New to the Phantom drone world. Just purchased a P4 Pro for my work as a National Parks Ranger. Huge range of applications for these machines in my work just by the small amount I've researched. Many hours to be spent gathering knowledge from this forum. Cheers
Gidday from Australia
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dirkclod
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msinger
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Cool- QLD is still pretty cruisy with drone restrictions and National Parks land. Things are a bit tricky in NSW. I think most of the rangers are pretty good but I almost got buckled once with the $330 on the spot fine.
Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Phantom Pilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in DJI quadcopter’s.
Enjoy the forum!
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Phantom Pilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in DJI quadcopter’s.
Enjoy the forum!
I used to live in Glass House Mountains, Queensland.Wonderful area for flying around there. Especially up the sides of the mountains and so close to the coast as well.
I now have returned to live on the south coast of the U.K.
Welcome to the forums and enjoy.
I used to live in Caboolture South near the Glasshouse until I moved to QLD 25 yrs ago.
How do you find the UK after QLD?
How do you find the UK after QLD?
I won’t ignore the obvious reply and talk about the weather. Yes, it’s a lot colder here, winter is on its way fast. As I’m disabled, and not particularly mobile, I actually find it a relief not to have had the fierce extreme heat of summer. It’s easier to put on some warmer clothes or the heating than it is to try and cool down. I do miss the warm though, and my solar power rebates, and it took a little while to remember that, unlike Queensland, the sun can be shining here yet it can still be freezing.
Local GP services have been more difficult to obtain, however the overall care given by the NHS is on a par with the Australian health system. Competely free prescriptions, and for more medications than PBS covered, have been a nice bonus. Food and clothes are a lot cheaper though petrol, car insurance and rego is twice the price of Aus. Combined with the equivalent of my disability pension being significantly less here than Aus, and with less additional concessions and support services, this results in much less ability to get out and about driving so that I can have fun with my photography and drone flying. And certainly no chance of saving up for track days in my car.
That being said, getting used to the sheer volume of traffic on the roads here, compared to the Sunshine Coast, has taken a little while again. Rush hours are generally between 06.00 and 10:00 then from 14:30 to 19:00. You just have to remember to think of journeys in terms of time rather than distance. Public transport here is better, especially the trains, when they are running on time, which are super fast.
Things I definitely love though,
- unlimited 350+ Mbps internet that is cheaper than my old limited 3 Mbps broadband, great for internet gaming etc.
- walkable shops that stay open after 7 p.m. and many supermarkets and dozens of fast food outlets that are cheaper and all deliver free.
- much cheaper pay TV and access to far more live sports on TV due to less time zone differences and also I found that Aus used to air significantly less non-Australian teams and sports, even through Foxtel. I can still pick up V8s and Aus rugby here which is great.
Anyway, as far as flying my P4P+ goes, there are some beautiful places to fly, however you have to be much more careful not to stray into restricted airspace as there are many small civil airports around the country, and especially in the south. There are also a lot more military, or government restricted areas that need to be avoided. For example I am not too far from Portsmouth Harbour, which is quite an historic old shipyard and naval base. It would be great to fly over however I am wary as I don’t know where the specific no fly zones are, and I also need to constantly remember that, as ships enter and leave the harbour and base, these zones will change constantly. I really don’t want to stray across something restricted and find my drone has been downed into the sea.
With a great deal more in the way of flight obstacles, many large electric pylons and far busier airwaves, combined with less available land to fly across (legally anyway) accurate and well thought out flight planning is a real necessity. Which is no bad thing as it ensures that the reputation of drone pilots being responsible is maintained.
There have been unfortunate incidents with the few idiots that continually ignore the regulations, including some aircraft collisions, that have been jumped on by the press and may well lead to increased certification and licensing requirements. It can be difficult here not to fly over the general public and privately owned property. The key thing is safety first always. This helps to ensure that no one gets hurt and that I always have an intact drone to take home afterwards.
I have found that I need to be far more accurate in my flying and, through specifically practicing more, this is increasing my level of flight skills.
All in all, I’m glad I returned as my main aim was to be back with family and friends here after a divorce. However as a proud Aussie, as well as a Brit, if the U.K. goes tits up after Brexit in March 2019 I may well be back to Glass House Mountains. Friends here are envious over me having two passports and dual citizenship.
Thanks for the great reply.
It sounds like there are for and againsts for both.
I know what you mean about the heat.
It's very humid in Yeppoon and there is a limit to how many clothes you can take off.
I have a drawer full of jumpers that hasn't been opened for years.
Last summer was a bad one and I've told the wife that if this one is the same I'm moving to Tasmania.
Traffic here is great to the extent that I find the Sunshine Coast traffic heavy.
Great to hear you're happy there but I'll keep my eye out for you just in case.
It sounds like there are for and againsts for both.
I know what you mean about the heat.
It's very humid in Yeppoon and there is a limit to how many clothes you can take off.
I have a drawer full of jumpers that hasn't been opened for years.
Last summer was a bad one and I've told the wife that if this one is the same I'm moving to Tasmania.
Traffic here is great to the extent that I find the Sunshine Coast traffic heavy.
Great to hear you're happy there but I'll keep my eye out for you just in case.
I should have also said, my ex-wife lives in Zilzie now, so small world!
She loves it up there. The cheaper properties and less traffic is a big pro. And she’s always coped with the heat a great deal better than I ever did.
