Hi All new newbie here, still waiting to receive my Mini 2, I have bought it to video me sailing my boat mostly, and I have read some reviews that say the Mini and Mini 2 are too small and difficult to catch from a boat cockpit. But I went with a Mini 2 because its under 250 grams and you can fly it more places than the bigger drones. The new laws seem VERY restrictive. So what I would like to know is does anyone have any tips/tricks for flying small drones off boats and returning them safely and keeping all your fingers? Also I have seen some float landing legs for the Mini 2 on Amazon are they any good?
Don’t set a fixed home point. If you lose signal your drone will activate return to home. If the home point is fixed the drone will return and land where it took off. You can probably see the problem with a moving boat …
Hand catching is a matter of practice and confidence. Overconfidence causes the problem. From experience I can say that a Mavic Air can give a nasty nip and draw blood but (so far) no worse than that. And practice over land until you get confident.
Always fly out into the wind. if you use 40% of your battery on the outward leg you should use less on the return and be able to land with a margin of more than 29% battery left. Also, if you lose GPS the aircraft is still flyable but will drift with the wind. Batter to have it drift back to you rather than away.
A siling boat takes a fair amount of concentration. So does a drone. I strongly suggest you have a second person on board to either sail the boat or operate the drone.
The floats I’ve seen for drones seem to be fine for controlled conditions on a calm pond. I doubt they will work on the Solent in a sailing wind. Something possibly to consider is one of these when the bug for saildroning really bites:
And, last thought - a good sailing wind may be beyond the capabilities of a Mini - check out some of @ianinlondon 's YouTube videos on how to fly a Mini:
Without active tracking in the mini 2 you will be doing a lot of manual flying … hand launch and hand catching is the way to go but that isn’t easy in a moving boat …
Turn off the downward sensors (I think you can do that or stick tape over them) so it doesn’t hesitate on the way down …
Those floats are useless …the drone is too heavy and will flip - lots of YouTube mishaps for you to look at.
The mini 2 will cope with most winds but there is a limit …
MA2 would be a better drone for you as sailing you really won’t have many folk close to you and it can cope with wind etc better and I know someone selling one hardly used in the classifieds here
Thanks for the comments some good stuff there and I will take careful note, and yes the waterproof proof drone looks really cool but it’s way more expensive than I can afford.
Well it’s just that with anything over 250 grams it looks like you can only fly it on your own uninhabited desert island, and then only if they have turned the spy satellites off. I understand the safety issues and privacy of course but I get the feeling that someone in Government REALLY doesn’t like drones. But I am fully legal, I have done my safety courses got my cert and registered as an operator as if i don’t give the Gove enough money as it is. But the new laws definitely stopped me buying a bigger drone.
Thanks for the wind test video very useful. The sailing boat has auto pilot and will sail along quite happily in good conditions by itself for a while, Obviously it will be sensible to have crew. and I will until I have had enough practice. The wind test was reassuring, I don’t sail in winds much above Beaufort force 5, (21 mph) and the boats top speed is about 8mph so I think the Mini 2 will cope OK.
I suggest try launching on a broad reach for first few flights. That’s my intended approach if I get to see either my boat or drone in play mode this year
Yes are a broad reach probably in light winds, that’s a plan I have a glorious asymmetric Spinnaker and if I can get that up in light winds I would love to get the drone to do a circle. I have looked at some test videos on U Tube and it seems that while the Mini 2 won’t do follow me it will lock on to a person and do a circle. It stays locked on even if the person is moving so… A calm light winds day, get the Spinnaker up… and give it a go. See you out there!
I was thinking of trying to catch the drone test trials on land with launching and retrieving from car to see how landing on moving object goes. But not found anywhere to do it yet.
I was thinking worse case if I could not catch up with boat hove too then concentrate on landing drone.
Definitely some playing to be had.
Just need to book good weather
My boat is out of the water at the moment. On the hard at Shalfleet, Loads of work to do to it before I can splash it but I was thinking it might be a good idea to try launch and recovery from the cockpit a few times on the hard for practice then again when on the swinging mooring.
That makes alot of sense
I have twin backstays and cockpit sun cover to avoid at the rear of the cock pit.
So was thinking of lifting off from the hatch and trying to keep station over it till I can shimmey to the side then off into free airspace.
Will be all about balancing steady pressure on the forward stick and little left or right to swing out.
Have been practising the moving left znd right as I move steadily forward but don’t have anything to match speed with yet
We are still in the water. Up at Royal keys on the Tyne.
But travel restrictions have ment not seeing her fir z few months.
Need to antifoul as well this year
