Heh. Thanks for the links. The best source and lobbying group for model airplane regs is still the AMA ( http://www.modelaircraft.org/ ), which I have been a member of off-and-on for a whiles. If you want to fly model aircraft at a regular field (like SMRCF at Stone Mountain, or NASA off Peachtree Industirial Boulevard near Duluth), an AMA membership is mandatory. I've kind of been 'round the model airplane thing a couple of times ( and wrecked my share of $150 airplanes ) but always been stymied by the resources involved. Plus, it's nigh-impossible to pay anyone to teach you to fly a model airplane in the Atlanta area, and if you don't have money as leverage, it's really hard to get anyone to invest much time in helping you become a capable pilot. What's exciting about this generation of quadcopters is that I can wrassle them in the quiet of my own home, without risking a lot of money or a bad accident.
As for security, as long as I have line-of-sight, I'm not too worried. The Hubsan X4 comes in a camera configuration (H107C) which writes to an SD card. That one has significantly longer charge times and shorter flight times, of course. Still, it's only $100, and I believe the rotors interchange. Once I get proficient, that might look interesting. The range on the H107L transmitter is supposed to be, like, 30 meters, which for a palm-sized arcraft and a 56 year old buy is probably beyond safe line of sight. -- CHS On Mon, Oct 13, 2014 at 11:18 AM, Ron Frazier (TECHC) < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Keith, > > Your loitering is legal, right? 8-) > > If you want something that can loiter, consider a balloon / blimp based > aircraft or a solar powered wing. With the right kind of automation and > fair weather, loiter time can be all day or even days. However, you still > need a good propulsion system, particularly on the blimp, to keep the wind > from carrying it away. > > According to Darrin on HAK5, the FAA is considering categorizing all > aircraft that you don't have continuous VISUAL control over as REGULAR > AIRCRAFT (or something like that), which would subject them to all sorts of > new regulations. > > Also, the legal domain for privately owned autonomous aircraft is very > murky and undefined, since, in the past, it was impossible for a private > individual to afford such things. > > I'm pretty sure that model aircraft have to stay below 400 feet, at least > in certain areas, to avoid commercial airspace. > > Sincerely, > > Ron > > > > "Watson, Keith" <[email protected]> wrote: > > >I haven't done anything yet but I have an ongoing aerial surveillance > >project. The biggest problem I have with the quadrotors is the short > >loiter time. Fixed wing gives a much longer loiter time for the same > >battery. > > > >For indoor flight the quadrotor is the only way to go. > > > >To make fixed wing effective I would need a stabilized camera gimbal > >and control software that will allow an autonomous figure-eight hold > >pattern over the target. > > > >Auto-stabilized camera mount 2.0: better, cheaper, faster! > >http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/705844:BlogPost:2525 > > > >Autonomous flight control software > >http://wiki.paparazziuav.org/ > >http://ardupilot.com/ > > > >Also R/C radios have a limited range (about 1/4 mile at best) so for > >longer range control and live video feed you would need to use the > >amateur radio bands (finally a good reason to get a license). > > > >Currently the security for drones is non-existent so hijacking a drone > >is very easy. > > > >When Drones attack. Triathlete discovers the hazards of drones in > >public spaces > > > http://theconversation.com/when-drones-attack-triathlete-discovers-the-hazards-of-drones-in-public-spaces-25341 > > > >http://preview.tinyurl.com/olt4a6s > > > > > >keith > > > >-- > > > >Keith R. Watson Georgia Institute of Technology > >IT Support Professional Lead College of Computing > >[email protected] 801 Atlantic Drive NW > >(404) 385-7401 Atlanta, GA 30332-0280 > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: [email protected] [mailto:tech-chat- > >> [email protected]] On Behalf Of Charles Shapiro > >> Sent: Monday, October 13, 2014 10:14 > >> To: Tech Chat > >> Subject: [tech-chat] Quadcopter! > >> > >> Bought a Hubsan X4 H107L from Amazon for, like, $40 ( > >> http://www.hubsan.com/products/HELICOPTER/H107L.htm ) with a "Crash > >Kit" > >> consisting of a whole slew of replacement parts for another $20 or > >so. > >> > >> Flight time is about 10 minutes for a 30 minute charge. I have 2 > >> batteries. So far I've had about 4 sessions with it. Flying R/C is > >way > >> harder than sitting in an aircraft. But the > >> machine is small and slow enough to fly indoors, and I've had a lot > >of fun > >> running it into walls, floors and furniture. > >> > >> > >> Anyone else done anything with R/C flight? > >> > >> > >> -- CHS > >> > > > >_______________________________________________ > >tech-chat mailing list > >[email protected] > >http://lists.linuxmoose.com/mailman/listinfo/tech-chat > > > -- > > Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9 Mail. > Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen. > > (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to > call on the phone or send again. I don't always see new email messages > very quickly.) > > Ron Frazier > 770-205-9422 (O) Leave a message. > linuxdude AT techstarship.com - blog - techstarship.com > Blog RSS: techstarship.com/feed/ > > _______________________________________________ > tech-chat mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.linuxmoose.com/mailman/listinfo/tech-chat >
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