Flying with landing gear down

[Brett8883]

This question is specifically in regards to the Inspire 1 but also applies to the Inspire 2.

Is there any harm is flying with the landing gear down other than a higher possibility of getting the props in the shot? DJI doesn’t really address this in the manual at all if the landing gear should be raised after take off.

I have always raised the landing gear immediately after take off but recently I’ve tried flying with the landing gear down and I notice on my Inspire 1 that the camera seems to be more stable. Maybe this is due to the camera being closer to the pivot point of the aircraft? Not real sure about my physics there I think I failed that class but hopefully you know what I mean. It’s closer to the props so it doesn’t need to roll or pitch as far to compensate for the attitude of the aircraft.

landing gear down isn’t so bad if flying single operator in follow mode since the landing gear stays out of the frame for the most part.

Anybody else noticed this or have any thoughts?

 

[The Editor]

This question is specifically in regards to the Inspire 1 but also applies to the Inspire 2.

Is there any harm is flying with the landing gear down other than a higher possibility of getting the props in the shot? DJI doesn’t really address this in the manual at all if the landing gear should be raised after take off.

I have always raised the landing gear immediately after take off but recently I’ve tried flying with the landing gear down and I notice on my Inspire 1 that the camera seems to be more stable. Maybe this is due to the camera being closer to the pivot point of the aircraft? Not real sure about my physics there I think I failed that class but hopefully you know what I mean. It’s closer to the props so it doesn’t need to roll or pitch as far to compensate for the attitude of the aircraft.

landing gear down isn’t so bad if flying single operator in follow mode since the landing gear stays out of the frame for the most part.

Anybody else noticed this or have any thoughts?

Can you fly with legs down or camera off ??

I am thinking of ordering an Inspire but I have read of a few initial light accidents where the camera just snaps off :-( so whilst I get used to it, or flying low / nearer trees etc can you actually fly the same with the legs down ? does it alter how it flies ? and will it let you fly without...

inspirepilots.com

 

[Donnie Frank]

This question is specifically in regards to the Inspire 1 but also applies to the Inspire 2.

Is there any harm is flying with the landing gear down other than a higher possibility of getting the props in the shot? DJI doesn’t really address this in the manual at all if the landing gear should be raised after take off.

I have always raised the landing gear immediately after take off but recently I’ve tried flying with the landing gear down and I notice on my Inspire 1 that the camera seems to be more stable. Maybe this is due to the camera being closer to the pivot point of the aircraft? Not real sure about my physics there I think I failed that class but hopefully you know what I mean. It’s closer to the props so it doesn’t need to roll or pitch as far to compensate for the attitude of the aircraft.

landing gear down isn’t so bad if flying single operator in follow mode since the landing gear stays out of the frame for the most part.

Anybody else noticed this or have any thoughts?

Unless there's a chance of the landing gear getting in the shot, my gear is always down. For some of my construction clients, I shoot nadir. In this instance, the gear stays down. Why? Because I think in an emergency landing situation, I think the drone and camera will fare much better if the gear is down. Plus, the less you raise and lower the landing gear, the less wear and tear on the worm gear and other landing gear components.

Regarding "smoother video," this may be due to some other malady. I see zero difference in camera quality regardless of landing gear position.

D

 

[SPS]

I fly with gear down often as well. I have been in several situations over the years where I had to land quickly, a few times I have hit the ground before the legs were fully down. The gimbal arm on the X5R is not terribly robust, and the center pivot is fragile as well. Repairs are not cheap, parts will probably not be available much longer, so I have become obsessively careful. I have my landing gear set to manual, and even when gear is up, I lower the legs as soon as my shots are done and before I start my landing pattern. I have never had stability problems from gear position.

 

[davidjmurray]

Just sharing my own experience here: I almost always fly in "flight mode" (props up, camera hanging down). Developed this habit during my I1 days after having some of my shots taken in landing mode marred by props being visible or by prop shadows causing flicker in the image. This was especially frustrating when I did not notice the problem until back at my desk reviewing footage, when it was too late to reshoot. So I decided to avoid that risk. The craft is designed to be used in flight mode while filming, and the main reason I'm out there is to get shots for my customers. So using the craft safely and as designed seems like the right choice for my application. I keep manual control of the configuration, and do switch to landing mode well before I get near the ground. The automatic mode does not inspire confidence. I don't feel that the craft is significantly more crash resistant in landing mode, as it is likely that the legs won't hold up at crash velocity anyway, and/or that the camera will be struck by obstacles anyway. And, like others, I don't find that the camera is unstable in flight mode. Don't know if it is even more stable in landing mode, but a. there's no need, and b. there is more risk of the props ruining the shot.

I share concerns over the mechanism failing. But I think the main risk comes from going in and out of travel model, when surface friction or obstacles can cause extra stress. There's also potential stress to that mechanism while moving the bird around on the ground. So I am very careful to protect against those risks, and to keep the drive clean. I have about 460 hours of fight time on my I2 and so far the mechanism has worked without a problem. Now it will probably fail... ;-)

 

[Brett8883]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I think my concern about if flying with the landing gear down causes any inherent risk to the aircraft has been relieved.

I’m not all that worried about protecting the gimbal in case of a hard landing and it isn’t my purpose for inquiring about this. I’m resolved that, with the X5R at least, that any uncontrolled decent above 6 inches AGL would result in catastrophic damage to the gimbal.

To more clearly define what I mean by smoother video, I notice that with the landing gear up the deadband on the gimbal is practically 0 when flying single user and I get a constant gimbal drift making manual flight for video practically impossible with a single operator. I read on this forum that this is a common issue with no known remedy.

However, the gimbal drift issue seems to go away when the landing gear is down and I am more able to fly manually to achieve shots. Wondering if anybody else has noticed this?

 

[Brett8883]

Just sharing my own experience here: I almost always fly in "flight mode" (props up, camera hanging down). Developed this habit during my I1 days after having some of my shots taken in landing mode marred by props being visible or by prop shadows causing flicker in the image. This was especially frustrating when I did not notice the problem until back at my desk reviewing footage, when it was too late to reshoot. So I decided to avoid that risk. The craft is designed to be used in flight mode while filming, and the main reason I'm out there is to get shots for my customers. So using the craft safely and as designed seems like the right choice for my application. I keep manual control of the configuration, and do switch to landing mode well before I get near the ground. The automatic mode does not inspire confidence. I don't feel that the craft is significantly more crash resistant in landing mode, as it is likely that the legs won't hold up at crash velocity anyway, and/or that the camera will be struck by obstacles anyway. And, like others, I don't find that the camera is unstable in flight mode. Don't know if it is even more stable in landing mode, but a. there's no need, and b. there is more risk of the props ruining the shot.

I share concerns over the mechanism failing. But I think the main risk comes from going in and out of travel model, when surface friction or obstacles can cause extra stress. There's also potential stress to that mechanism while moving the bird around on the ground. So I am very careful to protect against those risks, and to keep the drive clean. I have about 460 hours of fight time on my I2 and so far the mechanism has worked without a problem. Now it will probably fail... ;-)

So you don’t have any gimbal drift issues with the I2?