Anyone into RC planes?

[TSPenguin]

Many times, even in HD.
Just search YouTube for "rc plane camera".

 

[Sky Captain]

I think you misunderstood me. I had in my mind a system that transfers a live video to laptop or TV set on ground while the plane is flying to allow a first person view like a military UAV.

 

[TSPenguin]

And I meant the same thing. Some of those are live feeds, some are not. There are commercial sets available suitable for use in RC planes.

 

[Sky Captain]

Now that`s cool, I imagine getting a real time view while flying from your rc plane is a closest thing to actually being inside and flying a full size plane.

 

[guitarist473]

you mean somthing like this:
http://www.flycamone.com/

 

[Sky Captain]

Did some googling and found exactly what I had in my mind.

http://www.rcdon.com/html/wireless_video_for_rc_aircraft.html

 

[RisingFury]

dont think i will get that plane actually, i was thinking more of somthing like...
http://www.allelectricrc.co.uk/lockheed-c-130-hercules-artf-scale-820-p.asp

4 engines? 13 servos? You do realize that the 300 pounds gets you the plane only and not the servos and engines, right?

If you're going for nitro stroke engines, put in another... 150 for each engine and since the servos have to be a hell of a lot more powerful, put in another 30 to 40 pounds for each servo (look at the picture, under the wings and in front of the elevator to see how big those servos are).

If you're going for electric engines, the price might be even higher, given that you need 4 speed controls and 4 batteries...

Throw in other bits and pieces like fuel tanks, starter motors, propellers, fuel pumps... you're talking 2000 pounds here dude... sure you wanna do that?

Not to mention crashing that...

I'm not trying to be an butthole here, but I strongly advise you to stick to a one engine nitro model, something between 150 and 200 cm wingspan, that's not too wild.

SU-31 is a real nice model for to learn 3D flight. It's advanced enough that you won't overgrow it instantly and it's not advanced enough that you'll crash it instantly. Roll rate is pretty high - we're talking about one revolution per second, or nearly so, but it's a bit difficult to hover and torque roll.

Giles 202 is a bit more advanced 3D plane, but still forgiving enough to fly it from the start, assuming you master your trainer. It's very easy to hover and torque roll because it's CG is way back. It also has a very high roll and pitch rate and allows for some breathtaking point-stop maneuvers.

Make sure to take it easy from the beginning with smaller throws or the maveuverability with overwhelm you.

As far as price goes... deppending on the weight of the planes, you're gonna need a 35 ccm petrol engine or a 25 ccm nitro, if you make it light, but the price will probably be below 400 pounds.


If you're going for sail planes then:

DG-808 is a good thermal glider and allows some acrobatics. DG-1000 is simiar, more acrobatic, but slightly less gliding.

A Ventus is a pretty good starting glider, can do pretty much anything you like... slope soaring, thermal gliding or acrobatics. You can get one of those for 200 pounds...


You could also go for something similar, with an electric motor and a folding propeller, so you don't need your dad acting as a tow plane any time you need to get some altitude...

Here's a version of Ventus with a small EDF on the top.

anyway heres my vid:
YouTube- ultrafly tutor 32e - 14/02/10
thanks

Nice vid! Too bad there's no sound though.

Overall a pretty nice flight. The only thing I have to advise you against is hovering on the wind. My friend smashed his plane up when the wind stopped and his plane plowed into the ground...

I`m wondering has anyone put a camera hooked to transmitter on a rc plane to get a live video feed from flying plane?

FlyCamOne3 has the ability to record video to memory and transmit it over 2.4 GHz to a pair of sun glasses. The image appears inside the sun glasses. It has a range of about 300 meters. The image quality is slightly lower then the recorded version, but it's good enough to fly.

This video features a very nice electric glider with a folding prop and a test of the FlyCamOne3. 1:40 into the video, the live feed and recorded video are synced side by side for a comparison.

 

[guitarist473]

yeah, i was thinking in a couple of years tho
at at the vid, i was doing it on purpose, it wasnt the wind, i was trying to prop hang.
thanks for your comments

 

[Evil_Onyx]

I`m wondering has anyone put a camera hooked to transmitter on a rc plane to get a live video feed from flying plane?

I have investigated putting a camera and a down-link on a rc plane, the problem with it is that you have to put twice the amount of electronics in the aircraft and 2-3 times the battery compaserty for the on board transmitter. that is if you want tv quality.

We ended up using a mobile phone and getting 6fps.
I will have to look for the photos of the setup.

 

[guitarist473]

well, i thought id let my brother fly it for a bit this weekend, and guess what...
SMACK!!! right into the runway
it wasnt his fault tho, should of let him fly since hed never done it befor, he offerd to pay but i said nah il get it.
repairs overall cost 110quid. he did get me a new batt tho.
mine got damaged in crash.
were gonna make the lipo explode tmoro, its too damaged to fly.
yes were gonna make sure its safe
well, il post more when its repaired, 2-3weeks.
thanks

 

[Ghostrider]

FlyCamOne3 has the ability to record video to memory and transmit it over 2.4 GHz to a pair of sun glasses. The image appears inside the sun glasses. It has a range of about 300 meters. The image quality is slightly lower then the recorded version, but it's good enough to fly.

How does it work on the ground? And how long does the battery last?

 

[RisingFury]

Sorry to hear about your plane guitarist... I hope she fles again. Crashes are a thing to get used to. What went wrong in the moments leading up to the crash? What got damaged, besides the battery?


@Ghostrider:

I have no idea how good the reception is on the ground. I can't find any tests. Generally, people like to turn the radios intended for planes into ground radios, because they complain that ground radios suffer from interference. That makes me think that the reception might be worse... however, the image will definitelly be worse, because of constant jolts.

 

[guitarist473]

nothing went wrong, it was just misunderstanding of the controller, because he wasnt used to useing sticks that way (up = down, down = up)
etc. and in a turn, he flicked the stick the wrong way it went into a dive, and it was to close to the ground he couldnt recover it intime.
the whole front section of the plane is basicly broke off. the wings snapped, a bit of the cental fuselage under the wind splinterd. AMAZINGLY! the motor is still in perfect working order??? and the motor was at the very front of the plane when it hit the ground nose first???
how the @!~" does that work!?
anyways, yeah the prop broke in half too.
thats bout it.

 

[RisingFury]

Ouch... that's some nasty damage...

Is the plane made out of foam or wood? If it's foam, then just hot glue it together, if it's wood, then you'll need to clean up the break sections and glue some supports across the break section.


As for the motor... check the shaft. Connect it to the ESC/battery and spin it as slow as it will go. Check if the shaft is straight. If there's even the slightest bit of wobble, then buy a new shaft and replace it. Don't joke around with the motor and propeller. An unbalanced prop or a bent shaft can shake the plane apart...


I suppose your bro didn't take any simulator time before the first flight... that was a big mistake. The sim might not simulate other mistakes like failed servos, interference in the radio, weird wind,... but they do give you the sense of direction and the hand-eye coordination...


Good luck with the repairs.

 

[flytandem]

free flight model gliders

I hesitated a bit before posting this because I didn't want to sound like "when I was a kid" blah blah... etc. But here goes anyway.

When i was young I had a strong desire to be involved with anything that flew. We had a club of young model builders that had some kids doing the motorized models and others building only gliders. I was afraid of the noise of the motors and was attracted to the simplicity of the gliders. Though there were early types of radio control in existence, due to our financial limitations we only had free flight. 50 meter towlines for launching, and what was called A1 and A2 competitions. Fun.

Recently, when the founder of the club died of heart issues, I made a page that tributes the unique club I was so fortunate to live near...
http://www.flytandem.com/temp/wilf/wilf.htm

 

[guitarist473]

its built out of wood, but the damage is too much.
its 110 to repair, 120 for a new kit (motor ESC prop the lot)
so im going with the new kit.
i had the guy at the shop check the motorout and he said it should be fine.
my brother had some sm exerience, he flew it perfectly, up untill he lost abit too much altitude, so if he did something wrong that was the end of if .
i did tell him keep altitude but it was too late.
i dont blame him though
kindof my fault letting him fly without exp.
the new kit should be uop and running in bout 3 weeks, il post some pics when its done.

@flytandem

thats a very nice memorial site fly.
i give my best wishes to his family and r.i.p to mr wilfred.

if anyone wanted to no the club i go to its www.LEMAC.org

 

[RisingFury]

Total loss? Damn... he must have smacked it pretty good then...

I've been kinda lucky with my plane so far. Two bad crashes but it still flies...

 

[guitarist473]

WHOOP! i got my plane back on saturday.
unfortunatly in puttng it together the shop plugged the motor into the ESC wrong and it spins bckwords, a quick trip t the shop tomoro should fix that though.
hopefully will be flying it alot more now im off school for 3weeks with the easter holidays.
i will post some vids as soon it gets airbourne.
looking forward to see your DGIV in the air RisingFury.
i will post some pics of the crashed one up on here as soon as...
"ICAO finishes their official air crash report"
ill keep you updated.

 

[RisingFury]

Switch either two wires and the motor will spin the right way.

As for the DGIV... it's April, which means the weather will be pissing on us for the next month. But I hope in beginning of May, I can start flying


Good luck with your flights. Get some nice vids

 

[Brycesv1]

i read ur "using your dad as a towplane" comment and an interesting idea popped into my head. some cable and a servo controlled hook turned a twin rotor model into a nice towplane for my glider. went out to the black pavement parking lot and had some fun for the first sunny day in 2 weeks. took a bit of practice with my friend to get and keep the thing under control but in the end it was beautiful. if we get another good day soon ill do a recorded flight.

it does concern me a little bit that im tempted to rig up an F-16 as a towplane now though....:uhh: