Does Anyone Here Fly Drones??

[mac_man_luke]

think its technically legal to fly over but if you are standing in your yard they have to be 30m away (horizontally, not vertically) from any person

[creative]

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

think its technically legal to fly over but if you are standing in your yard they have to be 30m away (horizontally, not vertically) from any person

nope... casa's simple info page

You must not fly over or above people. This could include festivals, sporting ovals, populated beaches, parks, busy roads and footpaths.

This is half the reason the hobby is villified. Whilst it may seem safe, technically its not allowed, nether is what I do with fpv for that matter and then you have people say they will shoot it down if it ever flys over my house.. which again whilst its illegal, you have no control over what does and doesnt fly over your property.

[Ratmick]

Originally Posted by creative

nope... casa's simple info page

This is half the reason the hobby is villified. Whilst it may seem safe, technically its not allowed, nether is what I do with fpv for that matter and then you have people say they will shoot it down if it ever flys over my house.. which again whilst its illegal, you have no control over what does and doesnt fly over your property.

I advise people to watch the YouTube footage from the States as it's full on and there's a lot of it BUT don't think you'll get away with that stuff here

Really you'd be going to shoot a 5" quad, they're tiny and they move really quickly. You'd need a shotgun and you'd need the drone close and stationary...and when is this going to happen?

Plus shooting a drone in a built-up area is more dangerous than a drone in a built-up area and you'd go a row of brick ones

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

think its technically legal to fly over but if you are standing in your yard they have to be 30m away (horizontally, not vertically) from any person

This is actually incorrect, and I get my information straight from the mouth of CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority).

[Ratmick]

Drone back together, but not tested apart from a static tether to Betaflight.

Found a seller of a Runcam3 on eBay, snaffled that for $75 and that will do for the flight recording.

Relocated the 'I am lost' buzzer I mounted on the action cam platform to underneath the platform on the bottom plate...the fun never ends

[BPXR6T]

Originally Posted by Ratmick

Drone back together, but not tested apart from a static tether to Betaflight.

Found a seller of a Runcam3 on eBay, snaffled that for $75 and that will do for the flight recording.

Relocated the 'I am lost' buzzer I mounted on the action cam platform to underneath the platform on the bottom plate...the fun never ends

I think I need one of those 'I am lost' buzzers. I lost my drone in the canola fields surrounding my house last week. Took many many many hours to find it.

[Ratmick]

My eBay new old Runcam3 came today.

The thing is brand-spanking new, never used and still had the plastic protective cover on both ends. Not only that it came in its original box, with the original cable, plus two replacement Gorilla Glass lens covers, plus two TPU sleeve mounts, plus a unopened bag of Velcro straps

AND as a last bonus the previous owner had left a 32Gb microSD card in it

The only thing it didn't have was the manual...but that's online anyway.

[creative]

lol... good score there fella. Install the runcam app on your phone to set it up.

just ask if you need to open it up, i am very familiar with taking them apart.

[Ratmick]

Had my drone up for its maiden 'flight' on the weekend, which mainly consisted of me taking off and hitting something shortly afterwards.

Reckon I found every tree in the garden, at least once, and nearly the fence and myself.

Embedded the thing in a gorse bush at one point.

The physics on the simulator don't have an accurate representation of gravity, you throttle off on FPV Freerider and the quad gently descends in a semi-floaty manner.

Throttle off in the real world and the quad drops like a stone.

Also found that one of my props was loose, that wouldn't have helped the handling any

...need a larger piece of land, no wind and some patience.

[creative]

Haha... yep, we have all been there!

Heres my last video after a month of not flying... I was a bit rusty but didnt break to much here this time.

https://www.airvuz.com/video/Back-at...f44626d61e96ee

[creative]

lol... the usual response from the AP field... Just because the return to home has work upto now... whats to say it will continue to. ( read up on why the Karma was discontinued as well, hell even your $2k inspire likes to return to china)

You must not fly over or above people. This could include festivals, sporting ovals, populated beaches, parks, busy roads and footpaths.
You must not operate your drone in a way that creates a hazard to another aircraft, person, or property
You must not operate your drone in prohibited or restricted areas.

This above 100%

I cringe watching videos when flying over crowds because all it takes is 1 failure and its down.... but its ok, my rth hasnt failed me yet!

I am all for bending the rules a little when flying, I mean we have to to fly fpv etc and so long as its done in a safe way but this is why I wont fly over people full stop as I consider the risk to be too high.

And yes, Casa do follow up on videos, one of the main guys, Chad Nowak, has been in trouble with CASA over a video he posted which included flying over people )...

but the biggest issue is with how the media portrays the hobby and will use any excuse to bad mouth it ( plastic bag anyone!) which results in the mis-information that we are all indeed peeping toms with nothing better to do than spy on your wife... leading to just like PB's comment.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by creative

lol... the usual response from the AP field... Just because the return to home has work upto now... whats to say it will continue to. ( read up on why the Karma was discontinued as well, hell even your $2k inspire likes to return to china)

I cringe watching videos when flying over crowds because all it takes is 1 failure and its down.... but its ok, my rth hasnt failed me yet!

You are basing your comment of a few isolated incidents, are you as concerned about the brakes in your car failing or planes and helicopters falling out of the sky?? All of those are rare isolated events which have killed many more people than persons flying recreational drones.

Personally I do not fly over crowds but personally I can't see a problem with the above video that was posted up, it was well done and edited and captured some great shots, amateur film making at it's best IMO.

A lot of drone failures are operator error, ie not having your GPS calibrated or your home location set correctly.

[Ratmick]

Ok I think we're done here.

I might start my own drone thread.

[PG2]

OK everyone, that is enough.

I'm gonna make a new rule for this thread...

You can talk about drones themselves (features, cost, weight, size etc) but I don't want to see any further discussion about where and when they can fly.

Also, no more posting up of footage - it creates too many arguments.

Ignore this post at your own peril.

[CyberWasp]

There is another side to this hobby that is cost effective and just as fun, where you can't damage people or property and can enjoy FPV inside or out.

Somebody had to bring the Tiny Whoop to this thread.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

There is another side to this hobby that is cost effective and just as fun, where you can't damage people or property and can enjoy FPV inside or out.

Somebody had to bring the Tiny Whoop to this thread.

image

I have a mini indoor drone as well, great fun, Last fathers day I got the Tello as a present, seems to be a great little drone for the $$ and heaps of fun to fly.

And also gives you plenty of practice flying in a small space.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Think I may have posted these before, but here we go anyway.

Here is when I first got it:

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

I found some amazing drone work on Youtube - 1:22 onwards

Looks like it's a poor quality drone (poor picture quality and poor flying stability) obviously flown by someone with no idea.

[Franco Cozzo]

I found some amazing drone work on Youtube - 1:22 onwards




















































































































































POW! RIGHT IN THE KISSER!

[CyberWasp]

Just to expand on the the Tiny Whoop class of quads / clones.
Like all things the technology is moving at 100 miles an hour.
People customize them as much as cars. They are getting better and faster.
You can start with a basic non camera model with controller for around $30.00.
I would recommend a Boldclash B03 with altitude hold for an absolute beginner.
There is a Pro version which would be the next step up without altitude hold.
You can add a camera to the pro version and get goggles ect to FPV
There are faster ones after that when you get really good.

Here is a random example of indoor flying a B03Pro with out having to worry about people or property.
There are not many hobbies you can do whilst sitting in your favorite chair.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9zUmBtV-M

[Captain Stubing]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Just to expand on the the Tiny Whoop class of quads / clones.

Like all things the technology is moving at 100 miles an hour.

People customize them as much as cars. They are getting better and faster.

You can start with a basic non camera model with controller for around $30.00.

I would recommend a Boldclash B03 with altitude hold for an absolute beginner.

There is a Pro version which would be the next step up without altitude hold.

You can add a camera to the pro version and get goggles ect to FPV

There are faster ones after that when you get really good.



Here is a random example of indoor flying a B03Pro with out having to worry about people or property.

There are not many hobbies you can do whilst sitting in your favorite chair.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9zUmBtV-M

Tiny Whoops are in no way addictive... not one bit. I think I have three more of these waiting on new parts.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Been a while.

I am now a CASA licensed commercial drone pilot, time to start making some $$.

Updated and registered all my drones last night, had some meetings with two local drone photographers, good to go....

[roddy1960]

Well................... A few weeks ago I bought a compact mini drone on the Thursday . On the Friday night I charged it up and on a slightly drizzley Saturday morning I flew it in the house with reasonable control . Later on I took it outside and went to fly it up the yard . It started not responding and flew over the house roof and down over the highway

. By the time I got through the gate to see where it headed it was gone . I spent a sopping hour or more looking for it with no luck . Semi expensive lesson hard learned ($69) to set up it properly and maybe take it to the footy oval or somewhere similar to get a feel for it .

I do have another one that is a hardware store purchase from a year or two ago but it's a hard one to land with very narrow legs . I misplaced some stuff from it and never had a good go with it and thought the mini drone might be easier to learn with . Nup ...

Without spending a bit too much coin for a better unit it might be a little while before I get another but we'll see ..

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

Well................... A few weeks ago I bought a compact mini drone on the Thursday . On the Friday night I charged it up and on a slightly drizzley Saturday morning I flew it in the house with reasonable control . Later on I took it outside and went to fly it up the yard . It started not responding and flew over the house roof and down over the highway

. By the time I got through the gate to see where it headed it was gone . I spent a sopping hour or more looking for it with no luck . Semi expensive lesson hard learned ($69) to set up it properly and maybe take it to the footy oval or somewhere similar to get a feel for it .

I do have another one that is a hardware store purchase from a year or two ago but it's a hard one to land with very narrow legs . I misplaced some stuff from it and never had a good go with it and thought the mini drone might be easier to learn with . Nup ...

Without spending a bit too much coin for a better unit it might be a little while before I get another but we'll see ..

A $69 drone would be almost impossible to control, I started with a $79 and it was the hardest thing to fly in the world.

Unfortunately it's a matter of, you get what you pay for, if you want to fly and take some nice photos or video look at something like a DJI spark as a starter level. Fairly good video and photos and easy to control, very stable and easily able to fly higher and further than what most people feel comfortable with.

If you want a racing drone or similar I am out, as I know nothing about them. but others here seem to know a lot.

If you just want to just have some fun flying around the house or back yard consider a Tello, and controller, which can be bought cheaply, seen a heap at Harvey Norman today, I have one just for fun.

[Captain Stubing]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

Well................... A few weeks ago I bought a compact mini drone on the Thursday . On the Friday night I charged it up and on a slightly drizzley Saturday morning I flew it in the house with reasonable control . Later on I took it outside and went to fly it up the yard . It started not responding and flew over the house roof and down over the highway

. By the time I got through the gate to see where it headed it was gone . I spent a sopping hour or more looking for it with no luck . Semi expensive lesson hard learned ($69) to set up it properly and maybe take it to the footy oval or somewhere similar to get a feel for it .

I do have another one that is a hardware store purchase from a year or two ago but it's a hard one to land with very narrow legs . I misplaced some stuff from it and never had a good go with it and thought the mini drone might be easier to learn with . Nup ...

Without spending a bit too much coin for a better unit it might be a little while before I get another but we'll see ..

I have installed beepers on mine, so if I have a moment and crash it starts beeping, making it easier to find. This is almost essential, especially when flying using FPV goggles, and you know it was, "Somewhere over there..."

With the cheaper units, you have to look at whether the transmitter is using Bluetooth, which has limited range outdoors, or a 2.4ghz system which has a larger range.

[creative]

Agree with swanny but once we see likes of amazon rolling out their delivery service (Such as their project wings in canberra) this slice of airspace becomes very valuable and hobbiest arent welcome... that much is becoming clear.

The hobby is going to get regulated into the ground in my opinion. some of the rules and regulations being put into place by the regulatories, underhand tactics by pilot associations, the media portrayal of 'drones' is all negative, designed to vilify the hobby to make passing rules and regulations easier.

Licensing and registration doesnt work.. it was proven in america but that didnt change them from pushing it back through despite the facts, despite the fact there has been no recorded death or accident due to drones. Why wont the UK government release their findings from a few years ago, thats right, because it doesnt show the negative outcome they wanted. All research and information that proves the hobby isnt a danger to aircraft ect is never acknowledged but the unrealistic, flawed research is treated as gospel and rolled out through the media... just look at this very thread and Gatwick.... no proof yet it has caused major proposed changes in the uk regarding regulations etc.

Its a joke tbh.

The future of quads is going to be the 3inch and below versions but I may just of given up by then.... Im already losing interest due to the amount of restrictions being in place and the public opinion of what we do, it just makes it a hassle to go out and fly in peace.

[Ratmick]

Originally Posted by creative

Agree with swanny but once we see likes of amazon rolling out their delivery service (Such as their project wings in canberra) this slice of airspace becomes very valuable and hobbiest arent welcome... that much is becoming clear.

The hobby is going to get regulated into the ground in my opinion. some of the rules and regulations being put into place by the regulatories, underhand tactics by pilot associations, the media portrayal of 'drones' is all negative, designed to vilify the hobby to make passing rules and regulations easier.

Licensing and registration doesnt work.. it was proven in america but that didnt change them from pushing it back through despite the facts, despite the fact there has been no recorded death or accident due to drones. Why wont the UK government release their findings from a few years ago, thats right, because it doesnt show the negative outcome they wanted. All research and information that proves the hobby isnt a danger to aircraft ect is never acknowledged but the unrealistic, flawed research is treated as gospel and rolled out through the media... just look at this very thread and Gatwick.... no proof yet it has caused major proposed changes in the uk regarding regulations etc.

Its a joke tbh.

The future of quads is going to be the 3inch and below versions but I may just of given up by then.... Im already losing interest due to the amount of restrictions being in place and the public opinion of what we do, it just makes it a hassle to go out and fly in peace.

I have several thoughts on this matter, and you're right it's a joke.

Firstly the people that are planning nefarious deeds with drones are not going to go and get them registered beforehand. Following this logic all criminals are registered gun owners and all illicit firearms are registered...right?

Secondly 'real' aviation hobbyist clubs flying fixed-wing and/or (heavens forbid) replica helicopters want nothing to do with drone flyers. They don't even give you the courtesy of a reply to your emails. Drone-only clubs are few and far between and given the size of Australia this is the way it's always going to be. However every single argument that is currently levelled against illicit drone ownership with the ability to take photos and be a tool in a criminal's toolbox can also be levelled at those flying fixed wing with a FPV or HD video camera, a lot of which can be launched by hand. In this case these Clubs may want to take a long hard look at themselves as sure as eggs they are next...once people realise fixed wing aircraft can carry cameras and are much quieter than a drone.

Thirdly delivery by drone is...a gimmick and does nothing for the hobby at all, all it does is pee the people off that are easily peed off even more. These are the people that whinge in the media and bleat about privacy, theft, the approaching drone Armageddon and PTSD caused by drone noises. These are probably also the same people that bleat and whinge about wind farm generators and would prefer good-old coal powered power stations...in someone else's backyard.

Fourthly, and most importantly, people as a group are fundamentally and irredeemably stupid (I blame social media among other things). If they don't like the thought of something, if they don't understand something, if they don't like the look/sound/feel of something it must be bad, or evil, and therefore must be stopped or eradicated or legislated out of existence using any conceivable excuse or reasoning available, no matter how idiotic it sounds.

...this last one goes both ways, there's an equally stupid group of drone users that buy drones and do the wrong thing and then post the evidence on YouTube.

FWIW anyone advocating the shooting down of a drone is an absolute idiot and should immediately surrender both their gun license and all their firearms.

You should check out Canada's drone laws, they're worse than ours...

...still trying to work out how they are going to register a pile of bits I have assembled myself. Apparently in Canada you need to log an event every time you change something.

[creative]

Originally Posted by Ratmick

<ranty snip>

agree 100% but didnt want to type that much. lol

perfect example of media spin here in the latest "drone incident"

https://www.news-daily.com/features/...6b038df36.html

This article was brought to the attention to the groups by a supposed pilot ( I suspect its a troll account though) with the title " first death due to drone"

It is this kind of crappy reporting and scare mongering that is killing this hobby but glad to see some common sense responses in the comments ( at least this outlet allows you to comment on the article because alot of main stream stuff dont, so you cant even argue them... probably because they would be found out to be all lies )

Then you get tactics rolled out that good old bruce combats in one of his rants by people with a vested interest in aviation...

[Ratmick]

Originally Posted by creative

agree 100% but didnt want to type that much. lol

perfect example of media spin here in the latest "drone incident"

https://www.news-daily.com/features/...6b038df36.html

This article was brought to the attention to the groups by a supposed pilot ( I suspect its a troll account though) with the title " first death due to drone"

It is this kind of crappy reporting and scare mongering that is killing this hobby but glad to see some common sense responses in the comments ( at least this outlet allows you to comment on the article because alot of main stream stuff dont, so you cant even argue them... probably because they would be found out to be all lies )

Then you get tactics rolled out that good old bruce combats in one of his rants by people with a vested interest in aviation...

Both interesting links

The first one is interesting given the guy was electrocuted doing something fundamentally stupid and the drone was not the cause...idiots.

The guy in the NZ video looks a bit like Swanny

The issue is that there are always going to be small groups of especially stupid people, whether it be drone users, cyclists, motorcyclists, motorists, sporting shooters, archers, anglers or whatever that are going to flaunt or ignore the rules or the law.

They do something stupid and it ends up on the news, or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram or whatever.

The reaction by the uninformed now-outraged ignorant public is to legislate or ban.

"Let's have registration for cyclists!"
"No private gun ownership!"
"Make drones illegal"!

...as if making something illegal/more constrained somehow magically cures stupidity.

...the media gets on board with a new whipping boy.

...the pollies try and pander to the loony fringe in their electorates and start legislating stuff they have nfi about and wouldn't know if it bit them on the behind.

...you get idiots like Alan Jones putting his uninformed biased 2c in and even stupider politicians acting on his diatribe as they're scared of his old-age pensioner demographic (who spend most of their days shouting at clouds).

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by creative

agree 100% but didnt want to type that much. lol

perfect example of media spin here in the latest "drone incident"

https://www.news-daily.com/features/...6b038df36.html

This article was brought to the attention to the groups by a supposed pilot ( I suspect its a troll account though) with the title " first death due to drone"

Not a drone incident, it's natural selection at work, people like him should probably not be reproducing.