Help me & my channel by clicking through to DJI or Amazon to look at their offers.
DJI Mini 3:
click.dji.com/AEwUps91GmX_fkI...
DJI Mini 3 Pro: click.dji.com/AEuZkXQPaPK75Dh...
DJI Mavic 3 Classic: click.dji.com/ALfKaszpfV6Wgd5...
DJI Avata: click.dji.com/AMZ3lRuVyaJYSKL...
DJI Mavic Air 2S: click.dji.com/AAObKNO57sqdJ47...
DJI Mini 2: UK: amzn.to/2WrneCP
USA: amzn.to/3raZW2n
Useful Stuff I use:
Anker 32W USB C Fast Charger for Mini2 & Mini 3s: amzn.to/3BqeqSJ
Omnicharge 20c+Powerbank: amzn.to/3S2FOxc
Sandisk Ultra high speed write: amzn.to/2QRsxdg
DJI Radio Mic: store.dji.com/uk/product/dji-mic
Ultra fast USB Flash Drive: amzn.to/2UJiSJK
Freewell ND Filters: amzn.to/3WB2DJZ
Affiliate links don't cost you any more but do give my channel a small
commission which helps me buy more stuff to test and review for you.
** I disable mid-roll adverts on my videos to make things nicer to watch! You can buy me a beer or coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/ianinlondon
or
www.paypal.me/Ianinlondon1
or better still, join my channel at czcams.com/users/ianinlondonjoin
**
Images in multiple formats with easy shipping to USA, UK & Worldwide:
fineartamerica.com/profiles/i...
** The excellent Drone Scene app: dronescene.co.uk/
This is run by the friendliest UK-based Grey Arrows Drone Club:
greyarro.ws/
12 Months 3rd party liability insurance for £19: www.fpvuk.org/membership-bene...
Music in today's video: Epidemic Sound
Use the link for a free trial: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Happy flying everyone.... Ian - Věda a technologie
Have you lost it over water? Hopefully not. And remember, ignore any replies from anyone using my profile picture asking you to contact me on telegram; no prizes, just a scam.... :)
Never a truer video, having experienced this myself over a lake, battery in the red & lost the drone, lesson learned !
Great video as always 😊
I had a msg saying I had won a prize from you, well not you, but you can see how some people would respond to a message like this! I actually had another one yesterday on another CZcamsr's site. CZcams should block them. Makes me so angry! Anyway, Ian another great vid with lots of common sense. I've not been brave enough to fly over the water, annoying as the Isle of Wight has stunning coastline. Happy flying!
yep just got my replacement last week living in Malta I tend to concentrate a lot on filming over the sea. was backing away in a sideway motion to get a boat in focus which was sailing out of a gorge and caught the cliff unfortunately...my fault totally should have been higher then the cliffs as you mentioned in point 3 of your vid.
Great tips, Ian! I live on a lake, so 90%of my flights are over water. One additional tip is not to panic if your altitude appears really low or even negative. Your altitude is measured from your launch site and it can be disconcerting if you launched from a high bank. Just watch your arithmetic and keep a close eye on your drone. (Looking forward to liquid water soon ...still a foot of ice on the lake...)
You nailed it - verify your altitude at your home point and then keep an eye on your arithmetic as you fly. Not always easy when the water levels are changing (ie waterfall) but for the most part just paying attention to where you are and how you got there will get you back dry.
Yes, a negative height threw me the first time I saw that. I really try and avoid flying lower than my take off point over water as you can't see the drone above the water and are relying on the camera too much. Spring is coming :)
@resin-man yes, or early in the flight, fly down as close to the water as you feel comfortable and take note of your altitude (say -3m) and ensure you never go below that.
I witnessed someone losing their drone because of a drone auto adjusting altitude just this week😬
I capture videos of ferries around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and so exactly what you’ve suggested and stay high. Went to take some footage on Tuesday and there was a guy doing the same but 5-10m above the surface of the water and his drone descended straight into a Loch a good 60m from shore. Dude blamed the wind - it was less than 2m/s. 😂
Thanks for sharing this sort of stuff. Good for people who don’t understand what can happen.
Thanks, Ian. I've flown over water many times but these reminders are certainly timely and good points for review. Thanks for taking the time to share them.
All the best,
- Robert
Great advice Ian as always thanks
Thank you for this advice, Ian
Always good to be remembered about the basics as well. I remember one winter flying over water with a Mini 2 and suddenly the heightindicator showed -5 meter. I quickly increased the height manually - and it was a lesson. I wasn't that many meters a.s.l.
Ian, Great video and sound advice. For anyone who thinks this was to basic just remember it is the basics are that will save you every time.
Thanks Ian, sage advice as every.
Great tips, as always! Thanks for the reminders!
Appreciate these tips bro. Definitely things to keep in mind.
Really like this.I live in an area with lots of reservoirs ( due to the history of the area and cotton mills) I tend to fly along side and ‘zip in/out over the water due to fear of losing my Mini2!!! Thanks Ian.
Back to basics reminder that we all need Ian sometimes. Flying over water requires this I feel. It's as you say, unforgiving. Another good vid mate and hopefully you've saved someone's drone! Cheers.
Great information Ian👍Thanks for sharing mate 😁👍
Well said, mate. Great video.
Very good tips Ian. Great video. 10m minimum and fly around 30m over water are new to me. Thanks Ian.
Great tips thank you
Thanks for doing this video Ian very instructive regards Dave
Thanks Ian....
Very close to losing my drone. I wasn't yet aware of the issue with vision sensors and had my drone parked at about 9m altitude before fishing to a trout. I looked back after a few minutes and couldn't see the drone. Grabbed the controller and it was within about 1ft of descending into the river. Interesting footage to watch later. I now make sure to hover the drone to the side of the river when trying to capture some fishing action so that its over land now.
Number one way to avoid losing your drone over water, don’t crash /land into the water. Nailed it
Great information Ian thanks. Going on holiday in a couple of weeks so this is really handy thanks. Have a great time in Belgium. 👍👍👍
Thanks Karen!
Thank you very much for sharing your experience and your knowledge with us. I've got a farm pond that keeps tempting me to fly out over it to catch the views back on the shoreline but I stopped myself out of that fear I'd be losing my Drone. 🙂☕
Thanks for the tips, Ian. Cheers from Wisconsin, USA. Have a great outing.
Thanks George 👍🏻
Good tips my friend👍👍👍
Thanks. Repetition made this longer than needed though.
Nice 1 Ian
Ian, another excellent instructional video. I also fly 90% of the time over the local river. Three years ago, I flew to close by an unattended boat slip and the props hit a mast line. I managed to pull out of a tail spin and save my MA2 from disaster. Your advice is well taken as well as the other excellent tips. I've learned not to fly close to any boat and to stay high up over water. A big NY fan 👍
That's a lucky recovery! Usually it's swimming the moment it hits a line or mast! Cheers, Ian
Super cool 😎🤝
This video reminded me I need to rent a car this week and take my drone out to the Salton Sea here in Southern California. It was the very first place I ever flew a drone but I was too scared to actually take my drone over the water back then 😅
Thank you for this, a good reminder of what to do and not to do. I'm about to go out to investigate the mud at low tide of a point on the East Coast where I plan to sail my boat later on in the Spring and beach her (mud her?) for the night.
I can't reach the point on foot, it can only be reached from the sea so I'll get as close as I can, about 100m according to the maps, and then fly one of my drones over the beach and mud to check it out. Going to be windy offshore, unfortunately, so the Evo 2 Pro is the drone of choice for this mission.
I'll be jotting down your 5 points on my flight plan to keep them in mind before and during the flight.
Thanks again.
Great tips, many thanks Ian. I have just experienced my drone descending without input while flying over a river. Very unnerving! I was less than 2m above, a mistake I won’t repeat.
Top tips again from you Ian, I’ll test these out this week! Best regards Kevin (the chap that emailed you the other week 😅)
Bought a dji mini 4 pro specifically for filming over water while fishing on a boat, had no idea that you needed to be a minimum of 30 feet altitude.
That low battery point hits home for me. I just recently lost my Dji Mavic Air 2 drone in Granville Island, Vancouver, BC in False Creek. I should have taken off with a full battery 🔋 😢
Learn and move on 🫤👍🏻
I watched thinking you would say things that I didn’t agree with, but being one of you biggest fans and long time follower, I agree 100 % with everything you said, I fly over water 80% of my flights, and honestly sometimes only a meter off the surface , I’ve had a few close calls but never lost one due to water, thanks for sharing
I've had a few people mention a sudden descent of 5-10 metres or so when flying over water, so watch out for that! Cheers as ever! Ian
@@IaninLondon you are always the King in my book Ian
Hi Ian, just love it I know Antwerpen very well, having spent many years in the Benelux! The tips of flying the Drone over water is of course a fantastic tip from a Professional! Thanks for that and alléz whilst in Belgium and Antwerp enjoy! Cheers & egészségedre! 🍷🦉👍😎
Cheers Rogar 🤠👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Now i want Belgium Pancakes for Breakfast……while flying a quad over water, of course 😂👍👍✈️🔋📻🔥
And hangover-free endless Belgian beer..... 🤠
Thanks Ian I was hoping you would do something like this. Very helpful. Though I’m still left wondering how accurate the minus measurement is when you take off above sea level from a clifftop.
I guess the way to do it is to check the height of the cliff above sea level and then hopefully you can deduct and work out an accurate figure about how low you can go close to the sea, whilst maintaining the kind of height above the waves that you recommend. .
It's very hard to gauge when you're flying lower than take off point, especially if you have nothing for reference; best approach is probably to get the camera forwards and slowly descend until you're happy you're low enough but still high enough above the water; even that's hard if you have no object other than water to go by....
Hi Ian, again a nice and helpfull video. Suddenly your in my backyard instead of yours. You made a flight I never dare in Antwerp. You even filmed my appartement and the beautyfull MAS museum. I never got an approvel from the city for that. Have you more footage ? I'm surely interested. Keep on the good work :)
Great advice as always mate. My god, you get to travel a lot. You need to make another channel called the drone gypsy/traveler. 😂😂
I lost my Mini 3 pro trying to do a hand landing on my boat the boat was drifting the Mini would not settle in my hand took off and dropped in the water.
Now I do the pinch grab hand landing 👍
Great video Ian. I was recently on a shoot and experienced the problem of the downward vision sensors moving the drone in some alarming ways! Do you know if there is any way to disable the downward sensor for occasions where flying over flowing water?
I can attest to #4 @ 03:20 - the downward vision system does seem to get confused by reflections... I fly over the nearby river and waterfall quite often and have been shocked on a couple occasions when the drone suddenly flew up, or sideways during a flight - luckily it never dove down....but, shooting up when you are flying under electrical lines is not a pleasant experience. Solid advice to maintain a decent height...and don't panic if things get twitchy, just recover.
Power lines. Been there once.... 🫤
Just for my information guys. What altitude over the river was the drone flying when this happened??
@@TriniWeekes I was a solid 50 feet above the falls/river. Sunny afternoon, so a lot of glare (had an ND filter on, but that doesn't help the sensors...)
Great video always enjoy, question not on this but on the fact you travelled abroad. Going to Berlin later in year any tips on what i need to do so i can take my mini 3 pro with me without getting into trouble with airline or when out in Berlin?
Take drone on board as hand luggage, and register with an easa country before hand. You need your name and phone number or address on a flameproof label in Germany. Check out UAV Coach/ Germany.
Hello, this is an interesting video.
I will subscribe to your channel from Japan.
Thank you for your continued support.
Hi Ian, thanks for your output.
Was thinking that a pylon would make a great subject for a drone video. Do you have any experiences of any issues please?
Pete, Air3 operator...
Cool, thanks Ian.
All the points you make bar one, (Downward Vision Sensors) a pilot can control and plan for, I like that. These Downward Sensors though! I don't like the fact that there isn't a clear parameter on what and how they are affected. I do remember watching your video from a few months ago where you couldn't work out why your drone moved without you making any stick movement inputs, I guess it was something to do with these dowward sensors. This can't be right, safe or fair! I guess this is why DJI replaced your drone with little or to no questions asked!? - I guess in scenarios like waterfalls/rushing, gushing or shimmering water, we can choose to switch off Obstacle Avoidance, but surely DJI can work on giving an option to switch off or dampen down the sensitivity of the Downward Sensors. Interested in your thoughts.
You can't turn off the downward vision system; it kicks in when low to the ground, low light or poor GPS. Generally it works fine unless you're over water! DJI did indeed replace the crashed Mini 3 agreeing it wasn't my fault.
I fly low over the sea to photograph waves from above, definitely risky and I I'm always nervous when I do.
maybe a silly question - but couldn't we attach a set of improvised floats on the feet of the drone, in case it ditches on water? thanks - great vid!
Yea, these do exist. But they're big and bulky and make it easier to blow away 👍🏻
What about large waves like lake lice like to use (jet ski) My friend wants some footage and he really only does the large wave jump in the air stuff.
Will the drone attempt to stay at a fixed level from the ever-changing surface? I had hoped to get some up shots but hadn't even thought of the trough and wave crest are two drastically different elevations.
i lost connection out off beachyhead once scared the hell out of me lol. but it reconnected and i could fly it back luckily it was just hovering 30 metres up
Lucky escape! 😀
@@IaninLondon it was when the mini 3 pro had the controller glitch and it just shut off then restarted lol
Thanks for the info Ian .
Just wondering if you think of using floats ?
Cheers
Dave
No; air resistance is increased too much I think... Maybe of I was taking off from a boat a lot....
@@IaninLondon thanks Ian
All useful tips there great information and educational 👌😉 Ty. Flying over water 🌊 is definitely nerve racking but it really shouldn't be as apart from the bottom sensor getting confused from water being reflective it's no different than flying over a field. Oh and of course it wants to land for whatever reason. I've got the click on legs with the two red floats so you can safely land on water but they have their downsides like air drag and the obvious one it puts my DJI mini se over the 250 grams limit which is annoying as then everything legal wise changes and you could get into stupid trouble over taking precautions to protect your pride and joy. I'm not rich and I know you can pick my drone up for under £300. I was lucky ordered on eBay a reconditioned DJI mini se flymore combo for £280 and when it arrived well packaged the main box had a tear/hole bottom left corner but it still had manufacturer film on it. Long story short I guess it was damaged stock because it was brand spanking new never been opened and come with one years warranty/guarantee. So I got lucky . I got fed up of bidding on second hand flymore combo and bidding upto £275 only to be out bid at the last moment so thought buy it now £280 reconditioned why not. So glad I did. So too loose it would brake my heart because I won't be that lucky again and if I do decide to upgrade to the mini 2 or 3 pro I'll most probably be able to get what I paid for my se as so far I've only used one battery and I've looked after it so far plus I have extras to go with it like lights for night flights green front red back but again pushes the weight limit. I do hope the CAA take a look back at these rules because as I understand any drone over the 250 is pretty much unflyable unless in a open field or being used with license and insurance for commercial use only 😢🤷🙆🤞🤞🤞😉👌
I've not used those floats, but always been wary of how they'd act like a sail and could cause the drone to get blown away easily. And of course, if you land on water with low battery, how do you get it back? ;)
@@IaninLondon also I'd be wary taking off on water because there is a risk of water flying about and the motors are exposed on the se . I've seen you can get caps but weight and heat would be a issue and I've read bad reviews of them causing issues 😉👌. I do use my drone for finding clear patches in weedy lakes I fish that would be the only time I might be tempted to use the floats as long as no or mild wind and access to a boat 😉🎣💪😉
Ian have you flown the Thames River?
Watch out for old fishing lines hanging below piers. If you try to fly below the pier those lines are invisible and will do your drone in.
Yes, all good points to keep your drone from drowning in the water. But honestly, the current firmware is a big crap. As you said: "when the drone suddenly decides"....That's exactly the point, in bypass mode the drone behaves absolutely strange since the new firmware update. Arbitrary movements without moving the stick on the controller. Go up when you actually want to go down. A swerve sideways if you want to fly straight. This needs to be improved urgently!
yea, i thought this was a great video. And something occurred to me while watching this video. If you really nervous about your flights over water. One could always install floatable landing gear in case of the emergency. Dunno, just thought of it
Hi Ian, just watched that video about flying above water and noticed you did some flying in Antwerp. I am living in Australia but from Belgium and will be in Belgium for a few weeks soon with the Mini 3 Pro (got it a few weeks ago). As far as I understand the regulations in Belgium for drone flying are on private grounds only and at max 10m altitude. I am therefore very curious and even more interested to know how did you manage to fly in Antwerp. I would obviously like to do some flying in Belgium too. Thanks in advance. Patrick
Mistakenly, would be my answer. I checked for restricted airspace and wrongly assumed the rules for sub 250 gm drones followed standard easa rules. 🫤
@@IaninLondon Love your answer. Anyone would assume that indeed, but Belgium being Belgium... It reassures me since you didn't get in trouble. That means I clearly could mistakenly....assume the same :).
Just reading the easa regulations and it seems they supersede the ones of the country:
Is it possible for an EASA Member State (MS) to maintain its national drone regulation in parallel with the new European drone legislation?
No. The EU drone regulation is an act that became immediately applicable in all EU MSs since 31 December 2020 superseding national regulations and making them not applicable anymore.
Fair point.... I'll let someone else test that one properly though..... ;) Ultimately, fly away from people and no one will see you!
Dji how to gly drone when you are not in controle
Hi, I have purchased mini 2 quite recently and had few flights over the terrain with "emergency landing" triggered by.. dunno what exactly, might be due to lost signal or something? Drone just started to land on its own. Was wondering what might be the cause of that cuz battery was around 1/2 life and if that happened over the water I would have lost it.. Can anybody advise?
You could be flying in a geo-fenced area that's restricted. Low signal would usually trigger a Return to Home
I have a dji mini 2 se and it likes to disconnect mid air and fall to the ground. It’s happened a few times causing it to break and me having to get a new one. Lucky it hasn’t happened over water… yet. But I don’t know how to prevent this. Any tips?
Yep. It's faulty. They should never do that so maybe open a chat with DJI support...
@@IaninLondon I sent it back and got another one and it did it again. So I’m going to upgrade from my dji mini 2 se to a dji 3 mini pro
Great video again!!! Question, did you need a EU drone License to fly in Antwerpen because of the Brexit???
I have myself already registered with a European EASA country as well as the UK. The UK never quite joined up with EASA's database which is a shame!
@@IaninLondon Thanks for your answer, a friend of mine had to do the UK examen to fly in Scotland. It should be like you have a drivers license, fly around the world as long you can show the license you have.
Watch out for pesky birds too
Yes! Gulls are bad news! 😀
Hm,... my Mini2 tragically had a forced landing over water recently.
Playing back the cached info - the battery went from 88% to 1% in just 4 seconds. Massive battery failure... alas out of warantee. I did manage to retrieve the drone... it is being assesed by DJI. Hm.. anyone else had this happen?
I will make sure i don’t store the battery for long periods in the drone or the charge hub. Worried this same issue might happen again? I bought a second Mini2 to replace my drowned one.
THe drone is currently with DJI for assessment … will be interesting to see if they cut me some slack. As this seems clearly a massive battery failure.
If they decline on basis it's out of warranty, push back and ask for a heavy discount on the repair bill... Sometimes they're feeling kind
Thanks @@IaninLondon yes will try, I’m now concerned at any future flights with the replacement Mini2 I bought. What can I expect the life expectancy of my batteries to be? They are not more than 2 years old.
@@IaninLondon well - amazingly DJI analysed the data and - replacement of drone & battery 👌🏽 impressed! Thank U DJI 🙏🏽
just out of curiousity, did you have permission to fly there?
There is only one way,do not fly less then 10meters
Watch out for birds. Their fast and don't care about drones.
Pontoons
Dude you give me captain price vibes
I'll take that ;)