Drone catching fool !!
- Thread starter Fdnyfish
- Start date
I guess now we should all carry a net as part of our equipment list! 
Not sure why anyone would fly into dense fog anyway, unless he was trying to get above it.
Not sure why anyone would fly into dense fog anyway, unless he was trying to get above it.
Wow...good catch. Although we don't see the plunge, the machine probably wasn't coming down at terminal velocity (free falling). Still, it was dropping pretty fast from the loss of lift due to blade icing, and that was a very nervy thing to do.
Nice looking machine and setup. Glad it could be saved and no one was injured.
PF
Nice looking machine and setup. Glad it could be saved and no one was injured.
PF
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Meluk said:
Props are airfoils and yes they will ice up if conditions are right. Usually begins near the hub and ices outward. since the props are providing all the lift a layer of ice can cause loss of lift to the point it comes down. Even worse case would be if all blades iced up and a single blade shed the ice suddenly. Now you got the descent along with a roll because the prop that shed the ice might have 50% more lift. All this is not to mention the likely vibrations have the potential to shake it apart. LOL
To be on the safe side you can figure that icing conditions exist if the temp and dew point are within 4° of one another and outside air temp is below 40° in the presence of visible moisture.
I wouldn't worry about it if you stay out of fog banks and clouds in cold weather. Going IFR with one of these things makes no sense unless you know you're just gonna bust through a thin layer.
That old boy made a good catch but just a little slip and they might be calling him "9 fingers" or worse.
Meluk said:
icing is real, however for it to happen in 30 seconds is not going to happen in the fog like that.
and yes if my $500 dollar toy was plummeting towards the ground right in front of my, I am going to catch it too. Those plastic blades are pretty easy to stop. Carbon Fiber might be a different story though.
Wow, I didn't realize icing was a problem at that low of altitudes. Without a doubt, I am not going to fly when it is that cold out.
Prop icing can indeed happen, although it's highly unlikely to occur that rapidly (or catastrophically) unless the temperature is very low, air temp and dew point are less than 2 degrees apart, and humidity is above 80-85%.
I fly regularly in sub zero temperatures, usually 50-70% relative humidity and have never experienced prop icing. If you're concerned about it, a very quick and easy fix is to apply a very light spray of Canola based cooking spray ( Pam is one example) on the blade surfaces shortly before flight. It should be wiped off after you're done for the day...it's somewhat messy and will eventually become rancid if you don't
Yes, it sounds silly, and yes, it does work and does not affect flight stability or lift performance, nor does it get flung off by the spinning prop nearly as quickly as you may think.
I fly regularly in sub zero temperatures, usually 50-70% relative humidity and have never experienced prop icing. If you're concerned about it, a very quick and easy fix is to apply a very light spray of Canola based cooking spray ( Pam is one example) on the blade surfaces shortly before flight. It should be wiped off after you're done for the day...it's somewhat messy and will eventually become rancid if you don't
Yes, it sounds silly, and yes, it does work and does not affect flight stability or lift performance, nor does it get flung off by the spinning prop nearly as quickly as you may think.
Wow.
You know, a big fishing net is not a bad idea. I just might have to add that to my safety bag!
You know, a big fishing net is not a bad idea. I just might have to add that to my safety bag!
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