shipdriver Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I just upgraded from a Hubsan X4 to the DJI Phantom 3 Pro. I did a several flights in Beginner Mode at a park near my neighborhood. Here is my first "untethered" flight at Al Borlin Park in Monroe, WA along the Skykomish River. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipP87NB5R7I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holger Sandmann Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Hi Rob, thanks for sharing, the quality and stability of the imagery is truly amazing. I assume the focal length of the camera's lens is fixed? Also, is the panning speed just a function of your direct input or are there pre-sets for doing 360s at fixed speeds? Cheers, Holger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Emms Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Smashing first outing, really enjoyed watching. cheers Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipdriver Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Thanks, gents! I assume the focal length of the camera's lens is fixed?Yes, I believe it is a 92 degree field of view. Also, is the panning speed just a function of your direct input or are there pre-sets for doing 360s at fixed speeds?Side-to-side panning is a function of spinning the aircraft and the speed can be varied with the control stick. Up-down panning is by controlling the gimbal and that is adjustable as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipdriver Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Just found that the controls (yaw, etc.) are adjustable with graphs which look very much like FSUIPC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabble Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is very cool! I wonder how long before we get a quadcopter model for FSX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennyson Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 If I might be so bold, mate, what sort of dollars are we looking at for that model? Just curious, I love all things flight and have some of the earlier helicopters, one of them quite big and cost me 350 bucks, but it's a nightmare to control. Great vid by the way and your little girl is so cute in the vid, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Abernathy Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Thanks for showing off your new quad! Great quality of picture http://www.amazon.com/DJI-Phantom-Professional-Quadcopter-Camera/dp/B00VSITBJO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfhak712 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Lovely scenery and beutiful area! you did a great job shoot the film and have the drone smooth in the air! Thanks for share this with us! Alf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Very nice Rob and welcome into the drone world. On top super nice park.... I'm always a bit afraid to fly over water.... Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 If I might be so bold, mate, what sort of dollars are we looking at for that model? Just curious, I love all things flight and have some of the earlier helicopters, one of them quite big and cost me 350 bucks, but it's a nightmare to control. Great vid by the way and your little girl is so cute in the vid, Frank RC helicopter are one of the hardest thing to control. I even think that it is harder then the real thing. There is plenty of smaller companies that make way cheaper quadcopter, the DIY one are very cheap. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__592__501__Multi_Rotors_Parts-RTF_PNF_ARF.html An example of a brushless DIY gimbal that cost less then 75$ to built, and how it work! It's a stabilization platform for the camera. So the quad maybe shaken by the wind but the viewer will never know. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2IF7V-nv0 What is attracting with more expensive machine is the included Return Home Function (RTF) >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qIBBbJWfzE Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipdriver Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 RC helicopter are one of the hardest thing to control. I even think that it is harder then the real thing. There is plenty of smaller companies that make way cheaper quadcopter, the DIY one are very cheap. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__592__501__Multi_Rotors_Parts-RTF_PNF_ARF.html An example of a brushless DIY gimbal that cost less then 75$ to built, and how it work! It's a stabilization platform for the camera. So the quad maybe shaken by the wind but the viewer will never know. What is attracting with more expensive machine is the included Return Home Function (RTF) Seeing your quadcopter videos is one of the reasons I got into quads. I started with a cheap Hubsan X4 specifically to train myself before getting a big one and then moved up to the Phantom 3. My daughter has one of her own, an Ares Ethos QX130. The Hubsan required a lot of effort to control; the Ares is easier but you still have to stay on top of it. With the Phantom, I can take may hands completely off the controls and it just hovers there locked into place with GPS/GLONASS. It compensates power when moving the right stick to keep consistent altitude as well. It is almost too easy. Then again the real money in the Phantom is in the gimbal setup for the camera which keeps such a steady image and the lightweight 4K camera itself. After all, the expensive quads are more aerial photography platforms than RC toys. My Hubsan does have a 720p camera but the image is all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipdriver Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 I'm always a bit afraid to fly over water....I'm confident in the range of stability to make minor flights over rivers, etc. Of course, on the phantompilots.com forum, someone from Australia posted pictures from a Phanton 3 flying over a tug and tow 1.2 miles off the coast near Brisbane I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabble Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 There's an interesting story here about how drones are used to look for sharks near popular beaches. "We're gonna need a bigger drone" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Seeing your quadcopter videos is one of the reasons I got into quads. I started with a cheap Hubsan X4 specifically to train myself before getting a big one and then moved up to the Phantom 3. My daughter has one of her own, an Ares Ethos QX130. The Hubsan required a lot of effort to control; the Ares is easier but you still have to stay on top of it. With the Phantom, I can take may hands completely off the controls and it just hovers there locked into place with GPS/GLONASS. It compensates power when moving the right stick to keep consistent altitude as well. It is almost too easy. Then again the real money in the Phantom is in the gimbal setup for the camera which keeps such a steady image and the lightweight 4K camera itself. After all, the expensive quads are more aerial photography platforms than RC toys. My Hubsan does have a 720p camera but the image is all over the place. Well I applaud your nice and safe flying!!! There is so much nice thing to film without being over people or structure. I don't even fly over any private land unless I have the permission. Look like the Phantom 3 is a very well built machine compare to my Phantom 1... I lost it 4 time in flyaway. I fly mostly custom bade machine now with no GPS. If I need a GPS for more safety I use my trusted Blade 350QX V2. The only problem with the 350QX is the flying time. 6 minutes. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocko Flocko Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hi Rob, thanks for sharing, the quality and stability of the imagery is truly amazing. I assume the focal length of the camera's lens is fixed? Also, is the panning speed just a function of your direct input or are there pre-sets for doing 360s at fixed speeds? Cheers, Holger I was just wondering, couldn't one of these drone applications be used to create ground imagery for OrbX airports and terrain? Aren't you guys, OrbX, currently paying fairly hefty licensing fee's for satellite imagery that in many cases is quite old? Now that these professional drones are able to fly quite high at times as well as carry SLR camera's with very wide field lenses, is it something you guys might consider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipdriver Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 I was just wondering, couldn't one of these drone applications be used to create ground imagery for OrbX airports and terrain? Aren't you guys, OrbX, currently paying fairly hefty licensing fee's for satellite imagery that in many cases is quite old? Now that these professional drones are able to fly quite high at times as well as carry SLR camera's with very wide field lenses, is it something you guys might consider? It is definitely a viable application for drones although 400 Ft AGL is the altitude limit for hobbyist aircraft in the US and proposed regulations for commercial UAVs have a 500 Ft altitude limit, but you are getting into the commercial realm and the rules change with an FAA exemption being required (under proposed regs, commercial operators will need to get an knowledge-test based operator certificate and the UAV must undergo airworthiness inspection, etc.) As far as airports go, that poses another set of issues and airspace restrictions, including many airports being restricted airspace altogether for UAVs and tower contact requirements at others, although it can be possibly dealt with at smaller airports which collectively are ORBX' forte. Such mapping is best done with autonomous flight to execute pre-programmed imagery passes. Despite having a 92 dig field of view on the onboard 12MP camera, with those altitude restrictions a lot of passes would be needed for an airport, although, being that close to the ground, resolution would be stunning. On the downside, ortho-correction would be a big issue. The cost-effectiveness of drones compared to manned aircraft for such missions is undeniable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipdriver Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 While I wait for A2A to release the Comanche, here is another video- filmed this morning SSE of Harvey Field along the Snohomish River at an area of the river called Thomas Eddy. I still don't have any of the neutral density or polarizing filters I ordered, so this video is also filterless but I also opted for most of it not to use the auto-exposure and stuck with a manual exposure setting because of the high variation in lights and darks. Despite excessive trees around the launch site, I had pretty solid FPV video out to 850m. I collected 18 minutes of footage, flew for 33 minutes on 2 batteries (although the second battery still had some time left before it would have been screaming at me to bring the bird home). Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnyp4sI1Jkc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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