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Old 07-08-2018, 09:31 PM
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RCplanes with first person camera.

I get the impression it would be just a case of looking but I wondered if the is anyone involved in rc planes with a first person set up.
I notice rc control these day means the controller lands a plan by itself and it will circle and so maybe a mug like me could fly one.
It think it would be fun.
Any experiences?
Alex
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Old 07-08-2018, 11:15 PM
croweater (Richard)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xelasnave View Post
I get the impression it would be just a case of looking but I wondered if the is anyone involved in rc planes with a first person set up.
I notice rc control these day means the controller lands a plan by itself and it will circle and so maybe a mug like me could fly one.
It think it would be fun.
Any experiences?
Alex
Hi Alex, My son flies FPV drones and some of these are very simple to fly and will self land etc.. He also has a racing drone that has amazing power and easily outflys and outmanouvers the rc planes at his local rc club. He follows right behind them with FPV and runs rings around them. There is some really good rc stuff out there these days with electric power taking right over with the leaps forward in battery and radio technology. Cheers Richard
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Old 08-08-2018, 07:34 AM
Wavytone
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Always thought the paper planes would be fun https://www.amazon.com.au/POWERUP-Sm.../dp/B00N8GWZ4M

Old-school RC planes fly much too fast IMHO - there's no point buzzing the field at 120km/h and then being out of sight in seconds.
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Old 08-08-2018, 07:41 AM
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The_bluester (Paul)
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I bought a simple RC plane for you young bloke for Christmas (Though mostly it is me flying it)

Mine does not have a camera on it though I did recently strap an action cam to it for a giggle. It does not land itself or circle or anything like that but it does have several flight modes and a "Panic" mode which provide more or less gyro assistance in use. Beginners mode severely limits roll and pitch to keep you largely out of trouble, intermediate gives you a fair amount of both (About 45 degrees on either axis I would guess) and advanced you are on your own. In all modes the panic button rolls it wings level and slightly nose up. The suggestion from the shop was that panic mode is useful for landing it, just bring the throttle down and hold down the panic button and it will cruise in gently, wings level and nose up. I don't bother with that any more and just use the beginners mode as panic mode does not really allow any turns.

The only time I have actually crashed the thing was due to it being in beginners mode, an unexpected gust of wind took it away from where I wanted it and the roll/pitch limits also mean a limited rate of turn and I (Gently) bopped it into a tree that I could not turn it away from. That was early days, now if I was in beginners mode I would flip it to a more advanced mode with one finger while trying to get it out of trouble with the rest. It survived more or less unscathed thankfully.

EDIT: The only thing that would be nice would cost a lot more, which would be aileron control, being a simple and cheap model there is no servo nor actual ailerons on the plane so it uses the rudder for roll control. It can mean rolling it wings level is a little slow and you have to be aware it will turn somewhat in the process.
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Old 08-08-2018, 08:10 AM
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RB (Andrew)
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Unfortunately, never got into RC planes.
Last few years I've taken up Drone flying though.
I find it very relaxing and enjoyable.
Love the ability to take sweeping landscape cinematic videos and photos.

RB
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Old 08-08-2018, 08:19 PM
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Rob living out mallanganee last i spoke with him was into gliders with cameras on board Alex looked like a lot of fun.
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Old 08-08-2018, 10:42 PM
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kinetic (Steve)
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Plover season, my camera facing backwards = fun
https://youtu.be/VNwC_P3EWXs

Steve
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Old 09-08-2018, 10:13 AM
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All very interesting.
I would like a glider wuth a littlw motor and fpc.
Any recommendations for a kit if there is such a unit out there?
Alex
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Old 09-08-2018, 11:31 AM
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AstralTraveller (David)
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Alex,

I won't be able to get the full details for a few days but you might want to consult CASA before you buy. I'm pretty sure that what you are planning requires a licence. Many (most?) drone users seem to be ignorant of the law or flout it. One day an illegally operated drone will cause a fatal accident and then it will hit the fan.
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Old 09-08-2018, 12:59 PM
drylander (Peter)
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sub 2Kg drones don't require a license or permit unless it is going to be used to earn money eg real estate flyovers etc. CASA has some rules regarding people and airports but most would be common sense. I fly a DJI Mavic Pro and get excellent shots and movies. Its GPS controlled and avoidance sensors. auto landing if needed, 27 minute flight time and a great camera. Its also very compact as the arms fold in for travelling purposes.Priced around the $1K mark new but cheaper factory refurbished or second hand. If you have internet access check out how much you can do with them. Oh and I'm around your age too not a pimply teen.

Astral traveller its less dangerous than an drunk/unlicensed/unregistered car driver and look at the damage they do and yet you worry about the effect of a small drone?
Pete
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Old 11-08-2018, 11:30 AM
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....
Astral traveller its less dangerous than an drunk/unlicensed/unregistered car driver and look at the damage they do and yet you worry about the effect of a small drone?
Pete
2kg is quite a bit. I actually think that even a few grams of metal travelling at sufficient velocity could be quite dangerous. I'm tempted to apply for a govt' grant to develop hand-held devices capable of accelerating bits of metal to high velocities and directing them in a specific direction. All for defensive purposes of course.

In the case of drones though I think the chain of events might be more like drone flies into path of car doing 100kmh; driver swerves to avoid collision ..... <gory details omitted> ... and the road will reopen later tonight. It's not as though I haven't seen unsupervised 8 year olds flying drones. I think drones are a great tool/toy but like all advances in this world they also bring issues. They and there uses are developing so fast that I think CASA are a bit behind the game (what!!?? ... a govt dept behind the game). Under such conditions a tragedy could lead to a massive overreaction of some sort.

I do like your idea though that we shouldn't worry about small issues until the larger issues are completely resolved. Saves me replacing that bald tyre.
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Old 11-08-2018, 12:19 PM
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CASA isn't behind the game IMHO - they've seen this all before with RC model planes in the 1970's. They've already defined quite clearly where you can/cannot fly one, though there is IMHO an issue that CASA isn't policing it effectively - in the 1970s as kid I can recall they had guys driving round in vans watching for models and checking for licences, and issuing fines on the spot. Never seen one in 20 years at say Long Reef in Sydney.

One aspect most forget is that it isn't the horizontal speed of drones that's a problem - they fly too slowly - its the possible vertical speed if they fall out of the sky. 2kg accelerating at G will achieve quite a high velocity very quickly - and be a significant hazard to any below - and the operator can't do much about it if its lost control.

Last edited by Wavytone; 11-08-2018 at 12:52 PM.
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Old 11-08-2018, 02:24 PM
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Actually from what I was listening to on the radio this week, CASA reckon they are behind the game somewhat. With the advent of some pretty serious hardware for the price of an iphone and the predictable sales spike they reckon they have got to get on top of regulation in short order or it will just be too late.
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Old 11-08-2018, 03:31 PM
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Originally Posted by AstralTraveller View Post
In the case of drones though I think the chain of events might be more like drone flies into path of car doing 100kmh; driver swerves to avoid collision .....
Well, what the blazers is a car doing 100 kmh near an airport for?

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Old 11-08-2018, 10:10 PM
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The underlying cause IMHO is the plummeting cost of this stuff off-the-shelf, and ready-to-fly products being accessible to irresponsible morons. We've seen this before with lasers and other technology fads that have the potential to be abused and turned into weapons.

As with lasers I suspect the end result will be a blanket ban; possible exception being only the very small toy drones you can fly in a lounge room, but not the big ones.

There have been many fads that have sprung up and had to be banned - take powered model planes for example. It was once legal for a while to fly control-line or RC models in parks, with high-powered engines spinning big props at 30,000 rpm that would chop fingers off, and the models capable of over 100km/h, possibly 160m/h. Hit a someone with that and its going to do serious damage.

Last edited by Wavytone; 11-08-2018 at 10:59 PM.
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Old 14-08-2018, 03:14 PM
Baza (Barry)
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Lots to choose from & lots to learn.
Get a small drone to see how you go. You can spend less than $100 just to see if it appeals. You can then spend as much as you want. Lots of sites and heaps to learn depending on your starting point.

Just an example not a recommendation. https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-E58...r_warehouse=CN
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Old 15-08-2018, 12:09 PM
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Banggood, indeed. An example of why it will end up banned, IMHO.
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Old 15-08-2018, 04:33 PM
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I would like a glider with motor assist and googles to feel like I am in the plane.
It would be nice to fly over the property.
I have been looking.
I used to design and build gliders when I was a kid got a prize for one but it would be nice to have a box arrive and be flying by the end of the day.
I may get a quad to start and check the roof condition.
Alex
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Old 18-08-2018, 10:18 AM
SecretSquirrel (Shane)
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Hi alex,

I've been involved with gliding of one sort or another for most of my life and have had many rc gliders during that time. If you want a good quality glider that is excellent for beginners and experienced flyers I'd recommend a Park Zone 2 channel Radian 2m, they fly great, are easy to learn on and spare parts are plentiful if required. Small cameras are easy to attach to this model. I've had countless thermal flights with Radians of over 1 hour, simply use the motor to climb to 400 feet and search for lift. Cheaper kits can be had at hobbyking.com. I doubt that you would fit a telescope on one

These days I mostly only fly slope gliders in ridge lift.

I've had rc aircraft but got bored with them pretty quickly, gliding is much more fun and challenging IMO. I've also been involved with multirotors and FPV for the last five years and they certainly are fun with a pair of goggles. I find it alarming seeing so many people using them illegally in public places though.

In the last couple of months I became sort of obsessed with astrophotography so my models will probably collect dust for a while, I just joined this site and never thought my first post would be about something irrelevant to astronomy..

Have fun,
Shane
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Old 18-08-2018, 04:22 PM
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Welcome Shane and thanks for the run down.
Alex
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