Over water flight

[Blackmustang50]

Has anyone ever had any issues flying the Typhoon H out over the ocean?

 

[PatR]

Not because of the location being over water. If the aircraft is functioning properly it does not care about being over water. That is usually more of a personal thing

 

[mcbutler]

if your worried get a couple of 2 litre plastic coke bottles and tie wrap them to the 'feet'. Then if it all goes wrong, so long as it goes down the right way up you have an amphibious Typhoon H, only drawback is you need to rotate the aircraft to pan the camera..

 

[PatR]

And it will float upside down[emoji22]

 

[mcbutler]

Nope, if your gears up and it goes in the right way up it will float. You will lose the camera, but you get the entire thing back, sea state permitting.............. Try it in the bath.......

 

[Dustoff]

My property is surrounded by water and I am yet not brave enough to venture out over the water .

 

[PatR]

Nope, if your gears up and it goes in the right way up it will float. You will lose the camera, but you get the entire thing back, sea state permitting.............. Try it in the bath.......

You’re absolutely right. I did not consider raising the gear.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

if your worried get a couple of 2 litre plastic coke bottles and tie wrap them to the 'feet'. Then if it all goes wrong, so long as it goes down the right way up you have an amphibious Typhoon H, only drawback is you need to rotate the aircraft to pan the camera..

And how would these pontoons affect an uncontrolled descent? Plus, your bath does not have 1 - 3 foot swells and salt spray to saturate components... to paraphrase a quote... "Flotation is futile..."

 

[Ty Pilot]

Yep. I think the best one can hope for if the aircraft lands in the water is to recover the parts. The trade off of having a flotation device or devices that could offer any reasonably high assurance of no damage in a water landing would be such that it would have a detrimental effect on normal operations. A simple alternative for over water operations is a recovery device that would allow you to locate and retrieve the aircraft and have zero effects on normal operations. Getterback.

 

[PatR]

Anyone old enough to remember the TV series Sea Hunt?

 

[DoomMeister]

Anyone old enough to remember the TV series Sea Hunt?

Yep! Part of why I learned to SCUBA once I had a real job. Old school NASDS certified. My instructor was dive master for the Sheriff Dept. Worked with them on a volunteer basis a few times.

 

[PatR]

You’re in trouble now. They know who to call if an over water flight goes badly[emoji6]

 

[DoomMeister]

Sinuses can’t take it anymore. Too many years working in nasty manufacturing areas as an electrician.

 

[PatR]

Same problem here, but from surfing waters that became increasingly polluted with human waste as the population grew. I can't go into the ocean anymore if there's a population dumping treated or raw sewage within 100 miles of the place.

 

[DoomMeister]

That would make the surfing rather sh**ty. Much better with clean curls.

 

[FlushVision]

Although the H (if working properly) has no problems flying over water...or essentially anything else for that matter, I still get a bit nervous when flying over it. I've seen too many YouTube videos of drones diving into the depths. But it seems to me that many (but not all) of those 'watery graves' videos were the result of pilot error to some degree.

So, although I try to avoid flying over water if I can avoid it, when I do I always fly over that water in the early part of the flight when the battery is still fresh (the first third of the battery) insuring that i'm back over land way before the battery is starting to get depleted. While over the water avoid aggressive flying; don't fly too close to the surface of the water and avoid anything that could splash or spray the aircraft (jet ski, speedboats, people who could splash water up for spite).

It is true that some good shots can be had from over water but in the end, for me at least, the less time over the water the better.

 

[Rubik]

Once you are confident in your piloting abilities and the TH trustworthiness, you should not hesitate to fly over water, even the ocean. Flying over water gives a unique perspective of the shoreline. The advice given above is good. I'll add that if you fly out downwind, you will need more time to return upwind before the battery gives up. Also, flying over water reduces the concerns of flying over people and private property. Still more, there is very little chance of GPS or compass interference over water.

 

[TimboSlice]

I fly over the water about 85% of the time. While I don't recommend starting out flying over water, as your skill and comfort level with the H increase, begin taking short flights and continue to build skill and confidence. The H is perfectly able to handle flying over water- it is not, however very capable of landing in the water. Maintain line of sight, and practice knowing how to understand the orientation of the drone. The reward is incredible video at sunrise and sunset. Good flying.

 

[PatR]

So true. Proximity to a lake, river, or ocean has little affect by themselves on a flight. The aircraft systems don’t experience any changes just because they are over water.

 

[Dustoff]

So true. Proximity to a lake, river, or ocean has little affect by themselves on a flight. The aircraft systems don’t experience any changes just because they are over water.

But it sure makes you nervous doing it the first few times ..

Just getting the hang off the bird right now and once my confidence level is a little higher I will venture out .

Right now recovering from my first crash and waiting for parts to arrive. Also ording more spares just in case ..