Dji phantom 3 standard
 

Just got the dji phantom 3 standard and been havin some fun with it. One of the main reason I got it was to get some good shots wake boarding. Anyone else using this drone and have any tips ?

Attach empty water bottles to the bottom of it like pontoons in case it falls out of the sky

Don't let your kids fly it around trees.

Put in in sport mode so it can reach wakeboard speeds. Tip #2- fly low and close. Nobody wants to see wake clips that look like they were shot by google earth :D

Not trying to hijack the post but does the water bottle pontoon trick really work or was that a joke?

I have been looking into getting a drone for this same reason after flying my cheap one for awhile but I am terrified the thing would fall out of the sky and sink.

Any flotation devices added to the drone will most likely cause problems during flight, especially at wakeboard speeds. Honestly its not really a viable option. You could always get a waterproof drone but then again i doubt they perform well. Its all about what you want to do. If you want quality film you gotta risk it for the biscuit

Get insurance from Statefarm for 60$ a year so if it does hit the water and sink just get a new one. Obviously do everything you can to avoid that however.

Make sure you respect the batteries. Recommend putting the alert at 50% and returning immediately. If you get into a critical low then it will either hover or else try to retrun home. Almost lost my Mavic that way a few weeks ago.

That means more batteries and short flights but it's better than 1 slightly longer flight.

+1 on the battery comment, although I feel pretty safe going beyond 50% life. It is pretty nerve wracking when you have "canceled" the "go home" option due to critical battery low and then realize your drone will start to land itself no matter what. Barely made it to shore!

Something that works for me and I always tell anyone else flying my drone. NEVER look at the drone. When I am on water, I fly 100% fpv. As soon as you take your eyes away from the fpv, you completely lose your sense of the drones direction.

I never practiced a "catch landing" on land. But I would also recommend that. I have landed on the sun deck, but much prefer to just hover between the tower and swim platform and just have someone grab it. Tell the person who is catching it when you are in position, otherwise they just want to stare at it and tend to try grab it before you are in position.

If you do lose your directional awareness of the drone. Make sure the driver knows that they may need to drop the rider before getting too far away from the drone.

When I am following a rider, find an altitude that you like and don't touch the "up/down" of that joystick. Mainly concentrate on your forward/back direction and yawe.