Frank's Story

Frankc, how did you get on with the bag you purchased on Amazon? I'm struggling to find a decent one in the UK that doesn't need a second mortgage!!
 
that back pack looks quite good, i have the type 61 hard case but its too heavy to lug about when walking, might get one of these at that price.. thanks for the link..
 
Frankc, how did you get on with the bag you purchased on Amazon? I'm struggling to find a decent one in the UK that doesn't need a second mortgage!!
Very well indeed. The only snag was when I first got the bag it was basically a square hollow box shape with nothing in it. However there were lots of "sections" to put in place. The box is the smooth negative of the velcro and each of the section edges has the other side of the velcro. I simply divided the 'box' into three. Middle section is the phantom. The top bit is for the controller. The back bit I stick the tablet. One of the smaller sections I attached to the side and my props go in there, just slide in or pop the velcro top open. Sounds complicated but it is really simple. I can have the machine either up and running or dismantled in less than a min.

Easy to carry. Actually made very well. Certainly well padded. Room for my camera and lots of room for other stuff I might want to carry. If you need it for anything else it comes to bits in seconds and you can re-configure it how you want it. Even better it does not attract any attention.

Got myself into a routine now. I unzip the bag. Slip in the battery and switch it on. Re-zip the bag. Take a walk to my flying spot. Remove the tablet and switch that on. Connect to controller. Controller on. Put the props on the Heli. By the time I have done all that the heli has warmed up. The controller has connected and I am ready to fly. ;)
 
How does one delete a post???? :)

Found it! Seems on Android that you need to be in LANDSCAPE then select the post and a screwdriver and wrench icon appears. If vertical that icon doesn't show for me.
 
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Believe it or not this is the effect I am after. My plan is to set up the heli well in front. Drive towards it so you undertake it the swing the camera around to follow from behind. Its a question of controlling the heli gimbal and rotational controls at the same time driving a car. I will do it, on an empty private estate, but it will take practice.

Good video btw. :)
 
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Ok. Had a play with the video settings. Set them to 20 fps. Very dismal and dank morning. Frost on the ground. But I went flying anyway. Right at the end I did a bit of low flying just for practice. After 10 mins of doing that I cleaned the lens and took the video you see. Ok only a few seconds but it will give you a taster of what I have been upto. Enjoy :)


View attachment 41164

Loved the low flying part...
 
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Sun shining today. First brilliantly sunny day for ages. The only snag was it was very very windy. Perhaps too windy.

So ensuring this time I had the SD card in and record pressed I took off heading for the nearby hill to see if I could crest it with the heli. Take off not too bad but you will see from the video I will post when its finished uploading the craft shook quite a lot fighting the wind pushing it sidewards. Of course the higher I flew the stronger the wind. Eventually I got over the top of the hill. Lovely views from up there. But I was having trouble controlling it. Somehow in this struggle the heli had turned around and I had not noticed. It was flying to my left when I thought it was flying to my right. So not to push my luck I decided to head for home. The stick pushed fully forward to head for home but it was hardly moving. It looked almost like it was hovering. In the video you can see the props tilted down as it tried to make its way forward. The landscape in the camera hardly moving. I was getting nowhere. Something was not right.

I kept this up for a min or two. Felt like hours. Would this be a fly away situation the batteries dying before I got it back? My little drone crashing downwards blown away by the wind? I thought for a while. I flew against the wind going so I should have the wind behind it when I came back. In other words it should fly back easier than when it went, that was my theory when I took off. Something was not right. So against my instinct I pressed the RTH button. Trusting my instruments more than my perceptions. I was right to do so. It turned and approached from a direction I was not expecting. Quickly I had it hovering over my head. I did a few local practice runs in the wind then decided to call it a day. Just in time literally as the copter landed in my hand the Low Battery alarm went off. One bar left. Close call.

 
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I was watching it when it said on screen you were going full throttle heading home thinking, that's the wrong way as you were heading into the forest.

It all worked out in the end. Thanks for posting the video.
 
There are forests all around and one lower down in the direction I thought I was going. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but when your trying to keep a look out for the heli, concentrate on the screen. Trying to work out exactly where it is its not easy. I knew the forest did not look right somehow but I was convinced I was somewhere else. Thats why I pushed the RTH. I can recall stories of pilots of real planes just not believing in their instruments and getting into trouble. The RTH came in very useful.

Glad you liked the video.
 
I was watching it when it said on screen you were going full throttle heading home thinking, that's the wrong way as you were heading into the forest.

It all worked out in the end. Thanks for posting the video.

If you look in the video at 3:15 you will see the woods below. That is where I thought I was heading. They were to the right.

Wrong direction.jpg
 
Thank for the story Frank. Excellent and hilarious good read. Did you get Follow me to work?


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