Reliability

[NorWiscPilot]

In lieu of carry on or checking as baggage, an alternative might be to ship your H ahead of time. Assuming there is someone trustworthy to receive it, of course.

Need to plan accordingly to ensure it is waiting for you rather than catching up to you. Justification exists for that good travel case. A wise investment all around regardless of travel mode.

If your local dealer does not carry good, sturdy cases, check with Vertigo Drones or Carolinadronz, to name two.

Jeff

P.S. Remember the batteries should not be shipped by air (ground only) and thus plan accordingly.

 

[PatR]

I’ve had very good luck at shipping things ahead to myself when staying at hotels. For what I send it’s considerably cheaper and easier than taking as baggage, and no B.S. from TSA.

 

[FlushVision]

I live in the middle of the woods. I literally have about 25 feet of yard in all directions, then trees for acres.. It might be smart for me to have it! There is a nice farm field about 300 yards through the trees that the deer like to hang in, and I think that would be cool to hover and see if I catch anything on cam! (although they come up to my door!)

One thing is for sure about any drone no matter who makes them. They don't like trees...or should I say that the trees don't like drones.

If you are taking off from such a small clearing then you are bound to have to maintain a good height to maintain a line-of-sight between the aircraft and controller and it is my experience that the best footage or still pictures are mostly obtained at conservative heights.

Regarding carry on. IMHO the Mavic is the better choice for carry on. Much more portable than the H. But the H has a much more superior gimbal than the Mavic. So its a compromise: Do you want ease of carry on for the one time you'll be flying or that superior gimbal. If I were in the habit of taking a drone as carry on fairly regularly then I'd have something like the Mavic for that...but for just one carry on event probably not.

BTW. I also have a P2V+ which is smaller than the H and lends itself to carry on better than the H. Why not get a H and a second hand P2V+ for carry on? Just a thought.

 

[ronheater70]

One thing is for sure about any drone no matter who makes them. They don't like trees...or should I say that the trees don't like drones.

If you are taking off from such a small clearing then you are bound to have to maintain a good height to maintain a line-of-sight between the aircraft and controller and it is my experience that the best footage or still pictures are mostly obtained at conservative heights.

Regarding carry on. IMHO the Mavic is the better choice for carry on. Much more portable than the H. But the H has a much more superior gimbal than the Mavic. So its a compromise: Do you want ease of carry on for the one time you'll be flying or that superior gimbal. If I were in the habit of taking a drone as carry on fairly regularly then I'd have something like the Mavic for that...but for just one carry on event probably not.

BTW. I also have a P2V+ which is smaller than the H and lends itself to carry on better than the H. Why not get a H and a second hand P2V+ for carry on? Just a thought.

I think If I get good hard case I can just take it with me and have it go on the plane as baggage. I mean it SHOULD be safe that way?
You make a good point a 1 or 2 time thing vs the everyday usage.

I don't plan to fly from my yard but I have a cup de sac up the driveway I should be able to take off from, I think that can be safe and then simply get above the trees and go!

 

[rdonson]

If you're shipping or using airline carry on make sure its insured. Baggage handlers aren't exactly careful with stuff.

From a cul-de-sac you should be ok. I've done that successfully. Just make sure you stay away from metal structures and power lines. Also keep in mind that dense trees with leaves might diminish radio signals if they're between your ST16 and the H. Healthy leaves have more water in them than I ever imagined.

I made the mistake of trying to land one time near to my steel garage doors. That was hairy and took a few tries. I won't repeat that mistake again.

Since you're traveling a good distance for your vacation. It would be wise to calibrate the compass there.

After that let the H sit on the ground powered up in an open space without spinning up the props for 13-15 minutes. This gives the H GPS module time to populate/update its almanac of GPS satellites. Its cheap flight insurance and it won't use much of the battery.

 

[rdonson]

I’ve had very good luck at shipping things ahead to myself when staying at hotels. For what I send it’s considerably cheaper and easier than taking as baggage, and no B.S. from TSA.

I know some pro photographers who teach class and workshops and they swear by FedEx to ship their gear. Of course, their gear is in very rugged Pelican cases. I have one for my photo gear but shipping it would cost an arm and a leg. It can withstand a LOT of torture but its heavy.

 

[FePhoenix]

I have the H Pro. I fly commercial with it. The backpack case is too large for carry-on (based on taking measurements - I never tested it). I do not trust baggage handlers to "be nice" to the backpack. I got a Pelican-type case from GPC (goprofessionalcases.com). Works very well.

As for realsense, I use that primarily when doing roof or tower inspections. I just don't get close enough to obstructions otherwise.

Kris

 

[OnTheRopes]

I have the H Pro. I fly commercial with it. The backpack case is too large for carry-on (based on taking measurements - I never tested it). I do not trust baggage handlers to "be nice" to the backpack. I got a Pelican-type case from GPC (goprofessionalcases.com). Works very well.

As for realsense, I use that primarily when doing roof or tower inspections. I just don't get close enough to obstructions otherwise.

Kris

How do you find it works, I do structural inspections though don't have Realsense. Can you adjust the distances?

 

[rdonson]

I have the H Pro. I fly commercial with it. The backpack case is too large for carry-on (based on taking measurements - I never tested it). I do not trust baggage handlers to "be nice" to the backpack. I got a Pelican-type case from GPC (goprofessionalcases.com). Works very well.

Kris

Thanks, Kris.

The Pelican-type case from GPC for the H looks just like my Pelican case. Its also available from B&H. I wish I could just buy the custom inserts.

Yuneec Typhoon H Case w/Battery Case Cavity Option | GPC, Inc.

 

[Tiffin 2018]

I get your uncertainty about which drone to get and you’re doing your due diligence to make a solid informed decision as I did. Really nice that you have access to training by an experienced pilot. As was suggested about getting an inexpensive drone to learn the basics I took that advice when offered and bought a Force1 Ghost. It has brushless motors and you can get 15-20 minutes of flight time on one battery. It also has a knock off go-pro that’s not too bad. On YouTube it’s recommended as the best beginner drone and it’s not expensive either. I bought mine on Amazon for under $100. If you YouTube it there’s a lot of information on them. It’s really a Bugs 3 made by Force 1. If you decide to go with the Mavic for the portability then look at the new Autel Robotics EVO that’s coming out soon. I think it’s going to be a Mavic crusher. I was ready to preorder one but I’m sticking with the H. Good luck on your choice whatever you decide.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

All services, whether baggage handlers through an airport or any delivery service will handle your parcel roughly. It is your responsibility to make sure your item is packed for safe shipment. If sending an H in it's soft backpack case, you should have it packed in a heavy duty, triple layer corrugated box rated at a 60 pound capacity or better.

Try to fill in void areas all around the case with 1 inch of crumpled up newspaper. You don't want to hear anything shifting around. Tape the box using a "H" pattern sealing all the seams where the box folds... both top and bottom. Trust me that the standard 30 pound capacity packing box, from Walmart or U-Haul will provide minimal protection.

The maximum number of batteries you can carry on with most major airlines is two. As mentioned above, any batteries shipped, must go via ground service, not air.

 

[Tiffin 2018]

I also forgot to mention that dji customer service is notoriously bad. Join the Phantom pilots forum and that might help with your decision.

 

[FePhoenix]

All services, whether baggage handlers through an airport or any delivery service will handle your parcel roughly. It is your responsibility to make sure your item is packed for safe shipment. If sending an H in it's soft backpack case, you should have it packed in a heavy duty, triple layer corrugated box rated at a 60 pound capacity or better.

Try to fill in void areas all around the case with 1 inch of crumpled up newspaper. You don't want to hear anything shifting around. Tape the box using a "H" pattern sealing all the seams where the box folds... both top and bottom. Trust me that the standard 30 pound capacity packing box, from Walmart or U-Haul will provide minimal protection.

The maximum number of batteries you can carry on with most major airlines is two. As mentioned above, any batteries shipped, must go via ground service, not air.

I travel with 4 or 8 batteries (1 or 2 of the cases found at Yuneec Typhoon H Battery Case | GPC, Inc.). I have yet to hit an airline that cared how many I had carry-on, as long as each individual battery was under 100WH.

 

[FePhoenix]

Thanks, Kris.

The Pelican-type case from GPC for the H looks just like my Pelican case. Its also available from B&H. I wish I could just buy the custom inserts.

Yuneec Typhoon H Case w/Battery Case Cavity Option | GPC, Inc.

Have you contacted them and asked? Might be worth a try.

 

[FePhoenix]

How do you find it works, I do structural inspections though don't have Realsense. Can you adjust the distances?

If the realsense ranges are adjustable, I've yet to see how, and would appreciate anyone with that knowledge so posting.

 

[rdonson]

How do you find it works, I do structural inspections though don't have Realsense. Can you adjust the distances?

I know of no way to adjust RealSense distances. There are flight speed limitations that RealSense OA enforces. My understanding is that because of the sensors' fps and processor speeds if they didn't do that you wouldn't avoid much if you were flying at high speed.

 

[OnTheRopes]

I know of no way to adjust RealSense distances. There are flight speed limitations that RealSense OA enforces. My understanding is that because of the sensors' fps and processor speeds if they didn't do that you wouldn't avoid much if you were flying at high speed.

OK cheers, just wondered

 

[PatR]

I know some pro photographers who teach class and workshops and they swear by FedEx to ship their gear. Of course, their gear is in very rugged Pelican cases. I have one for my photo gear but shipping it would cost an arm and a leg. It can withstand a LOT of torture but its heavy.

And therein lies the difference between receiving your stuff undamaged or being able to take it out of the case ready to go. We have to decide how important equipment condition and reliability is to us and choose our shipping containers based on capability, not price. If we elect to buy the cheapest cases we can find we'll trade off far more than the cost of the case when they fail to protect out gear in the harshest environments. As aircraft baggage or Fed Ex/UPS baggage they are not babied in any way. In fact, if they can be used as a football or shot put, they will be.

Shipping costs can be expensive but I've found them always to be half or less than airline baggage once they hit over size dimensions. Depending on how much gear you need transported, shipping ahead can provide many benefits to the travel experience. one of them is significantly reducing the amount of stuff you have to drag, carry, or back pack. That may not be much of an issue for the younger crowd but it stacks up fast for the older group.

 

[rdonson]

Have you contacted them and asked? Might be worth a try.

Thanks, I've contacted them through their web page form. I hope they say yes. I already have a Pelican 1610 which is dang near the same size case.

 

[rdonson]

Thanks, I've contacted them through their web page form. I hope they say yes. I already have a Pelican 1610 which is dang near the same size case.

They responded quickly. They only sell the foam to those who've purchased the case. Oh well, I guess my option to use my Pelican 1610 with the H is to buy the "pick n' pluck" foam from Pelican. It's $75 from B&H. Considering the cost of the case and that you get 3 pieces of the foam it's not too bad a price.