Radio Controlled Aircraft

[66788]

I have an electric glider with an HD video camera and downlink. The radio gear has a 30 mile range, 10 miles on the video downlink, but the limiting factor is the power battery. Only 4 mile range on that.

I've flown approximately 3,000 feet high using the video image to guide the craft.

Here's a vid cap from the HD camera:

 

[Patrick46]

Very Nice 66788!!

My father and I built RC airplanes back when I was a teenager. He built and spent tons of time building a gorgeous J3 Piper Cub, in large scale. Wadded that bad boy up BAD first time out.

 

[Zil]

Many years ago with a club. Lost lease on property, the old timers died, and it came to an end.
Just thinking, as they make new laws to regulate "Drones" will that effect model flying clubs or private hobbyist?

 

[66788]

Many years ago with a club. Lost lease on property, the old timers died, and it came to an end.
Just thinking, as they make new laws to regulate "Drones" will that effect model flying clubs or private hobbyist?

I'm sure that it will. That said, I don't care what the law says, if I feel that my conduct is ethical and not hurting anyone else, I'll do it in spite of the law.

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Very Nice 66788!!

My father and I built RC airplanes back when I was a teenager. He built and spent tons of time building a gorgeous J3 Piper Cub, in large scale. Wadded that bad boy up BAD first time out.

Been there and done that!

 

[ToyotaEscaper]

Nice I do fpv as well with a unique set up sorta. 70cm ham band for video feed. 6m ham band for the radio. 1:15 scale cessna 172

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Many years ago with a club. Lost lease on property, the old timers died, and it came to an end.
Just thinking, as they make new laws to regulate "Drones" will that effect model flying clubs or private hobbyist?

nah hobbyists dont follow the law all the time already. No momey for the government on nom commercial using individuals. Busy with more important things.

 

[MikeRuth]

Many years ago with a club. Lost lease on property, the old timers died, and it came to an end.
Just thinking, as they make new laws to regulate "Drones" will that effect model flying clubs or private hobbyist?

Yes it will affect the hobbyist. All though like 66788 said there will be the ones who don't give a whoot about laws.

There have been several issues with Hobby Drones now that has stired up the FAA and the AMA is trying it's best to get this settled.

If your a drone flyer please respect others around you and do it safely.

I've been in the RC hobby all my life and would hate to see more regulations.

 

[LeeRevell]

This 'drone' thing is getting blown far out of proportion. Hobbiest RC aircraft are NOT 'drones', anymore than the AR-15 sporting rifle is an "Assault Rifle". Similar in some respects, quite different in others. But laws are seldom made using common sense.

 

[Patrick46]

There's a very active RC club here in town very close to my place. They have a really nice little airstrip set-up. I see 'em there every weekend flying their planes and helicopters. It's amazing the level some of these local guys can fly at. I believe there's a local 'copter pilot who competes at a national level.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fnL9NemzV04" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[MikeRuth]

This 'drone' thing is getting blown far out of proportion. Hobbiest RC aircraft are NOT 'drones', anymore than the AR-15 sporting rifle is an "Assault Rifle". Similar in some respects, quite different in others. But laws are seldom made using common sense.

You don't think so? Maybe your right in a way but as a hobbyist, I can...
Put together a UAV(UnMannedVehivle) that I can fly away from launch point several miles if I wanted to, and well lets say deliver a serious payload!

With funding and again today's amazing equipment, I could also create and deliver a payload over 50 miles if not more.

Definition of a drone...an unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond line of sight:

Mike R

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Here is an example. this guy flew out 20 miles and 7000' AGL. And he made that trip pretty damn quick~!

 

[LeeRevell]

RC airplanes do remain under direct human control. I guess it's a matter of scale. I saw a lot of full size target drones at Tyndall AFB in my USAF days.
I have seen some Youtube videos of very realistic large RC models that are larger than the Firebee drones our Interceptors practiced with. You could put robotic gear and camerasinto a large bomber model and make a nice recon drone........

 

[ToyotaEscaper]

This 'drone' thing is getting blown far out of proportion. Hobbiest RC aircraft are NOT 'drones', anymore than the AR-15 sporting rifle is an "Assault Rifle". Similar in some respects, quite different in others. But laws are seldom made using common sense.

Yeah typical internet over dramatic ranting from kids on YouTube. Most people don't even care. I see people fly well above the 400 feet limit all the time. It's all just nothing.

 

[Baloo]

I fly rc helicopters, they don't take up much room, and are very fun to fly.

 

[66788]

I'm so old I can remember when a "drone" was a remote controlled plane that was used for target practice. They used to sell the motors surplus in the back pages of Popular Mechanics.

Guy

Those McCullogh 4 cylinder air cooled drone motors were great performers in the Benson Gyrocopter. I built one of those in 1982 and flew it all over Northern California.

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Yeah typical internet over dramatic ranting from kids on YouTube. Most people don't even care. I see people fly well above the 400 feet limit all the time. It's all just nothing.

Last flight with my Radian glider was at 2,600 feet. Guys get them up over 10,000 feet using FPV.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

ToyotaEscaper - I disagree. Not only is your remark inherently marginalizing, it's also not true. I cared about this issue quite a lot.

A few years ago I was excited about one day flying FPV multi-rotors and wanted to start a small business. I got a quadcopter and a go-pro thinking that with hard work and some luck I could make it. I even knew a realtor who agreed to hire me to develop virtual property demos. I was only beginning to look into vandwelling at that time and saw an opportunity to blend this lifestyle with my future small business.

Then I heard rumblings about restrictive legislation. I knew the gov't would pass laws against this tech because it's incredibly disruptive. All the while, Hollywood would lobby for protections so they can make movies cheaper and defence contractors would land massive contracts with domestic LE. It was just a matter of time before their bureaucratic mechanisms caught up with me and my quad.

I'm not saying the FCC's anti-entrepreneurial actions were the sole reason I gave up on my dream, just that it was a major determining factor.

My quad is currently in several pieces in a box in a basement.

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Also, I fully agree with what MikeRuth said.

 

[Seraphim]

It was just ruled that drones fall under the FAAs definition of aircraft, and therefore fall under the FAAs jurisdiction. The ruling supported a $10,000 fine levied against an individual using a drone of the type easily purchased by private citizens. Looking at the FAA's definition of 'aircraft', RC planes meet the bill, also.

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http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...late-small-drones-ntsb-reverses-judges-ruling

 

[Baloo]

Went and did a little flying today, it was nice, but a little breezy for my small aircraft. They take up hardly any space in the ambo, so I don't mind the twitchy behavior.

 

[LeeRevell]

The last time I indulged in RC planes was in my USAF days, the late 70's. At Chanute AFB in Illinois, we had our tech school on that old bomber base, but the bombers were long gone. We had all that runway space to play with! RC and control line aircraft, and even RC cars. Heaven. Except the winds could get wicked at times. The local hobby shop in Rantoul, ill. did a bang-up business with the Airforce guys.
Sadly, Chanute was finally given the axe in the base closure program. It was fun while it lasted. Of course, the technology of what we had is primitive compared to that of today's RC hobby. Thirty plus years makes a real difference!

 

[MikeRuth]

Lee you have no idea what your missing now with the advancements made in electric propulsion, 2.4Ghz computer radio systems etc.
This has been my hobby since I was knee high to my dad. going on 49 years of it and will never stop.

Planes, choppers, boats, cars and anything else that could be remotely controlled.

There are some AMAZING small ready to fly aircraft out there that's easy to carry these days. In fact I have had more fun with a couple of planes that are less than a hundred bucks than just about anything. Truly AMAZING.

Mike R

 

[ZoNiE]

The Drone camp probably needs to take a page from the High Power Rocketry (HPR) camp and work with the FAA to identify areas to fly and get Altitude Waivers. We do just that in Rocketry. Some sites have 50K ft MSL waivers. We make do with 5K and 10K. For HPR, that is marginal, but for Drones, way more than you need.

 

[jimindenver]

I was into Rc airplanes for 15 years and was a instructor for most of them. I took a break about ten years ago to get deeper into photography and just never went back. So my basement is full of planes, kits and out dated radios. Sato's and Supretigers were my favorite power plants, the largest a 3 ci twin sato for a giant Pitts I was working on when I took the break. I have a number of ten foot kits waiting for me when I do go back, I know the Beaver was big enough that my head fit in the cabin and I could look through the wind shield. That plane could easily handle a 20 lb payload. I also loved my funflys and a delta wing that could hit 200 mph with a piped ST 46.

Lately I have been waiting to see what will happen with the hobby before I get back into it. Replacing the radios will be no small sum of cash, I want to make sure I can still fly after I do.