Flying Over Water

JamesSpringPilot · Aug 9, 2016

I'm looking for more technical guidelines, considerations, when flying over water. I flew 70 Meters above a big lake once but what about 10 meters?

Is still water or still clear water a concern in comparison to rippled wavy water?

I'm tempted to switch the ground positioning camera off under certain circumstances.

If my Inspire suddenly dropped down, could I simply climb upward by pushing my stick?

Suggestions would be helpful

lake_flyer · Aug 9, 2016

JamesSpringPilot said:
I'm looking for more technical guidelines, considerations, when flying over water. I flew 70 Meters above a big lake once but what about 10 meters?

Is still water or still clear water a concern in comparison to rippled wavy water?

I'm tempted to switch the ground positioning camera off under certain circumstances.

If my Inspire suddenly dropped down, could I simply climb upward by pushing my stick?

Suggestions would be helpful

Turn the VPS off when flying below 4-5m. Otherwise no problem. Over rippled water VPS still works. It can be tricked by larger waves or clear and very still water. It is better to switch it off when you know you're going to fly low.

SixtyMike · Aug 9, 2016

lake_flyer said:
Turn the VPS off when flying below 4-5m. Otherwise no problem. Over rippled water VPS still works. It can be tricked by larger waves or clear and very still water. It is better to switch it off when you know you're going to fly low.

Concur. Most of my flying is over coastal marshes and waterways. VPS gets turned off during my hover check, then turned back on in my before landing check.

Gregg Smith · Aug 13, 2016

I do the same. I don't fly with VPS on and I add an extra layer of protection as well. Doesn't impact performance, battery life and doesn't get in the way of the camera. It will float on the water if something goes wrong, versus loosing it at the bottom of the lake or whatever body of water I'm flying over. I tie wrap them to the legs and it doesn't move during flight. View media item 463 View media item 464 View media item 465

King Reubz · Aug 13, 2016

Id be carefull doing that... Only because the antennas for the inspire are in the feet...

Hans Devouassoux · Aug 13, 2016

When you are performing flights over water, I.e. Surfers films; you should always have your Vision system turned off. Good luck and have a magical day. Cheers!!

Area21 · Aug 13, 2016

Gregg Smith said:
I do the same. I don't fly with VPS on and I add an extra layer of protection as well. Doesn't impact performance, battery life and doesn't get in the way of the camera. It will float on the water if something goes wrong, versus loosing it at the bottom of the lake or whatever body of water I'm flying over. I tie wrap them to the legs and it doesn't move during flight. View media item 463 View media item 464 View media item 465

Have we all gone Quackers.

shaun666 · Aug 14, 2016

Gregg Smith said:
I do the same. I don't fly with VPS on and I add an extra layer of protection as well. Doesn't impact performance, battery life and doesn't get in the way of the camera. It will float on the water if something goes wrong, versus loosing it at the bottom of the lake or whatever body of water I'm flying over. I tie wrap them to the legs and it doesn't move during flight. View media item 463 View media item 464 View media item 465

I would think that these floats are only a recovery device, as at minimum the X5 camera will get submerged & the props will also generate a huge amount of water spray all over the aircraft, but still a great idea at least you will have the aircraft for evidence, if it was a claimable event through DJI.
Great idea though & fly with the landing gear down is not a problem for single operator flights.

I also wonder what is the point of having the VPS switched on outdoors they are useless compared to the GPS system that is already working, for me personally VPS is for indoor flights at very low altitude even then your are really in atti mode as unless you have a perfect pattern on the ground any air movement will make the aircraft drift.

lake_flyer · Aug 16, 2016

shaun666 said:
he props will also generate a huge amount of water spray all over the aircraft

That's not entirely true. I've flown and hovered as low as a few inches above the lake and there was little or no spray. When landing RPM are even lower and it shuts down quickly. Careful landing might even keep it pretty dry.

@Gregg Smith
Does it really float well like that? Does it keep an X3 camera well enough above the surface after a careful landing? Or is it just to keep it afloat after a crash or forced landing on the water? Even then, better than nothing.

lake_flyer · Aug 16, 2016

SixtyMike said:
VPS gets turned off during my hover check, then turned back on in my before landing check.

I'm still wondering why we need VPS in the first place. If I switch it off I do it before take off and I never turn it back on before landing. Never noticed a real difference, I realise now.

shaun666 · Aug 16, 2016

lake_flyer said:
That's not entirely true. I've flown and hovered as low as a few inches above the lake and there was little or no spray. When landing RPM are even lower and it shuts down quickly. Careful landing might even keep it pretty dry.

@Gregg Smith
Does it really float well like that? Does it keep an X3 camera well enough above the surface after a careful landing? Or is it just to keep it afloat after a crash or forced landing on the water? Even then, better than nothing.

Sorry I meant when they impact the water! as I cant ever see you landing or hovering so close to water on purpose, as one slight change in many factors could cause the UAV to drop a few inches with NO time for reaction to correct... Please prove me wrong & land YOUR inspire pro on water.

shaun666 · Aug 16, 2016

shaun666 said:
Sorry I meant when they impact the water! as I cant ever see you landing or hovering so close to water on purpose, as one slight change in many factors could cause the UAV to drop a few inches with NO time for reaction to correct... Please prove me wrong & land YOUR inspire pro on water.

I'm not just guessing about this I have filmed over 50 half hour fishing shows for free to air TV in Australia, 90% over water or miles out to sea I have had to hover low to get some shots of fish being released & even a metre above the water with swell & wind I have been very close to being caught out a few times so I try to avoid it.

lake_flyer · Aug 16, 2016

shaun666 said:
I'm not just guessing about this I have filmed over 50 half hour fishing shows for free to air TV in Australia, 90% over water or miles out to sea I have had to hover low to get some shots of fish being released & even a metre above the water with swell & wind I have been very close to being caught out a few times so I try to avoid it.

Over salt water I would always keep a few meters altitude at least. Salt water spray is just very bad.

lake_flyer · Aug 16, 2016

shaun666 said:
Sorry I meant when they impact the water! as I cant ever see you landing or hovering so close to water on purpose, as one slight change in many factors could cause the UAV to drop a few inches with NO time for reaction to correct... Please prove me wrong & land YOUR inspire pro on water.

It is perfectly possible to hover a few inches over the surface. But indeed it is kind of risky. Have a very close eye on it and left stick ready to rise. Flying slowly that way I took beautiful shots. I would however be a bit more relaxed knowing my I1 would at least float. I would fly low with gear down (if it had floats). Without floats gear up seems safer.

shaun666 · Aug 16, 2016

lake_flyer said:
Over salt water I would always keep a few meters altitude at least. Salt water spray is just very bad.

Yes your correct, plus I use an organic biodegradable spray called Reel Deal I wipe it all over any parts that may corrode and I & wipe it down with baby wipes after each day, I use an inspire & a Phantom 3 Pro they both look brand new. I mainly use the Phantom over water as the replacement price makes it almost a disposable camera as 2 to 3 jobs will completely pay for a new one, not so much with the inspire.

lake_flyer · Aug 16, 2016

shaun666 said:
Phantom over water as the replacement price makes it almost a disposable camera as 2 to 3 jobs will completely pay for a new one

True. I still use 2 phantoms as well for that purpose. Once one of them goes down (with the Gopro) I get a 3 or 4 series. Maybe sooner, for the better video quality. But they just don't go in the drink. Very dependable little birds up until now (knocking on wood). It will happen someday however, if I give it enough flights

)

shaun666 · Aug 16, 2016

lake_flyer said:
True. I still use 2 phantoms as well for that purpose. Once one of them goes down (with the Gopro) I get a 3 or 4 series. Maybe sooner, for the better video quality. But they just don't go in the drink. Very dependable little birds up until now (knocking on wood). It will happen someday however, if I give it enough flights )

Very good choices, I always stop short of ever saying that I have NEVER had an incident with a UAV for the reason that I may jinx myself. I also have a Phantom 2 V2 with a GoPro 4 Black as my high risk platform. I haven't decided if the 3 or 4 is better for pro, work I use a 3 Pro & its great (over water) I'm just worried that 4 with all the avoidance & extra auto everything may interfere with piloting the way I need to, to get good images.

JamesSpringPilot · Aug 22, 2016

Wow thanks for all the great answers and suggestions. I've been doing some intensive flying on a soccer field with the VPS on and off. I'll have it switched off when I'm over water but I wanted to see how it responds when I'm back over land. I noticed that with the VPS on, the bird can fly quite smoothly at high-speed several feet above the grass but it really gets risky flying with the VPS off doing the same thing. At high-speed several feet above the grass, it really gets risky flying with the VPS off doing the same thing. Soon as the bird really accelerates it tends to dip down towards the ground. I tried the same test at 5 m above the ground and if anything the bird goes up about a metre before going back to 5 m when I come to a hover. At 10 or 20 m during high acceleration the bird seems to climb up a bit and then settle back into my target altitude. When I'm close to the ground I think the bird is influenced by the wind downward and the VPS is a big help in monitoring the ground to maintain a critical safe distance. On those days I was running the tests there was unfortunately lack of a dead calm. There was always some breezy action going on. Soon I'll be doing sea trials. I'll be setting my low battery warning at 50% to make sure I have enough time to get back. I regularly try to bleed off power at home point before landing down to 4% to do a complete recharge.

shaun666 · Aug 22, 2016

Sounds like you have it covered but over water is what you originally asked about is a completely different mission scenario , personally I'm NOT a fan of flying an aircraft until its running out of fuel, no matter what the aircraft or fuel is, I have an iCharger 106B & a Bantam e-STATION BC6DX-II both are chargers for batteries of various chemistries they do balance charge, storage charge & discharge I have made up cables that goes from a XT60 connectors to an Osmo Battery (2 PIN) to DC Power Cable. I fly each battery to a safe level & after about every 20 flights I use these devices to completely discharge each battery (to minimum sage cell voltage).

lake_flyer · Aug 22, 2016

Found this on the net.
landing and taking off from water. The Inspire1 is fitted with swim noodles.
See...no spray at all. The water is very calm though.
Going to investigate this further.