I saw some misconceptions in this thread and I thought I’d chip in with my experience here.
I’ve been flying R/C planes and multicopters equiped with cameras for the last three or four years, I don’t think the term “drone” applies to this sort of aerial vehicles since I don’t use autonomous navigation.
However I’m currently working on a proper UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) design that will use an autopilot equiped with a GPS receiver and able to perform waypoint navigation and even automatic landings (knock on wood).
As a matter of fact just today I released the files for that design, it’s fully 3D printed airplane that I’ve made available as Open Source so that people can print their own.
I got started with this hobby as a way to film from a birds eye perspective the amazing landscapes of the region I’ve moved on some years ago (SE Asia), so mostly I fly when I’m on holidays as an extension of ground level photography, so to speak.
I currently use two camera carrying aircraft in working order a “Tricopter” and a fixed wing, twin motor, two meter wingspan airplane, both carrying GoPro cameras and FPV gear, FPV standing for First Person View, flying through a live video stream from the aircraft. In my case I prefer to use video goggles for a more immersive experience.
Personally I don’t see much fun in having a plane flying on its own as in the case of a UAV, but I’ve been working on a project to use UAVs to monitor Manta Ray populations around an island near Bali and FPV is not the best strategy for that
So… I’m not an expert but I think I can answer most questions regarding “drones” and their uses by “normal” people specially in regards to aerial photography.
Before you embark on this project, you might want to do a little reading on the FAA requirements for software in an airborne system. DO-178B is a good place to start.
Something that is often overlooked in the discussion of the differences between RCs and drones is that drones contain embedded software. You can dowload open source stuff from the internet into your drone if you wish. I would not.
What are the legal (US if you know + your area)/technical limits for stuff like altitude and range - say at the:
$500
$1000
$2000
Budgets for camera/UAV?
Is there sort of a Rolls Royce/ Rolex of drones/UAV that everyone drools over in that community?
How difficult would it be to use a UAV to hover and follow a river that was in the woods? Think you average state park or whatever the equivalent is there. I realize there are probably many factors - I’ll let you address anyway you see fit. What would I need to be concerned about?
What are the most common mistakes made by newbies?
What are the most common/causes for crashes - and are they usually a total loss?
Do any drones/UAVs have any type of proximity sensors - that if engaged - would allow one to fly - say along my pre mentioned river example - and the drone/UAV would “resist” going into something likely to cause a crash (the river, trees, etc)?
I have a GoPro & do a lot of aerial footage with it currently, making movies of our flights. I was thinking about getting a quadcopter, with a gimbal, to get some aerial footage alongside (shooting straight out), transitioning to over (shooting down) the balloon during inflation before flying.
It’s my understanding that that quadcopters themselves are fairly easy to learn to fly, but what about when adding a movable gimbal? I’m assuming I’d need either a 2nd remote, or at least a non-standard one with an extra joystick (or two?) to control the gimballing? What about live-viewing to make sure that the GoPro is pointing where I want it to; can one hold the remote & a phone/tablet/viewer? Is there a mount to connect one to the other that you’re aware of? Or is it really a multi-person job to do what I’m describing?
Well, the FAA rules on the US, and since I’m a long way from there no worries.
As for Open Source firmware, don’t knock it untill you try it, there’s some very extensively tested and reliable code for flight controllers out there, as far as I can remember I never had any issues or crashes due to faulty code.
Of course there are experimental firmwares and people mucking around code, but flight tested and mature code is pretty solid.
In the US, and I’m sketchy in the legalities and what is THE LAW and what are guidelines by regulatory agencies (like the FAA), for R/C aircraft (including FPV flying) used not for commercial purposes, the maximum flight altitude is 400 feet, distance within visual range of the aircraft, you need a “spotter” and no flying over densely populated areas or within (I think) 3 miles of an airfield or air traffic, unless with prior approval. As for the aircraft itself, no more than 10 pounds in weight and no flying at more than 60 miles per hour.
As for UAVs, I believe there’s no regulatory framework in the US at the moment, but presumably the same previous rules or guidelines apply.
The range/altitude vs. budget, not easy to answer, of course the more you invest the more capabilities you can achieve, but a cheap plane can easily climb to very high altitudes… and suck at everything else, or have very long range… and again suck at everything else. However for range and FPV you need either very expensive off-the-shelf equipment or good knowledge to use cheaper components and custom DIY parts to achieve the same, for example I build my own antennas for the video transmitters and receiver that are much better than the stock antennas that come with most systems.
Anyway, I can give you as an example the plane I’m using at the moment, in parts and materials it cost me less than $1000 including the GoPro camera, (I scratchbuilt it from my own design), and as it is now it can easily fly out to 2km while keeping solid video feedback. I haven’t bothered flying it farther away, but with a directional antenna instead of the omnidirectional I use it could easily go out to 10km or more.
I’m not very familiar with hi-end systems, but for multicopters the Cinestar and Spreading Wings family seem to be popular. They are large enough to carry full size digital cameras, like a RED, Epic or Phantom.
UAV autonomous navigation is not that hard, once the aircraft is properly set up (that’s the hard part) it’s just a matter of setting waypoints. For example the autopilot I’m going to install in the UAV I’m working on now works with Google Earth, the interface lets you set waypoints, altitudes, loiter areas, etc, etc. You plug the autopilot to a computer, upload the flight plan and off it goes.
Your concern with that is to have a reliable aircraft, you can have the best autopilot around, but if a wing falls off, a chaffed wire shorts or a servo conks out it’s going to come down.
Most common mistakes for newbies, I think it’s over ambitious expectations, for example, wanting to fly 10km out, or expecting the aircraft to fly just at the push of a button. It’s not just not having an idea of how to go from where they are now to where they want to be, but lacking the knowledge to identify, analyze and correct the problems that appear along the way.
That can be exemplified with simply having no idea how to actually fly a multicopter as soon as it takes off, even though the flight controlled may keep it perfecly level it just flies away in the breeze, or more technical problems, like identifying the source of radio interference or electrical noise in a system.
Most common cause of crashes and total loss for FPV aircraft, I would guess loss of video signal (out of range, interference, equipment failure). That in turn caused by improper wiring, incompatible components in the system, not following proper procedures when flying (for example flying behind an obstacle that blocks radio waves), but most of all, I guess, it comes from not following a checklist before flying.
The only time I had a potentially total loss crash with my plane (it fell half a kilometer away into open ocean but I recovered it) was when salt water shorted out the tail servo wires (the plane is made to land on water), the reason water got there in the first place was that I forgot one tiny little screw when I assembled it and water leaked through the hole and into the tail section at the end of the previous flight.
The last question, as far as I know that’s the sort of stuff they strut around at DARPA competitions; it is not uncommon for multicopters to use sonar based altitude sensors to suplement barometric ones, but they simply measure vertical distance and within five meters or so, not to sense the lateral distance to obstacles. Although in principle that can be done I haven’t seen it and you shouldn’t expect to walk into a hobby shop and walk out with a plane or multicopter that can find its way along a winding river flying bellow tree level.
Yeah, that sort of thing is better to do it with a camera operator; it is too confusing to fly and pan/tilt a camera and fly at the same time, with an airplane it’s easier, because it keeps moving forward, but with a multicopter once the camera starts panning you’ll soon lose track of what is forward, backwards or sideways on the controls.
You can use a video transmitter to send the live video from the camera and a separate radio control system for the gimbal.
Can you repost the link to your video of Devils and Dragons so they can get some idea of your talents. It was one of the most interesting and beautiful videos I’ve seen. Although there were some people in boats who I’m sure were terribly offended with your invasion of their privacy
I went back last November, alas, no Manta Rays from the air (although I saw dozens underwater), but I shot some nice landscapes: FPV flying around Komodo island
Absolutely gorgeous… but did you see that boat of people who were so upset they were flailing their arms around in a waving motion letting you know you were way out of line filming them in a public setting?
I just came back from Indonesia, lugging around my toys. Things didn’t work out as good as I expected but still managed to do some aerial photography. Mount Bromo
Ale, I am absolutely jealous of your skills in not only capturing some astoundingly beautiful pictures but your flying abilities. It’s a good day when I can keep my Solo Pro 260 in the air for more than 20 seconds without running into something.
