How to Hand Launch Your Drone - DJI Mini 4 Pro 

I honestly think you are the best flight instructor, you get straight to the point and the information is precise. Thank you very much Justin 👍

I have had my Mini 4 pro for 25 days now. I always hand launch and hand catch my drone. I've only taken off or landed on the ground maybe 2 times. A lanyard is key, it makes the dual stick input with 1 hand much easier. Be sure to very lightly hold the throttle up for 2 seconds after it ascends to make sure it goes into a stable hover. The first week I had it I let off the throttle instently while hand launching on one knee, and it flopped forward and crashed right into my car. No impact detected, I replaced 3 props and its been perfect ever since that lesson.

I like the tip about putting in Sports mode before catching it..thanks

SMART ADVISES well explained. No nonsense! Congrats and thank you!!!

Awesome tips. I use this technique and it's a little easier with the controller on a lanyard

I like ur video tutorial, easy to understand and have reason behind it.. 👍

Great tip about sports mode, I’ve been hand catching in normal mode, it does land but takes longer, great video as usual, keep them coming please

I like to tip about putting it in sports mode before catching it. Thanks for the tip.

Just subscribed bought a mini 2 se in the Philippines and after using it I’ve decided to buy a mini pro 4 when I get back to the UK thanks to your channel.

Was always too afraid to hand launch and did the sneak up and grab technique to land...you've simplified both for me can't wait to try thanks!

I’ve watched numerous instructional videos. This is among the very best! Info, presentation, and format are excellent.

Thanks for this. I watched someone else, a proponent of the grab and flip. My fingers got hit by the propellers! It was sore, but fortunately, they didn’t break the skin, merely stung a bit. I’m not suggesting that it’s ok to grab and flip! I think your method makes far more sense!

Thank you for doing this video. I had to hand launch & land my drone this weekend and it went perfectly thanks to your guidance. The reason that Sport mode is best is because obstacle avoidance is turned off when you are in that mode. Unless you do that, the drone will think your hand is an obstacle to avoid. That is the key point. I have a bunch of your other videos queued up to learn even more!

Thanks for this video ❤

Precise clear instructions and pleasant to watch and listen to

Good information. Liked.

exactly wht im looking for. Thanks

I am so pleased that I found your channel. You videos are excellent and so easy to follow! Thanks

Saw the flipping method and tried. Yours is much much better. Congrats and thank you!

My first drone I had I sold after a few years and I'd never dated to hand launch/land, I got back into flying and bought a mini 4 pro about 2 month ago and finally got the courage up to try hand launch /land and honestly it's the only way I take off and land now 100% of the time, for landing I start bringing it down but put my hand up nice and early so it thinks my hand is the ground, keep pulling down then the stick until it lands in the palm of my hand, no grabbing and flipping and it's never tried to fly back up out of the way because it thinks my hand is the ground

Thanks champ. Very clear & concise..

You're on the epic level

Great advice Justin and thanks for taking the time to explain the hand and catch. Many thanks for sharing the info.

Agreed..you make so much sense its impossible to get it wrong..I'm subscribed and bell switched on..thanks dude.

Excellent teaching, thank you! Greetings from France 😊

Спасибо!

Thank you. I will try today

Fantastic video, lots of great information there.... Many thanks! 😎 👍🏻

Great demonstration. I’ve been doing it for a while. But it always struggled to land in my hand. Turning on sports mode done the trick. Thanks 👍

NICE MATE HAPPY FLYING👍👍👍

Good demo justin..

Nice one Justin 👍 good to see you're fully fit again. Keep up the great video's one of the best for clear explanations.

The trick to hold the controller in the left hand so not to accidentally jam pitch stick when trying to land

Great tutorial. Looking forward to giving this a try BUT after I get some practice flying the drone. Pumped about delivery tomorrow!

I recently got the mini 4 pro and other people make it look so easy to hand catch, just hover the drone in front of you, grab it underneath and flip it. I tried it a few times and it just flew upwards and didn’t feel that trying to grab it and flip it quickly was particularly safe so I will definitely be trying your method now. It would be interesting to see if this applies to RTH too or just hitting the land button with the drone higher up, so it comes in like it would land on the ground but you put your hand underneath.

Just so you know. Theres an update on the DJI Mini 4 Pro that allows you to disable the downward sensors , this allows you to catch the drone while hovering and it won't launch upwards.

I would not have as much confidence as you apparently do by doing the manual prop startup. The props are in close proximity to more than one thing that can be momentarily overlooked, i.e. the left side controller antennae, the controller itself, your left hand and your face. As you push up on the left stick to add power and ascend, you are totally releasing your grip on the controller with your single left hand (while the right one holds the drone) as you use your left thumb to push on the left stick while doing the manual hand launch technique. I could do another "i.e." list but the possibilities for problems are pretty obvious. I was waiting to see how you managed initiating the takeoff command button and then pressing and holding the takeoff button in the middle of the controller screen all while holding the controller and doing the button pressing with just your left hand for the Automatic Technique but you didn't show it. I love my M4P. My flying has been on and off over the last few months, mostly off, and I am itching to get back out. When I saw you video as around a month old, I thought to take a look at whatever the latest techniques may be for hand launch/catch as I know a lot of people do it and in some situations it could be A) really convenient and B) maybe the difference in getting a photograph or video that may be missed if you weren't in the air quickly. You didn't mention anything with regard to RTH considerations associated with doing hand launch/catch and I have always been particularly impressed with the M4P pinpoint RTH capabilities. The assumption being that RTH features are simply tossed out the window when opting for hand launch/catch. I appreciate you taking the time to do M4P videos like this. I had not thought about switching to Sport mode as a way to turn off/on the object avoidance sensors and I will definitely look at using that routinely.

I find it quite interesting that you do not do a calibration before each flight? I have had my mavic 2 zoom for 4 years and 9 months and have never had a fly away or crashed drone, still on my stock props :) good video mate!

can you do one catching it on a sailboat? 🙏

It wouldn't land when I was moving on a boat... Mini 2 was no problem, but couldn't with the 4...had to grab it out of mid air...

Last month I tried to catch my mini 2 with my hand, and had an accident. It was under severe wind ( I was above 4500 meter above sea level, in Hornocal, Argentina, under 60 km/h gust of wind), and when coming down, it hit my right tumb, and cut it. Lot of blood, but I was sucessful containing bleeding, after two minutes. Lesson I've learned, never take it under severe wind within bare hands (I had I thick glove at the accident day, but forgot to use it), and be careful about confident excess ( I did it hundred of times, and nothing never happend).

Can you hand catch on return to home?

6:56 what fps you use in this clip?

on 3:32 you use both hands on thecontroller, looks a bit strange then, for the rest great info,thanks

can confirm that the wind can knock the drone and cut your fingers lol

Why would you not just open palm it? Then there is zero risk of letting it go too soon and dropping it.

Absolutely perfect explanation and demonstration of how to do this ive been wanting to know and now I do . Thanks Justin !👍😀🇦🇺🦘Cheryl