Hoverfly Hoverfly from a boat?

octocine

Member
Has anyone tried to launch a Hoverfly Pro multi-rotor from a boat or launched by hand? Does it require a stable platform to initialize?
 

JZSlenker

Yeah, I can blow that up.
Unfortunately you need to be on firm ground to arm HFP. Unless you are flying off a very large ship you will not be able to arm the board. I have (once) armed our x-8 on land, zipped out onto the water in a 18' Boston Whaler and then took off. It worked but is extremely dangerous. I will never do that again. Please don't do it.
 


JZSlenker

Yeah, I can blow that up.
You really should never approach or transport a MR when it's armed. If you bump the throttle or for some reason your radio link is interrupted you risk serious injury or death. If you don't believe me, do some searches on the forums and see what eight sharp blades can do to the human body. My fail safe is set to mid throttle and AL on so if my link is lost or interrupted my x-8 doesn't crash. If that would happen while armed on a boat, it would take off. This scenario has happened to others.
 

workshop

Member
Also...

It takes a ton of practice to train your eyes and ears (vestibular system) to accept constantly conflicting information. The brain really has a hard time processing disparate information and nausea and vertigo are the results.

It took me weeks to get comfortable FPVing from a moving car and even longer from a boat. Using a monitor might be better or worse depending on the person.

Plus, one has to arm the IMU on dry land... :)

Jeff
 

kloner

Aerial DP
I do it all the time...... if your confident in your equipment and skill, your fine

the not being able to arm your rig sucks. i run dji and it arms fine, any video of me flying over water except in front of the houses was booted in a boat and flown off the bow or stern. If i couldn't fly really really good, i wouldn't do it. it's not something your shooting in on, your flying hovering, putting it where it has to be.

Driving a car down the freeway would be more dangerous statiscly.
 

yeehaanow

Member
You really should never approach or transport a MR when it's armed. If you bump the throttle or for some reason your radio link is interrupted you risk serious injury or death. If you don't believe me, do some searches on the forums and see what eight sharp blades can do to the human body. My fail safe is set to mid throttle and AL on so if my link is lost or interrupted my x-8 doesn't crash. If that would happen while armed on a boat, it would take off. This scenario has happened to others.

If you set your radio to a heli mode then you could utilize throttle hold and pretty much eliminate the chance of accidentally starting the motors.
I think having your failsafe set that way is dangerous regardless. Wouldn't your copter drifting into someplace it shouldn't go and potentially hurting someone be much worse than dropping to the ground? I'm all for powered failsafe when you have gps, but without it... that's another story.
 


Hi Octicine,

Have a look on the forum for "Flying Fish" it is a clip shot by Benjamin Rowland mostly flying from a small boat. Maybe he can give you some pointers. I don't know why the HFP pro will not arm on water maybe movement but I've never experienced it.

Kloner,

Hoverfly does indeed have a command sequence to initiate the ESC's before you can throttle up.

Regards,

Andre
 

Photronix

Pilot
No there is an arming sequence. And once armed the propellers still don't turn until you raise the throttle you have full control over them. But yes you should disarm when approaching the craft.

hoverfly doesn't have a command sequence to start the motors? just fires up?
 

octocine

Member
Thanks to all for the advice and warnings. I have seen Benjamin Rowland's "Flying Fish" footage and it is absolutely stunning. I am interested in flying from a boat on the ocean where there will be considerable swell and wave action. I tried an experiment to simulate ocean swell on land to see if the HFP would arm and the answer is "no." FYi for those interested, MK does initialize from a boat and flies just fine. Does anyone know of a workaround that would allow HFP to initialize from a boat?
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
if you're running dual batteries you could swap batteries in such a way to keep from de-powering the board or keep a spare battery plugged in while in transit or between flights. if it loses power though it's back to dry land to re-arm.
 

E-Copter

Member
Hi,

the best way to record a boat on the water is to stay on the ground, and fly over the water :))))

Then, a few units can be powered up on boats, but not the MK for sure unfortunatly... Some interresting thing to know is that if the unit can arm ( on MK) it will be a bit sluggisd in normal ( rate) flight mode but in GPS / vario mode it will be better as compass will kick in and correct the drifts.

I did not try yet to initilise our board from a boat and see how it works but i guess i'l have to give it a try, as said previously walking and carrying an armed UAV is a very bad thing...

On my side, i use exclusively PPM esc's with the controller i use at the moment, and it is an interresting point you rised here, why not making an enabled disabled independent circuit killing PPM or putting PPM signal low and locking it ? With a buffer pack on the MK feed or any other unit, you can then initialise the board and cary it wherever you need without shutting down the board but having main power ( esc's and motors) disconnected :)

Anyway, here is a small shooting we made last year for the Solar Odyssey, an experimental electric boat , owed by Lemerpax industries ( friends of my Dad, he has cool friends lol !). It was a great opportunity but you feel really better once you land back your multi. It's a quick editing / low stabilised youtube thing with 1:30 mn showing the multi taking off to show the distance :) So i would say, this is the safest way to take pictures and movies for a boat lol !


<br>

BEst regards,

Fabien
 
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kloner

Aerial DP
I've never tried an ocean swell type thing. usually the nose of my boats on land or pulling back on a anchor in a river so i get boat wake swell, wind chop and wind making it go side to side in the current........ naza

this is two evenings working the golden hour over water
 
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