I am honestly Scared of flying in public. I emailed you that story from a few weeks back and I've been being extra cautious with the rules and regulations. I am afraid of someone not understanding. This is why I love your channel! Thank You for taking the Time to read the rules and regulations to help us with our drones! I've watched almost all your videos on Rules!
I try to fly from a location a bit isolated from the site I wish to photograph or video. In fact, I just came in from a session where I captured waterfalls and even kept it in visual range. Nobody at the falls noticed the drone.
I had a real 'know-it-all' yesterday when i was flying my sub-250g. I just let him rant a little, stopped everything, and left. Such a shame that he spoiled the first really nice day for filming we've had in ages. They're not all locked up!
For the professional pilots out there it is worth noting that if you hand launch the drone will be setting its AGL altitude at the height it started which can throw off mapping mission accuracy. While it doesn't matter for media production and it is a skill worth having for any mission requiring repeatable accuracy you aren't going to want to launch that way.
Hand launching is a must do for me on construction sites and rough areas. I hate the drone getting in the dust. Sometimes I launch from clean concrete or asphalt if it is available. On some occasions I use the drone case as a launch pad too. However, most of the time, esp in areas with tall grass I just use the hand launch and recovery. Battery management is another thing I pay a lot of attention to. Both my charging, storage and I turn on the voltage display because I want to see if it is having voltage sag if I have been flying it hard. I also turn off most of the safety settings even obstacle avoidance. Sometimes that will give you the jerky footage you mentioned. I prefer just to fly it. I suppose my experience flying FPV drones through small gaps has given me more confidence in things like that with the larger drones. The expo settings is also an important tool to being smooth.
Practice, practice, practice...that's a golden rule I love to hear from professional pilots and that comforts me about the time I'm spending out flying my drone 😊 Definitely learned a key point about the Expo settings and will apply this not later than today. Thanks for this great video!!
Russ your tutorials are always great. I don't agree with hand launch or hand catch. When I train first responders to hand launch and hand catch, it done so as an emergency procedure only. I also train pilots to always launch and return with the drone facing away, because our natural tendencies are to push the stick forward if something is going wrong and if the drone is facing away it will fly away from you. Keep up the great work.
I was taught this as well as surf club UAV pilot. But I still like to hand catch and launch my personal one, especially great if you’re on bad grounding.
I have been flying a mini 2 for several months now and love your educational videos. I can definitely identify with making quick moves and no-cinematic videos.
Just bought my first. A DJI mini 4K. I have been watching these types of videos a LOT. Met with an old friend for the first time in years. He was amazed at how well I handled the drone. I was grateful for that compliment but I know better. Part of it is how smart this drone is. I will admit, I am taking to this rather well since I've been an avid gamer for years and used to be pretty good at Descent. Thanks. I will have to practice hand launch and catch. Sort of like learning free mount on a unicycle. Only easier.
I would expect most pro drone pilots do a complete pre flight check before take off. Check the condition of the props, go over RTH settings, wait for a significant # of satellites etc
Glad to know the 2nd step is something I've been doing from the start ever since my Mini 1. And pretty much stay in normal mode in even my Air 2S, it becomes muscle memory after a while to get those smooth turns and gimbal control at the same time. And definitely learned staying visible from my land camera and photo journalism days. Being out in the open, confident, and approachable makes you far less suspicious.
As a professional wildlife photographer and videographer, drone flying is fairly new to me as its not something that is used daily in my field of work. I do however use a drone to establish animal tracks, Fox's, Badgers, etc, and getting up high using a drone allows me to locate preferred routes taken by these animals because the flattend grass is a give away. I do however, as a fairly new flyer agree that being bold, in the open and, in peoples faces does make all the difference. I wear a visivest with my operator ID clearly shown and I stand out like sore thumb. I have never been approached whilst adopting this stance. I do however need to fly more often and watching your informative video's is a great help to a newbie, so thanks.
Very helpful and informative episode, Russ! I've been a recreational Mini guy until recently. I've added the Mavic 3 to my lineup and fell in love with it. I'm considering taking the part 107. Thanks to your videos, I realize drones can be much more than just a hobby.
Hey Russ! Nice video, thanks for posting it. I started flying drones when you did - maybe to the day - and have been following you ever since. I'm usually in complete agreement with you on pretty much everything, but... when it comes to hand launching/catching, I only do it when absolutely necessary. As you recommend, I did it enough times initially to get comfortable with it, but whenever possible, I avoid it and use a landing pad. One time, I launched my (then) Mavic 2 Pro from the balcony of a hotel we were staying in. That part went fine, but on return, it was a little windy and there was an overhang that blocked the drone from satellite view as I flew back into the balcony. The drone was difficult to control and I aborted my first couple of landing attempts in the limited space on the balcony. I finally decided to hand-catch it, but right as I went to squeeze it, a gust if wind made it pitch, and one of the blades nicked one of my fingers. It barely touched it, but even so, it laid it open pretty well, and there was a lot of blood. I know there is a teachable moment here about flying off of balconies, and I haven't done so since. I have also made several hand-catches since, but it was kind of like getting back on that horse that bucked you off (I've been there, too). I am an equally ambitious musician as drone photographer, and I need to keep all my fingers intact! Thanks again for all the great content you produce.
Been flying DJI for nearly 10 yrs. very happy to hand launch and catch my Phantoms but never done it with my Mavic, don’t know why just fingers too close to blades I think. Gonna give it a go now after watching this. Thanks Russ.
For catching the drone, I have always favoured facing the drone away from the operator. If you're a beginner facing the drone away from you means manoeuvring the drone is simpler, with left is left! Some beginner pilots could get themselves into a mess, having to remember to put the opposite stick input in to adjust positioning against some wind or something if the drone is face towards them
Oh yea, I am a new drone pilot and I did notice a lot of what I currently do in my videos. Of course I have been practicing and my footage has been progressing as I fly more and more often practicing the right controller movements, but I did not know about how to tune the controls at all. This will really help me to get more of the cinematic shots I have always been wanting to have. Thanks again for making this video for the new drone pilots out there.
Russ! Awesome video. Launch the drone away from you, down wind. No obstructions down wind! Much like the Expo settings, you need to tweak the Gimbal Control, speed and smoothness. You hit it on everything else! Nice
Due to poor depth perception, I sometimes miss the landing pad. I can and have hand launched and caught my drones, however I prefer to launch from the pad so that it will be the home point if I need to use RTH. Due to not having the greatest memory anymore, I use the automated flight modes during the day because you can do so much more with the sticks while the the drone keeps itself focused on the subject. When you are trying to circle, elevate, and keep the gimbal on the subject, that is a lot to think about. I know that for most it can become second nature like driving a car, but not for all, especially when being older when starting the hobby. It isn't just drone flying, many UA-camrs don't know how to pan a camera, or edit out the unwatchable scenes.
Thanks for sharing. Cruise control is a nice method to set course movement and adjust on the sticks. Or have cruise control handle the movement while only focussing on one stick or gimbal pitch. Modern DJI drones also have a switch to switch between cinematic, normal and sports and you can set expo & max speeds for each mode seperately. Play with the Cine speeds for smoothness and you can easily switch between modes anyway. caution though: smooth transitions means the drone can still cover a little distance when you want it to stop
I've been watching tons of videos on how to use all the flight modes to get good video, now you tell me I have to do it all manually??? You are killin me brother!!
Had to watch this because always interested in what others think professional muscle memory is all about. To be fair, I do care less about what I look like while flying commercial jobs, and I have zero interest in hand launching. Those props are just too close to your head when doing that. Lanyard is a solid suggestion. Love the rest of the guidance! Being comfortable when flying commercially is key. Great stuff 51Drones!
Seen a hand land go wrong as when the drone came down and the lad went to catch it the drone went on one and hit him in the face left with some very nasty gashes thankfully missed his eyes
I think hand launching is the least useful advice and dangerous. If you can’t launch from the ground, you should move to another location or look for an object. I’ve launched from car roof many times.
That is why I almost always wear a safety vest, and I always take time to stop what I'm doing to interact with anyone approaching to me with curiosity and questions (we are humans after all, don't we?) I have come to realize that is my composure what makes the difference.
I've only really started my drone hobby this spring with a cheaper model. I'm a bit shy yet of flying straight up to the maximum altitude of 100 meters with a drone. But little by little I'm starting to trust the drone, so I think that's it. Time is well spent when you first start looking for a place and what kind of images you can capture there. Then you fly for about 30 minutes and take video and pictures. Then at home you edit and put it on UA-cam. It's a fun hobby.😊
I always hand launch and land with it facing away in case I make accidental stick movement then left forward movements etc go the right way so not having to think of making opposite movements in an emergency
Great share, thank you. Yea, I do most of the things that you do in this video, except, I’ve never hand caught or launched a big drone like the Mavic. 👍 Rog from Wales 🏴
Looking like I'm working works for me. I have a digital notepad (remarkable 2, I love it, check it out) that I sometimes take notes on during flights, a lanyard from my job as a city employee, and I bring printouts of my flight plan with me to show people and to help explain the purpose of my flight. It also helps is to pre-empt an encounter by introducing yourself when you can (it's easier when you're filming around businesses) and asking permission even if you don't really need it. That relieves some anxiety on both sides, they may feel less like you're up to no good and you don't have to worry that they may initiate a confrontation. I usually have some 'work-sounding' purpose for my flights so it helps to be able to explain to people nervous about privacy or property lines what you're doing. Some of my real-life examples are: - Introducing myself to the owner of a large Christmas tree farm in a rural area, and explaining that some of his neighbor's livestock is missing and might be around the creek near his farm. That one even turned into a couple of points of contact for some possible drone-related work. - Explaining to a homeowner on the other side of a storm drainage ditch that was I was doing was looking for blockages and debris in the drainage ditch. Nobody likes their streets and yards to flood during storms, so confrontation avoided. - Flying around some vacation home properties on a lake, I got approached by a lady wanting to know why I was on this property flying around this lake house. I explained this was my brother-in-law's house and they rent it out for events and vacations and I was getting footage for promotional purposes. Once she convinced that I was actually related to the owners she went on her way. The end, no real cool finale to that story. -First day with my Mini 2 about two years ago, practicing my terrible beginner skills in a abandoned theater parking lot a guy in a sketchy looking pickup truck pulls into the parking lot and asks me what I was doing. I had that initial 'this dude finna steal my drone' vibe, but it turns out his brother was a teacher at a high school and they had an extracurricular drone club and wanted to know if I wanted to link up with this club. If you always know the purpose of your flight, and you've thought about how to explain it just in case you have to, and you can anticipate what the objections might be, you're better prepared for any encounters. And if you don't seem sketchy or evasive or dodgy, people generally respond more with curiosity than suspicion. If you don't really have a purpose and you're just practicing some basics or having fun, I find that being conspicuous is a good policy. City parks are good. Empty is best but if not, then the busier the better. People are less likely to feel like you're watching them specifically in a busy place. I avoid places with a reputation for the kinds of activities people like to do without being seen, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout. I avoid places with single parents and children or (especially) unaccompanied children, I probably don't have to explain why. Fly with your drone where everybody can see it and within a few feet of yourself, it looks more like you're filming (only) yourself or your immediate surroundings. Don't fly from your car or behind a tree. it makes you look like a stalker. And my number one best practice is, if somebody asks me to stop flying or to leave, I just do it, even on public property. People will act as if what they wish were true is actually the law (pertaining to the expectation of privacy, right-of-way and easements, airspace 'ownership' and permission to appear in a recording ) and you won't be able to change their minds on the spot. I've only had this happen once, and I basically indicated I would land and stow right away, then explained what I was doing - after - I started RTH. Trying to justify your task and purpose when they might be in a heightened state is ill-advised. Give 'em what they want and come back later if you have to. A few seconds of footage (which is all you'll realistically use in most finished products) is not worth ruining anyone's day, especially yours.
Thank you for this video! I am a completely brand new drone owner. I am waiting for some good weather to get started, and not crash. Thinking about safety (and not cinematography), this reminds me of the old saying there are old pilots and bold pilots. Slow and low is what I'll go.
9:18 messing with the expo settings; that's me! Before I flew my new Mavic 3 Pro I adjusted the expo settings for very fine control at small joystick movements; the "exponent" means that the final portion of a joystick travel gets all the way to full control in case you need rapid response. But most of the time I need careful control so I make modest adjustments to yaw and braking in particular. I don't need or want abrupt movements when making a movie.
With this geometry (dead cat frame type) hand catch facing drone to you, it looks like props are little more far away from your head. BUT, I find it’s a lot easier to manouver drone facing it’s back to me when I fly LOS mode to hand catch it. Nice tips you have. Thank you.
I’m not really a fan of hand launch or hand catching although I have done it on a really windy day before I got my Part 107. When I went to mandatory flight school (I fly for a TV Station) we were forced to launch and land from the ground in windy conditions. One thing I see beginners doing is flying around trees or buildings or trying to fly as high as they want. I often tell them to go somewhere wide open with no trees until you get the hang of flying. They need to take baby steps. I’m one of those pilots that barely uses the intelligent flight modes. I literally just figured out how to set up and use Active Track! I couldn’t get it to work for the life of me but I got it now. On my last drone film i produced, for one of the shots, I did a 3/4 orbit around a tall skyscraper in my city while doing a hyper lapse and I did it all manual. It was a better feel and ended up being a better look doing it manually instead of setting up way points or using POI.
Great tips... Wish this video was out 9 months ago... Had to figure these settings and movements out on my own! Learned by experience. Thanks for sharing!
I usually reach up and grab it as it's coming down, I didn't realize it will just land in my hand. I've sliced my hand several times catching it, but it's still the best imo. also, it's nice having a car with a panoramic sunroof, great launching pad
Great info bro…I tend to hide a little bit when I’m about to fly my drone under tree or by my car ..but sometimes I try look for a shadow like under a tree for a better view of the screen or tend to wear a big round sombrero to make showdown to the screen
Hey Rus, thanks for these tips especially the EXPO settings that most YTbers stay away from! You should also take about the gimbal settings and the best values for each mode, especially for cinematic. As for hand launch and catching, I’ve largely stayed away from catching it unless the ground below is crowded or uneven. For hand launch, it’s no problem and I do the same! However, for hand catching, I allow the drone to descend to slightly above head height and say 4ft/1.5m away from me, then raise my hand under its belly and catch with 3 fingers. And I really love waypoints and autonomous flying especially hyperlapses.
Hand launch - I only occasionally do; because I only use my drones in remote areas with no wi-fi so unsure of ‘return to home? Now I always manually calibrate before taking off hence from the ground since losing my first Mini 3 pro😢. Hand catch on return is now my normal since the ground I tend to be on isn’t suitable. Way points - yep, its a great add on within the setup. But for now I prefer to manually fly my route. Partly because of the terrain I generally fly in… trees etc with fine branches. Yep, there is always at least 1 “DING DONG” around… like bees to honey 🥷 …..Grateful for your advice / tips 🏴
Thanks ! Great video! I agree with you...practice is most important. When I was flying for the first time I thought ... Ooh this is not for me, but every minute, every hour spent in flight makes you love flying a drone. Thanks to people like you, we learn. Thanks!
One simple but important thing on hand launching/catching I think gets overlooked. Wear sunglasses or safety glasses to protect your eyes, just in case you or your drone makes some sort of mistake during this maneuver. Catching it higher than your face also helps, but eye protection is a good idea any time those propellers are anywhere near you.
Excellent presentation, as usual! Expo settings review w/live demonstration was outstanding. Probably will try hand launching at some point in time, but not convinced it's my recreational style. Thanks for sharing.
Your drone lessons are fantastic. I just purchased my 1st drone (I'm 72). I use to do photography with film cameras (usually of dinosaurs :-)) taking picture of my children growing up in the 80s. My photos now are snap shots from a cell phone (sadly). So I am just getting into this because it looks so cool and have been wanting to get back into photography. I have watched several of your videos and have learned so much (and have so much more to learn). My DJI Air 3 should arrive tomorrow. I don't want to just try flying it using trial and error. Thank you for helping me learn.
Great video I think a good follow up would be editing. I know you have a video or two on editing but I would like to see one directly related to this video if that makes sense. Great channel overall thanks for all you do!
I am new to this and I take 360 aerial photos. I just learned how important it is to adjust the exposure down 1 or 1.5 so that the sun does not blow out the photo and create a huge aura of overexposure and chromatic aberations around the sun.
some times I enjoy a jerky fast turning video more than a video with a bunch of chopped up short cuts put together. I I get your point. Thanks for the fine videos you do.
About the auto/manual thing. Flying manually with smooth movements is much easier with newer DJI drones, because their input lag is MUCH better/shorter. It used to be very abstract and awkward to go smoothly, but with newer drones like the Air 3 the input lag is almost instant/non existant compared to something like a Mavic 2 Pro, which has incredibly bad input lag. With the Air 3, its as if you are tge drone. Its not as instant as you'd get from an analog FPV drone, but its still very quick and flyable.
I found that really helpful as a drone pilot. It’s something that I will certainly work on. Thank you very much for those tips. They were very helpful.
Been practicing the hand launching and landing from my hand while sitting in my lounge chair out on the deck. That’s the bomb…. Love doing that and it’s fun. Makes me look like an expert 😂
I find it very interesting when it comes to educational drone flying, or camera movements? We can never stop learning when it comes to drones? Even professional pilots would be interested in the next best thing when it comes to flying. I really appreciate your time, and videos you put out Russ. They really make a lot of sense at the end of the day. I always try something new when I'm out flying just to remind me the fun of flying really is. Thanks for sharing. See you in the next video. 👍👍👍
Good information as usual Russ. I would like to point out one thing. People are commenting about hand catching tail in because the controls are in the same orientation as the drone. Left is left, and right is right etc. Yes, you are only pulling down on the throttle, but if you accidentally bump a stick, and you are nose in, the drone is going to surprise you. Please don't tell newbs to land, fly, or hand catch nose in unless they understand the concept, and have practiced doing so. Always tail in, until you are proficient at nose in. Take care.
If you’re in a tight spot (yes not ideal for launching to begin with but assuming it’s the only option) you might want to disable OA (or anti-bonk as another UA-camr referred to it) as it can limit control of movement. One time I launched from a deck and it got scared of me and brushed the railing despite there being plenty of room in my direction. I always turn it off for launch now.
Definitely a big help man! I’m new to the drone thing so I’m learning and yea at times i definitely get nervous about where to fly it and other people but I’m getting better (thanks to your videos) and this video helped tremendously lol 👍🏽👍🏽
If I could tell myself something 5 years ago when I first started, it would be to save all of your photos and videos, raw or jpg, even the really bad looking ones. External hard drives aren't expensive, and as you progress in editing you can always go back and try to edit something you thought was awesome but didn't look good. And now there are so many programs out there that can fix bad pictures and videos (being too dark, too grainy, etc.) and that technology is only getting better.
Tail-first hand catching is a bit more intuitive; left stick moves it left and right stick moves it right but only when the drone is tail-first (tail toward the operator).
One thing with hand catching is wind, when the propellers slow down to land it might just fly into your face like it did mine if a gust of wind comes your way, hand catch into the wind!
Great video! I just started flying last week. This video is very helpful. Hand catching is my favorite way to land by far. All the snow lingering around has really helped force me into the habit. 😅
I lauch it with my hand open. So i can't let it go too early. Also how i land it. It will fly up from my hand and thats how ik i can land straight down on it 💯 works every time.. getting pretty good taking off amd landing in my hand from a car lmao. Never even have to get out.
Thank you for your presentation, it was chock full of good tips! I would however like to see a YT on the proper settings for the video camera/gimbal functions of the videographer's drone. I realize there are "automatic" settings but most times these do not take full advantage of the area lighting and depth of field most cameras can achieve for a good capture. Thank you!
I am honestly Scared of flying in public. I emailed you that story from a few weeks back and I've been being extra cautious with the rules and regulations. I am afraid of someone not understanding. This is why I love your channel! Thank You for taking the Time to read the rules and regulations to help us with our drones! I've watched almost all your videos on Rules!
I been doing this for my job for just over a year and I still get anxiety flying in public. 😂
I have a small leaflet to give out. It has QR codes and an explanation of what I’m doing. I’m from the U.K. honestly I don’t get much interaction.
I try to fly from a location a bit isolated from the site I wish to photograph or video. In fact, I just came in from a session where I captured waterfalls and even kept it in visual range. Nobody at the falls noticed the drone.
I had a real 'know-it-all' yesterday when i was flying my sub-250g. I just let him rant a little, stopped everything, and left. Such a shame that he spoiled the first really nice day for filming we've had in ages.
They're not all locked up!
@@rogerhargreaves2272 Im UK - never really got any interaction with other people - but I was always as considerate as possible
For the professional pilots out there it is worth noting that if you hand launch the drone will be setting its AGL altitude at the height it started which can throw off mapping mission accuracy. While it doesn't matter for media production and it is a skill worth having for any mission requiring repeatable accuracy you aren't going to want to launch that way.
I only do it for less abrasion on the landing gear and safety for gimbal. For those types of services i will use a mat or smooth surface
Hand launching is a must do for me on construction sites and rough areas. I hate the drone getting in the dust. Sometimes I launch from clean concrete or asphalt if it is available. On some occasions I use the drone case as a launch pad too. However, most of the time, esp in areas with tall grass I just use the hand launch and recovery. Battery management is another thing I pay a lot of attention to. Both my charging, storage and I turn on the voltage display because I want to see if it is having voltage sag if I have been flying it hard. I also turn off most of the safety settings even obstacle avoidance. Sometimes that will give you the jerky footage you mentioned. I prefer just to fly it. I suppose my experience flying FPV drones through small gaps has given me more confidence in things like that with the larger drones. The expo settings is also an important tool to being smooth.
Practice, practice, practice...that's a golden rule I love to hear from professional pilots and that comforts me about the time I'm spending out flying my drone 😊 Definitely learned a key point about the Expo settings and will apply this not later than today. Thanks for this great video!!
Russ your tutorials are always great. I don't agree with hand launch or hand catch. When I train first responders to hand launch and hand catch, it done so as an emergency procedure only. I also train pilots to always launch and return with the drone facing away, because our natural tendencies are to push the stick forward if something is going wrong and if the drone is facing away it will fly away from you. Keep up the great work.
I was taught this as well as surf club UAV pilot. But I still like to hand catch and launch my personal one, especially great if you’re on bad grounding.
I have been flying a mini 2 for several months now and love your educational videos. I can definitely identify with making quick moves and no-cinematic videos.
Just bought my first. A DJI mini 4K. I have been watching these types of videos a LOT. Met with an old friend for the first time in years. He was amazed at how well I handled the drone. I was grateful for that compliment but I know better. Part of it is how smart this drone is. I will admit, I am taking to this rather well since I've been an avid gamer for years and used to be pretty good at Descent. Thanks. I will have to practice hand launch and catch. Sort of like learning free mount on a unicycle. Only easier.
I would expect most pro drone pilots do a complete pre flight check before take off. Check the condition of the props, go over RTH settings, wait for a significant # of satellites etc
And more. Novices need to ignore this guy.
Glad to know the 2nd step is something I've been doing from the start ever since my Mini 1. And pretty much stay in normal mode in even my Air 2S, it becomes muscle memory after a while to get those smooth turns and gimbal control at the same time.
And definitely learned staying visible from my land camera and photo journalism days. Being out in the open, confident, and approachable makes you far less suspicious.
As a professional wildlife photographer and videographer, drone flying is fairly new to me as its not something that is used daily in my field of work. I do however use a drone to establish animal tracks, Fox's, Badgers, etc, and getting up high using a drone allows me to locate preferred routes taken by these animals because the flattend grass is a give away. I do however, as a fairly new flyer agree that being bold, in the open and, in peoples faces does make all the difference. I wear a visivest with my operator ID clearly shown and I stand out like sore thumb. I have never been approached whilst adopting this stance. I do however need to fly more often and watching your informative video's is a great help to a newbie, so thanks.
Very helpful and informative episode, Russ! I've been a recreational Mini guy until recently. I've added the Mavic 3 to my lineup and fell in love with it. I'm considering taking the part 107. Thanks to your videos, I realize drones can be much more than just a hobby.
Hello! New to drones and new to your channel! Love all your videos and I'm currently binge watching your library. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Russ - especially about being loud and proud! :)
Thank you for showing those expo settings. I’m pretty new and wasn’t really sure what those were affecting. That helps a ton to see examples.
Happy to help!
Hey Russ! Nice video, thanks for posting it. I started flying drones when you did - maybe to the day - and have been following you ever since. I'm usually in complete agreement with you on pretty much everything, but... when it comes to hand launching/catching, I only do it when absolutely necessary. As you recommend, I did it enough times initially to get comfortable with it, but whenever possible, I avoid it and use a landing pad.
One time, I launched my (then) Mavic 2 Pro from the balcony of a hotel we were staying in. That part went fine, but on return, it was a little windy and there was an overhang that blocked the drone from satellite view as I flew back into the balcony. The drone was difficult to control and I aborted my first couple of landing attempts in the limited space on the balcony. I finally decided to hand-catch it, but right as I went to squeeze it, a gust if wind made it pitch, and one of the blades nicked one of my fingers. It barely touched it, but even so, it laid it open pretty well, and there was a lot of blood.
I know there is a teachable moment here about flying off of balconies, and I haven't done so since. I have also made several hand-catches since, but it was kind of like getting back on that horse that bucked you off (I've been there, too). I am an equally ambitious musician as drone photographer, and I need to keep all my fingers intact!
Thanks again for all the great content you produce.
Musician and photographer here, about to add drone to my mix, and I can totally relate to your comment about your fingers!
@@annieo.4779 Buy a landing pad!
Been flying DJI for nearly 10 yrs. very happy to hand launch and catch my Phantoms but never done it with my Mavic, don’t know why just fingers too close to blades I think. Gonna give it a go now after watching this. Thanks Russ.
For catching the drone, I have always favoured facing the drone away from the operator.
If you're a beginner facing the drone away from you means manoeuvring the drone is simpler, with left is left! Some beginner pilots could get themselves into a mess, having to remember to put the opposite stick input in to adjust positioning against some wind or something if the drone is face towards them
Oh yea, I am a new drone pilot and I did notice a lot of what I currently do in my videos. Of course I have been practicing and my footage has been progressing as I fly more and more often practicing the right controller movements, but I did not know about how to tune the controls at all. This will really help me to get more of the cinematic shots I have always been wanting to have. Thanks again for making this video for the new drone pilots out there.
Russ! Awesome video.
Launch the drone away from you, down
wind. No obstructions down wind!
Much like the Expo settings, you need to tweak the Gimbal Control, speed and smoothness.
You hit it on everything else! Nice
Due to poor depth perception, I sometimes miss the landing pad. I can and have hand launched and caught my drones, however I prefer to launch from the pad so that it will be the home point if I need to use RTH. Due to not having the greatest memory anymore, I use the automated flight modes during the day because you can do so much more with the sticks while the the drone keeps itself focused on the subject. When you are trying to circle, elevate, and keep the gimbal on the subject, that is a lot to think about. I know that for most it can become second nature like driving a car, but not for all, especially when being older when starting the hobby. It isn't just drone flying, many UA-camrs don't know how to pan a camera, or edit out the unwatchable scenes.
Thanks for sharing. Cruise control is a nice method to set course movement and adjust on the sticks. Or have cruise control handle the movement while only focussing on one stick or gimbal pitch. Modern DJI drones also have a switch to switch between cinematic, normal and sports and you can set expo & max speeds for each mode seperately. Play with the Cine speeds for smoothness and you can easily switch between modes anyway. caution though: smooth transitions means the drone can still cover a little distance when you want it to stop
( mostly DJI ones ) That's right RUSS,,Represent what we love the Best FAMILY!!!!!
Tweaking the Gain and Expo is the pro tip I liked most. It has worked wonders. Thank you.
I think you missed the Gimbal pitch tuning tip.
Thanks Russ. I so agree. As I go through UA-cam, when I come across a bad sequence, I usually close it and move on. Smooth flying is the key.
Thank you for pointing out the custom stick controls, I had no idea about that
Great tutorial short to point and clearly spoken. Thanks
Very informative video. Thank you.
Out of all the people I have watched,I learn better w u,thank you
I've been watching tons of videos on how to use all the flight modes to get good video, now you tell me I have to do it all manually??? You are killin me brother!!
I learn every time I watch drone Videos. Working towards the 107.
so thats how you do it and what i should change to get better thanks learned alot
Had to watch this because always interested in what others think professional muscle memory is all about. To be fair, I do care less about what I look like while flying commercial jobs, and I have zero interest in hand launching. Those props are just too close to your head when doing that. Lanyard is a solid suggestion. Love the rest of the guidance! Being comfortable when flying commercially is key. Great stuff 51Drones!
Seen a hand land go wrong as when the drone came down and the lad went to catch it the drone went on one and hit him in the face left with some very nasty gashes thankfully missed his eyes
I think hand launching is the least useful advice and dangerous. If you can’t launch from the ground, you should move to another location or look for an object. I’ve launched from car roof many times.
That is why I almost always wear a safety vest, and I always take time to stop what I'm doing to interact with anyone approaching to me with curiosity and questions (we are humans after all, don't we?) I have come to realize that is my composure what makes the difference.
I've only really started my drone hobby this spring with a cheaper model. I'm a bit shy yet of flying straight up to the maximum altitude of 100 meters with a drone. But little by little I'm starting to trust the drone, so I think that's it. Time is well spent when you first start looking for a place and what kind of images you can capture there. Then you fly for about 30 minutes and take video and pictures. Then at home you edit and put it on UA-cam. It's a fun hobby.😊
I always hand launch and land with it facing away in case I make accidental stick movement then left forward movements etc go the right way so not having to think of making opposite movements in an emergency
I agree with hand launching a Mavic drone, very easy and keeps the Mavic out of the grass and dirt!
Great share, thank you.
Yea, I do most of the things that you do in this video, except, I’ve never hand caught or launched a big drone like the Mavic.
👍 Rog from Wales 🏴
Looking like I'm working works for me. I have a digital notepad (remarkable 2, I love it, check it out) that I sometimes take notes on during flights, a lanyard from my job as a city employee, and I bring printouts of my flight plan with me to show people and to help explain the purpose of my flight. It also helps is to pre-empt an encounter by introducing yourself when you can (it's easier when you're filming around businesses) and asking permission even if you don't really need it. That relieves some anxiety on both sides, they may feel less like you're up to no good and you don't have to worry that they may initiate a confrontation.
I usually have some 'work-sounding' purpose for my flights so it helps to be able to explain to people nervous about privacy or property lines what you're doing. Some of my real-life examples are:
- Introducing myself to the owner of a large Christmas tree farm in a rural area, and explaining that some of his neighbor's livestock is missing and might be around the creek near his farm. That one even turned into a couple of points of contact for some possible drone-related work.
- Explaining to a homeowner on the other side of a storm drainage ditch that was I was doing was looking for blockages and debris in the drainage ditch. Nobody likes their streets and yards to flood during storms, so confrontation avoided.
- Flying around some vacation home properties on a lake, I got approached by a lady wanting to know why I was on this property flying around this lake house. I explained this was my brother-in-law's house and they rent it out for events and vacations and I was getting footage for promotional purposes. Once she convinced that I was actually related to the owners she went on her way. The end, no real cool finale to that story.
-First day with my Mini 2 about two years ago, practicing my terrible beginner skills in a abandoned theater parking lot a guy in a sketchy looking pickup truck pulls into the parking lot and asks me what I was doing. I had that initial 'this dude finna steal my drone' vibe, but it turns out his brother was a teacher at a high school and they had an extracurricular drone club and wanted to know if I wanted to link up with this club.
If you always know the purpose of your flight, and you've thought about how to explain it just in case you have to, and you can anticipate what the objections might be, you're better prepared for any encounters. And if you don't seem sketchy or evasive or dodgy, people generally respond more with curiosity than suspicion.
If you don't really have a purpose and you're just practicing some basics or having fun, I find that being conspicuous is a good policy. City parks are good. Empty is best but if not, then the busier the better. People are less likely to feel like you're watching them specifically in a busy place. I avoid places with a reputation for the kinds of activities people like to do without being seen, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout. I avoid places with single parents and children or (especially) unaccompanied children, I probably don't have to explain why. Fly with your drone where everybody can see it and within a few feet of yourself, it looks more like you're filming (only) yourself or your immediate surroundings. Don't fly from your car or behind a tree. it makes you look like a stalker.
And my number one best practice is, if somebody asks me to stop flying or to leave, I just do it, even on public property. People will act as if what they wish were true is actually the law (pertaining to the expectation of privacy, right-of-way and easements, airspace 'ownership' and permission to appear in a recording ) and you won't be able to change their minds on the spot. I've only had this happen once, and I basically indicated I would land and stow right away, then explained what I was doing - after - I started RTH. Trying to justify your task and purpose when they might be in a heightened state is ill-advised. Give 'em what they want and come back later if you have to. A few seconds of footage (which is all you'll realistically use in most finished products) is not worth ruining anyone's day, especially yours.
great ideas. good work. thanks and good flights.👋👌👍
Thank you for this video! I am a completely brand new drone owner. I am waiting for some good weather to get started, and not crash. Thinking about safety (and not cinematography), this reminds me of the old saying there are old pilots and bold pilots. Slow and low is what I'll go.
Thank you I’ve learned a lot from you. I’m new at this.
Example will always catch the attention. Thanks for showing them. (More obvious now)
9:18 messing with the expo settings; that's me! Before I flew my new Mavic 3 Pro I adjusted the expo settings for very fine control at small joystick movements; the "exponent" means that the final portion of a joystick travel gets all the way to full control in case you need rapid response. But most of the time I need careful control so I make modest adjustments to yaw and braking in particular. I don't need or want abrupt movements when making a movie.
great video. We have a wooden chapel like that down here in Rapid City, SD
Awesome stuff and thanks for the teaching !!!
I really appreciate your help. Again I learned a lot. Thanks
Thanks Russ!!!! Good info!!!
With this geometry (dead cat frame type) hand catch facing drone to you, it looks like props are little more far away from your head. BUT, I find it’s a lot easier to manouver drone facing it’s back to me when I fly LOS mode to hand catch it. Nice tips you have. Thank you.
I’m not really a fan of hand launch or hand catching although I have done it on a really windy day before I got my Part 107. When I went to mandatory flight school (I fly for a TV Station) we were forced to launch and land from the ground in windy conditions. One thing I see beginners doing is flying around trees or buildings or trying to fly as high as they want. I often tell them to go somewhere wide open with no trees until you get the hang of flying. They need to take baby steps. I’m one of those pilots that barely uses the intelligent flight modes. I literally just figured out how to set up and use Active Track! I couldn’t get it to work for the life of me but I got it now. On my last drone film i produced, for one of the shots, I did a 3/4 orbit around a tall skyscraper in my city while doing a hyper lapse and I did it all manual. It was a better feel and ended up being a better look doing it manually instead of setting up way points or using POI.
Just ordered my 1st drone and I am so excited !
Great tips... Wish this video was out 9 months ago... Had to figure these settings and movements out on my own! Learned by experience. Thanks for sharing!
I usually reach up and grab it as it's coming down, I didn't realize it will just land in my hand. I've sliced my hand several times catching it, but it's still the best imo. also, it's nice having a car with a panoramic sunroof, great launching pad
Great info bro…I tend to hide a little bit when I’m about to fly my drone under tree or by my car ..but sometimes I try look for a shadow like under a tree for a better view of the screen or tend to wear a big round sombrero to make showdown to the screen
Hey Rus, thanks for these tips especially the EXPO settings that most YTbers stay away from! You should also take about the gimbal settings and the best values for each mode, especially for cinematic.
As for hand launch and catching, I’ve largely stayed away from catching it unless the ground below is crowded or uneven. For hand launch, it’s no problem and I do the same! However, for hand catching, I allow the drone to descend to slightly above head height and say 4ft/1.5m away from me, then raise my hand under its belly and catch with 3 fingers.
And I really love waypoints and autonomous flying especially hyperlapses.
Intermediate pilot here. Excited about changes in the controller. Thank you!!!!
Some more good tips Russ.
Hand launch - I only occasionally do; because I only use my drones in remote areas with no wi-fi so unsure of ‘return to home? Now I always manually calibrate before taking off hence from the ground since losing my first Mini 3 pro😢. Hand catch on return is now my normal since the ground I tend to be on isn’t suitable. Way points - yep, its a great add on within the setup. But for now I prefer to manually fly my route. Partly because of the terrain I generally fly in… trees etc with fine branches. Yep, there is always at least 1 “DING DONG” around… like bees to honey 🥷 …..Grateful for your advice / tips 🏴
Had to sell my last drone because I needed the money and now with spring here makes me want another. Maybe next year
Once again Russ, home run! Good vid!
Thanks ! Great video! I agree with you...practice is most important. When I was flying for the first time I thought ... Ooh this is not for me, but every minute, every hour spent in flight makes you love flying a drone. Thanks to people like you, we learn. Thanks!
As a new drone owner based in the UK this channel has been a great help in getting up to speed. Great stuff 👍
One simple but important thing on hand launching/catching I think gets overlooked. Wear sunglasses or safety glasses to protect your eyes, just in case you or your drone makes some sort of mistake during this maneuver. Catching it higher than your face also helps, but eye protection is a good idea any time those propellers are anywhere near you.
Just fantastic! You are always amazing!
Excellent presentation, as usual! Expo settings review w/live demonstration was outstanding. Probably will try hand launching at some point in time, but not convinced it's my recreational style. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent tips on the gain and exposure settings. I always enjoy your content - coming from Australia 😊
Your drone lessons are fantastic. I just purchased my 1st drone (I'm 72). I use to do photography with film cameras (usually of dinosaurs :-)) taking picture of my children growing up in the 80s. My photos now are snap shots from a cell phone (sadly). So I am just getting into this because it looks so cool and have been wanting to get back into photography. I have watched several of your videos and have learned so much (and have so much more to learn). My DJI Air 3 should arrive tomorrow. I don't want to just try flying it using trial and error. Thank you for helping me learn.
expo setting info is much appreciated. thank you. Great Vids.
Thanks for teaching me the expo settings. I'm going to adjust those the next time I fly!
I'm not flying yet but sure do appreciate all that you share. Hands down the best I've been watching
very useful Video, thank you for sharing.
Great video I think a good follow up would be editing. I know you have a video or two on editing but I would like to see one directly related to this video if that makes sense. Great channel overall thanks for all you do!
I need to make an updated one. Thanks for the suggestion!
We use leg extensions for the Air 2S. They work great and protects the gimbal and motors very well.
8:43 I’m dying 😂😭
Ordering a vest now.
I am new to this and I take 360 aerial photos. I just learned how important it is to adjust the exposure down 1 or 1.5 so that the sun does not blow out the photo and create a huge aura of overexposure and chromatic aberations around the sun.
In urban conditions, I have been wearing a green vest for the last six months. It works well. Thanks for the great video Russ.
some times I enjoy a jerky fast turning video more than a video with a bunch of chopped up short cuts put together. I I get your point. Thanks for the fine videos you do.
Awesome with the expose setting
About the auto/manual thing.
Flying manually with smooth movements is much easier with newer DJI drones, because their input lag is MUCH better/shorter. It used to be very abstract and awkward to go smoothly, but with newer drones like the Air 3 the input lag is almost instant/non existant compared to something like a Mavic 2 Pro, which has incredibly bad input lag.
With the Air 3, its as if you are tge drone. Its not as instant as you'd get from an analog FPV drone, but its still very quick and flyable.
Very Good Video. Definitely learned something.
Very helpful, thank you. I subscribed.
This was excellent
Great video. Changing my settings asap!
I found that really helpful as a drone pilot. It’s something that I will certainly work on. Thank you very much for those tips. They were very helpful.
Been practicing the hand launching and landing from my hand while sitting in my lounge chair out on the deck. That’s the bomb…. Love doing that and it’s fun. Makes me look like an expert 😂
I find it very interesting when it comes to educational drone flying, or camera movements? We can never stop learning when it comes to drones? Even professional pilots would be interested in the next best thing when it comes to flying.
I really appreciate your time, and videos you put out Russ. They really make a lot of sense at the end of the day. I always try something new when I'm out flying just to remind me the fun of flying really is.
Thanks for sharing. See you in the next video. 👍👍👍
Good information as usual Russ. I would like to point out one thing. People are commenting about hand catching tail in because the controls are in the same orientation as the drone. Left is left, and right is right etc. Yes, you are only pulling down on the throttle, but if you accidentally bump a stick, and you are nose in, the drone is going to surprise you. Please don't tell newbs to land, fly, or hand catch nose in unless they understand the concept, and have practiced doing so. Always tail in, until you are proficient at nose in. Take care.
Good advice
That’s why you keep OA engaged and catch it above you head. But yes, best to do tail in.
Russ "BIG" Thank you for teaching us all this valuable stuff !! 👍
If you’re in a tight spot (yes not ideal for launching to begin with but assuming it’s the only option) you might want to disable OA (or anti-bonk as another UA-camr referred to it) as it can limit control of movement. One time I launched from a deck and it got scared of me and brushed the railing despite there being plenty of room in my direction. I always turn it off for launch now.
Excellent work, thank you.
Definitely a big help man! I’m new to the drone thing so I’m learning and yea at times i definitely get nervous about where to fly it and other people but I’m getting better (thanks to your videos) and this video helped tremendously lol 👍🏽👍🏽
Awesome video. I’m a new pilot and this was very helpful. Thank you!
If I could tell myself something 5 years ago when I first started, it would be to save all of your photos and videos, raw or jpg, even the really bad looking ones. External hard drives aren't expensive, and as you progress in editing you can always go back and try to edit something you thought was awesome but didn't look good. And now there are so many programs out there that can fix bad pictures and videos (being too dark, too grainy, etc.) and that technology is only getting better.
Great video!! I love point #3! Great stuff, man!
Good tips, as always, Russ . I love getting that great shot, I am looking for,
pumping my arm , and saying
" yes thats it".!
Tail-first hand catching is a bit more intuitive; left stick moves it left and right stick moves it right but only when the drone is tail-first (tail toward the operator).
One thing with hand catching is wind, when the propellers slow down to land it might just fly into your face like it did mine if a gust of wind comes your way, hand catch into the wind!
Great video! I just started flying last week. This video is very helpful. Hand catching is my favorite way to land by far. All the snow lingering around has really helped force me into the habit. 😅
Cool video, Im about to get up in the air and feeling nervous.
I lauch it with my hand open. So i can't let it go too early. Also how i land it. It will fly up from my hand and thats how ik i can land straight down on it 💯 works every time.. getting pretty good taking off amd landing in my hand from a car lmao. Never even have to get out.
Thank you for your presentation, it was chock full of good tips! I would however like to see a YT on the proper settings for the video camera/gimbal functions of the videographer's drone. I realize there are "automatic" settings but most times these do not take full advantage of the area lighting and depth of field most cameras can achieve for a good capture. Thank you!