thedroneracingengineer
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PICT0039
🕑 Added 2016-09-12 02:11:57 +0000 UTCI post highlight videos of me flying at my best, but actually I'm a relatively timid pilot. I'm not able to just take one pack and bomb the hell out of a new site, or a race course, damn the consequences. Typically, when I fly a new site, basically the entire first flight session is me getting a feel for it. Where the safe lines are. Where the hidden obstacles are. What everything looks like from every angle. Building up a spatial model of the site in my mind so that when I'm flying, I know what to expect, and I know where my "outs" are if I get into trouble.
Here's a video I shot a few days ago of me feeling out a new line at my house. I noticed this gap in the trees once while flying over the stand of trees and though how cool it would be to drop into it. The problem is that my typical exit line from that stand of trees is pretty tight.
First, I fly up through the gap from the bottom, because it's easier to see upwards when your camera has uptilt, and you can go slowly. This just basically assures me that the line is more or less clear.
Next, you'll see me examine the entry to the gap, feeling for how I want to come into it. The safest way to enter the gap is to look straight down and drop into it; the problem with that is that you're going very fast and have to improvise your exit line. I want to "improvise" as little as possible behind the sticks of a $300+ RC aircraft. Or, to put it another way, I want to improvise in a creative way that makes the flight more fun and awesome. I don't want to improvise in order to avoid crashing.
Then I do some flat, spiraling drops into the gap. I know that I can do this maneuver relatively confidently, and I know exactly what the bottom of the gap is like because I fly through that line lots from the ground. So I feel safe dropping down into the gap even though I can't see where I'm going. After dropping straight in, I eyeball my possible exit lines. I know what the exit lines are, of course, but they will look different coming in from the top vs. coming in from the bottom.
Finally, I drop straight in, nose-down. I take the safest, most open exit line, which actually doesn't look all that exciting, honestly, but it left my heart pounding, I assure you.
Comments
it says this vid doesent exist
Hey what are average flight times your getting with a 1300 4s?
Robert Craig Quillen
Now that I have a 600 size heli flying the 450 and my mini quad doesn't phase me.
Robert Craig Quillen
I've found that the stress of flying expensive aircraft is very relative. I fly CP helicopters. The first time I flew my 450 I was so tense I actually got delayed onset muscle soreness in my back and neck just like I'd been to the gym.
Robert Craig Quillen
I've found that the stress of flying expensive aircraft is very relative. I fly CP helicopters. The first time I flew my 450 I was so tense I actually got delayed onset muscle soreness in my back and neck just like I'd been to the gym.
Robert Craig Quillen
Yeah. Diving that at full speed will look great. A split-s would be amazing.
Carlos Martinez
I kind of do the same thing. I don't have very many challenging things to fly in my area, but when I'm trying to go under something I do take a closer look in person if I can to make sure there aren't any ghost branches or something that might cause a nasty wreck. I guess I'm kind of like you, I don't want to break an expensive piece of equipment if I don't have to. I only fly once a week typically, about 12 packs or so. Lately, I can go several weeks without breaking a prop because of all the tuning and less fun flying. I've been tuning 2 quads a lot the last few months and I haven't had a lot of time. I don't feel happy enough to fly a quad for fun until the tune is at least 90% to my liking. I've kind of stopped my fleet at 3 mini-quads, it takes time for me to dial them in. Building and tuning is fun, but it takes away from my fun flying sometimes. Normally I break a prop or two in a day when just flying for fun, getting a little more daring with proximity to tress, etc.
Thx, that's great to see your process. I've yet to try anything like that, but I want to learn. I was inspired by Steele and FGA doing their drops into a forest for that Star Wars film clip that was done in California. I think that is one of the videos that got me hooked on learning this stuff.
Joshua Bardwell
Oh gosh yes, especially this move. Those tree tops just wanted to eat my quad. But dropping into that hole unexpectedly is going to be awesome once I hit it.
I would say my biggest fear when flying is not necessarily crashing but doing so in a tree top where I'll never get the thing back :-)
