Tethered Flight

[Jean Tessmer Maui Hawaii]

Thank you for the update. I did ask FAA-"

• Are tethered drone flyers required to be commercial pilots or can they be hobby flyers?

Jean
Thank you for contacting the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Support Center.

The very short answer regarding tethered drone operations is that the FAA treat a small UAS (under 55 pounds) the same whether it is free flight or tethered. The distinction is that in tethered ops, the weight of the tether is factored into the weight of the UAS. So for example, if you have a 50 pound UAS which is using 10 pound tether, you are no longer under Part 107 since the total weight is now over 55 pounds.

SF

Please follow up with any further inquiries at [email protected]. Additional information is also available at https://www.faa.gov/uas/.

We appreciate your feedback. Please select: UAS Safety and Integration Division AUS-400.

 

[Weston Ney]

Hi all,

I'd love to share with you all a project we've been working on, it's a low cost tethered power system that can replace the battery on any small size quad or hex. We've been testing it on a DJI F450 and the F550 flamewheels so far and it should work on the Phantom 1 or 2 (not yet the 3, as they encrypt the battery signals but we're working on it). Basically we wanted to be able to do long time-lapse videos and just get a fixed bird's eye view on things without having to swap batteries every 20 mins.



The system is in 3 parts that all pack into a small briefcase:

1. The power box on the ground, which takes any of the usual power options; mains supply, car battery (deep cycle) or generator etc... and turns it into a high voltage output.

2. The high voltage cable, in order to keep it's weight to a minimum.

3. Finally the transformer system in the air which takes the high voltage and drops it down into the 15V for the motors. This is approximately the size of a 5000mah battery pack.



So far we've tested it to 50m with a gopro onboard, but it used much less power than we thought it might so it should be able to reach 100m. Slight delay now as we're just sourcing a more suitable cable as this one tangles really easily.

Anyway I'd love to know your thoughts, I know a tethered system isn't for every application, it's horses for courses. But if you're in the UK and want to have a play with it, do let me know. We're wondering about putting it on kickstarter... not sure, all comments welcome.

We've got some more photos etc... on our instagram page. @unmnd • Instagram photos and videos

Thanks
Ed

This sounds really cool! I would buy it for timelapses and things if it was 500 to 1000 dollars, but not 5000 dollars. With that kind of money I'd get an inspire 2. But I do understand at this point it is very hard and expensive to make this tether system. Great idea and good luck!

 

[SkyShotRocks]

This sounds really cool! I would buy it for timelapses and things if it was 500 to 1000 dollars, but not 5000 dollars. With that kind of money I'd get an inspire 2. But I do understand at this point it is very hard and expensive to make this tether system. Great idea and good luck!

Thank you... and have fun!

 

[Marcio Valerio]

One way to handle encrypted battery signals is to keep the original battery in the drone while tethering it. I think this was the solution used by Singapore lifeline drone and us aeromana. I think its is possible only for Phantom 4 pro and above,can anyone give more details?

 

[Marcio Valerio]

Lifeline drone uses a micro tether cable (microfilament with braided outer sheath).
Where can I buy this cable?