RC Aircraft flying on Winnipesaukee

[jrc]

Sure looks like Braun Bay.

That dock in the middle leads to all sorts of crazy ideas...but I won't hijack the thread.

I guess the cat is out of the bag with remote drones. RC planes took a certain amount of skill and were voluntarily restricted to a limited audience.

Now a store bought drone is cheap, so I expect an explosion of these things. Followed by an outcry regarding safety and privacy, followed by what, new laws?

[tis]

Is that really Braun Bay? I had no idea it got that busy now. I hate to say it to you guys that raft there, but I am sure glad I don't live there. Now that should start a war.

[Denis D]

As a long time lurker, I hope you don't mind me chiming in here as my first post but this is a subject that has been very important to me as I've been flying R/C for decades and formerly competed in National and International Precision Aerobatics competition for many years. If my post is too long winded, let me know.

Currently, I fly a foam Seawind from my son's dock in Moultonborough. My son also flies his Ugly Stick on floats with a .60 glow engine from there. I think it would be fun to have a joint flying day on the lake.

Regarding safety:
First, if you are serious about flying R/C you should join the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) which is the governing body for all forms of Model Aviation R/C, Control Line, Free Flight and now Multi Rotors. As a member, you must promise to abide by their extensive, common sense safety rules. Also as a member, you will be covered with liability insurance which I believe is secondary to your homeowners policy. More info @ www.modelaircraft.org

Second, The state of the art in today's radios is light years ahead of what we were flying just a few years ago. The advent of 2.4 GHZ transmission has all but eliminated interference from other radio sources which used to be a major source of crashes. With those radios, if someone turned on another transmitter on your frequency while you were flying, it would confuse the receiver and the plane would crash.

Regarding Multi Rotors (Drones) The Federal Government through the FAA is in the process of defining rules controlling the use of these vehicles. The AMA is in the process of working with the FAA to define the rules governing flying them as Model Aircraft as opposed to other uses (Commercial, Law Enforcement, ETC) which will eventually be very strictly controlled. Flying them for recreation as Model Aircraft will require following the same rules as other model aircraft which means they must stay below 400' altitude and in a designated Model Aerdrome. This is currently a huge issue for the Feds and suffice it to say, I believe you will not be able to fly them anywhere or anytime you want.

My opinion on the Multi Rotors is they are just an expensive novelty that you will quickly get bored with. There is very little in the way of aerobatics you can do with them as compared to fixed wing or helicopters which provide seemingly endless possibilities for aerobatic adventures.

Cheers,

[NoBozo]

Welcome aboard Denis D. NB

[NoBozo]

SO: Are those STILL shots ..Retrieved after the flight..OR are they LIVE (Streaming) Video Feed to the ground during flight...?? Just Wondering. NB

[Never Satisfied]

RC is actually a hobby of mine, 2nd to boating on Winnie of course!!!

Here is a link of me landing at the Ellacoya Campground.
http://youtu.be/TlwQJBoDz4I

It is a lot of fun but takes practice as mentioned above.

[Rich]

Just in case anyone thinks these multi rotor aircraft are not 'aerobatic', check out this video: If you start it at the point the link referes to, you see the flying. If you restart it from the begining, you can enjoy a review of the insides and technology behind these advanced (collective pitch, multi-rotor / drone aircraft):

http://youtu.be/TnGhEInTXYc?t=4m3s


It's a fun video to watch as you can see the control inputs to make the bird fly like that.

Here's another one, that can fly some aerobatics right out of the box, but isn't as extreme as the first video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pki4TzdGDPY


Denis, good to have you 'aboard', note that I'm an AMA life member and as such, I don't promote flying over people or property in an unsafe manner. If something happens (perhaps a propeller fails, or there is an electronic failure, broken wire, etc.), these multi-rotor aircraft can come down very quickly and totally out of control of the pilot.

I hope we can find a place to have some float flying! Let's start discussing where, if we can find a place where some boats can get together and fly, then we can choose 'when' and finalize details.

Neversatisfied, I like this video of yours, it shows you flying from your boat. Something like this is what I have in mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rjgyklhZPo

[brk-lnt]

It looks like those of you with RC planes or quadcopters could potentially start an aerial photography business this season:

http://www.dronehire.org/blog/drone-...-federal-judge

[BroadHopper]

I do know there is an RC club that meets there evenings and weekends. A good number of RC boats, RC planes and RC vehicles are displayed. I don't know how to get in touch with this group.

[Rich]

I know there are a bunch of RC boaters that operate on Lily pond, which I think is just on the Laconia airport approach, just near the end of the 11 bypass. But there is NO flying of aircraft there!!!!

I'm hoping we can fly some RC floatplanes on some safe quiet corner of Winnipesaukee from our boats (just to be different).

[NoBozo]

I've always noticed the Mega POWER that RC Aircraft have.. compared to Real Life. Some of the videos Rich has linked to support my observations.

That Quad rotor helicopter is impressive in what it can do: But it in NO WAY represents real life flying. (I'm probably missing something)

Real Flying is a graceful and pleasant thing to watch. That Quad helicopter "Antics Thing" is just plain Ugly.... Just my opinion....NB: (A Licensed Private Pilot)

PS: The LARGE Scale RC planes may be a different story. I am Impressed with the new... REAL Large Scale JETS.

[Lakesrider]

Taking pictures with a drone is still a grey area. There are laws and FAA regulations as well as licensing issues that are still not straightened out. I'd be real careful about posting pictures taken from a Quad Rotor.

This is an older article and things are changing all the time, but I would still be real careful. All you need is one person that didn't want their photo taken and your screwed legally. Unless your in MA. As long as people are fully clothed it seems anything is legal down there.....

http://fstoppers.com/using-drones-fa...deo-is-illegal

[jrc]

Seems like the law is still in flux...

A New Hope:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/07...ll-drone-user/

The Empire Strikes Back:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/us/dro...faa/index.html

[Rich]

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

It looks like those of you with RC planes or quadcopters could potentially start an aerial photography business this season:

http://www.dronehire.org/blog/drone-...-federal-judge

There is a better list of RC aerial photographers, people have been doing this for years: www.helicam.org but there are new FAA regs in process that can affect this.

NB, as to graceful flying, there is a LOT of that also! Not everyone like to fly the crazy '3D style' (that's what they call the tumbling flying and crazy antics) that you see in some of these videos. But you are right, model aircraft can have a much greater power to weight ratio these days, and with the advent of LiPo (Lithium Polymer) batteries and other new technologies, RC aircraft can do things that a full scale pilot would never dream of for many reasons.

I'm more of a 'graceful' pilot, but I do enjoy a limited number of aerobatics. And in the past when I was putting a lot of hours in flying a RC Helicopter, I had to practice until I could hover INVERTED, with my blades 4 to 6 inches from the ground, just to see if I could learn it. This is a tough thing to do as all the controls are backwards (left is right, up is down, and so on for pitch, yaw, roll and collective). I don't fly like that very often, it takes a lot of time and I prefer flying more gracefully.

FUN STUFF!

[upthesaukee]

The remote control airport that was near our house in Louisiana was almost like being at a general aviation airport. Most pilots flew their airplanes just like a "real" plane. Of course, when you spent as much time and money to build these models (most were built by the owners), you tend to take care of them and not abuse them.

Of course, there are always a few that will be the exception to the rule.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

SO: Are those STILL shots ..Retrieved after the flight..OR are they LIVE (Streaming) Video Feed to the ground during flight...?? Just Wondering. NB

I don't think anyone answered your question.

The answer is YES!

With these things you can have your choice, depending on your setup ($$).

You can download pictures after you land, or have live, in flight live video, either on a seperate device (TV display) or what the call "FPV" First Person Video, where you wear video googles and you get the feeling like you are sitting in the cockpit and flying a full scale plane (or flying like a bird). Search YouTube for the term FPV.

Here is a pretty good video that shows some FPV flying.. at one point you can even see the video googles the pilot is using as he launches his airplane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrSEyS-GpZs


Yes, these can be either stills, or live full motion video.

[Rich]

In case you are interested, it looks like there is an RC flying club in the general area:

Winnipesaukee Radio Controllers located in Belmont, here is a link to their website:

http://www.wrcnh.org/

It looks like they have a flying field located at the 4H field in Belmont, NH off of RT 106:


View WRC Radio Control Club Flying Field in a larger map

[Denis D]

My son & I visited that field in Belmont after meeting some club members at the Laconia airport open house a few years ago. It is a very nice grass runway and appears to be well maintained. there are some limitations of use when there are events at the adjoining Firgrounds.

[Rich]

Denis,

Good to know, thanks! If they were closer to the lake, I may consider joining them also, but for now I've getting ready some aircraft to fly off the lake.

[chipj29]

There is also the Concord Skyhawks RC club
http://concordskyhawks.org/

[Rich]

Chipj,

Thanks for mention of the Concord Skyhawks, there are many RC Flying clubs in NH. I'm a member of two of them in the southern NH area.

If anyone is interested in finding a club closer to them, you can find the list of AMA affiliated clubs in NH here:
http://www.amadistrict-i.org/Default...pageId=1575228

There are similar lists of clubs around the country. It's not hard to find help if you're interested in learning to fly RC (and I do recommend that you get help if you're thinking of trying this, especially if you're a full scale pilot )

[Rich]

Now that boating (and RC flying) season is here again, I thought I would check again and ask how many others may be interested in flying RC aircraft from the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee.

If we do this, it means we have to pick a suitable location and a few potential dates.

I would suggest some quiet cove of some island, hopefully with little boat traffic and not on the flight path of the airport. The reason for minimal boat traffic is to keep the waves down, as some smaller aircraft may not tolerate rough water well. I don't have a location in mind yet, so feel free to suggest a suitable location.

I believe I know of two of us that are interested in flying together. Of course, others are welcome to come and watch.

[AC2717]

nice photos saw my boat there as well

[BroadHopper]

I remember back in the 70's and 80's at dawn, many enthusiasts will gather at the beach to fly, sail or boat their RC crafts. It is perfect as it is very shallow, out of the wind most of the time, and back in the days it is free before hours. I would find any today before sunset at Lily Pond in Gilford. You might want to check these locations.

I use to craft my RC hydroplane at Moultonborough public beach. I use the South beach as it is pretty quiet.

[Rich]

I just thought I'd post an update to this thread.

I have been successful in flying my RC airplane fitted with floats on the lake.

So far I've had a couple of flights off the dock, and was always careful to keep the aircraft below tree top level.

I also had a couple of flights near Mark Island from the back of my boat.

Since there doesn't seem to be much interest in a group of us getting together to fly from our boats on the lake, I'll just continue to fly alone when the conditions are right.

[Fast Algae]

Hopefully I'll be out this weekend with a Polaris XL and camera, looking to get that special vacation footage!

[RLW]

Denis D, While browsing I noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

Thanks muchly for your input about the field.

[Rich]

If you see this flying over the water, it could be me!

For those that might wonder, it has about an 85 inch wingspan and weighs about 8 lbs or so. It's a little big to manage on my boat, but if there are not too many people on board, I'm able to assemble it and fly it by launching it from my swim platform.

This picture was taken from the end of the dock at the time I had the maiden flight from floats.

[ishoot308]

That is awesome Rich! is it battery powered or gas?

Dan

[Rich]

It uses a 22.6 V, 5000 mAh LiPo (Lithium Polymer) battery.

[SIKSUKR]

Then its real quiet also. Nice looking plane!

[Pine Island Guy]

Originally Posted by Rich

If you see this flying over the water, it could be me!

Wow Rich, that is very cool indeed! I'm not sure where you fly, but would love to come check it out sometime and watch

How much air-time do you get from a battery charge?

Is there enough payload capacity to attach a "GoPro" camera?

cheers! -PIG

[Rich]

Thanks!

The aircaft with floats could easily cary several go-pro camera.

Right now I'm not regularly flying anywhere. The original intent of this thread was to see if any other RC pilots wanted to get together and fly somewhere from our boats.

My guess is that there are not many RC pilots on the lake, or at least reading this thread as there seem to be more questions from others (which is fine!), than other RC pilots wanting to do this together.

I can understand this, as many RC pilots may not have aircraft equipped with floats. After RC flying for 30 years or so, this is the first time I have flown from water myself.