Anyone got any experience of Drones? Got a "toy" one the other day and was thing about getting a real one, nothing too fancy just something like a DJI Phantom like this one DJI Phantom quadcopter --- BuzzFlyer UK
That could be handy for work use to access places and take video footage without the expense of a Cherry Picker etc
there was a thing on the tv about the locations peaple have been flying them!already some idiots with them causing grief,does look a cool bit of kit though
Would get some great trackday footage with one of those!!! The Gadget Show did a piece on camera drones a few weeks back... may be worth giving that a watch as they found some of the drones to be next to useless. Also worth checking out the regs, as there are some serious restrictions on where they can be used nowadays.
Think I saw the gadget show episode, will have to double check though. Think the one I looked to may be geo fenced, but I know there are a load of other regs to be aware of
A work colleague has one of these phantoms. He reckons it's a great piece of kit and swears by it. I'll pop back with a link or two. :edit:
I was looking at one of these as a future source of income but the rules are very muddy. One main fly in the ointment is not being able to use them within 50 metres of someone you don't control.
I believe he did Raphael, the clip with the bikes along the straight road if I remember. The one Stuart has in the video is quiet intelligent, it knows how far it can run and will save enough power to return 'on its own decision to the controller' it will accept and take GPS coordinates and hold its position only allowing rotation. It's top speed is 60mph. He'll be more than willing to discuss these with anyone who cares to chat about them. Certainly knows his stuff pertaining to anything that flys.
Lifted from the daily telegraph It is not just drone operators that fly their unmaned vehicles into a Heathrow flightpath that could get into hot water. There are rules that govern the use of drones which are set by the Civil Aviation Authority. The strictest apply to those drones that weigh more than 20kg: these can only fly in segregated airspace with a special licence from the CAA. If a drone is used for commercial use, such as a surveyor taking pictures, a licence is also needed from the CAA to prove competence of the operator. Of course, most drones weight less than 1 or 2kg and some are as light as 55g, and they are used for fun. But they are still classified as unmanned aircraft - not as toys - by the CAA. As a result, the following applies: * Do not fly a drone beyond your normal unaided 'line of sight’. This is generally measured as 500m horizontally or about 120m vertically. * A drone must always be flown at least 50m distance away from a person, vehicle, building or structure * A drone must not be flown within 150m of a congested area or large group of people (normally measured as 1,000 people), even if they are in an open area. This means they can’t be used at big sporting events or concerts* * Be aware of data protection laws and if taking photographs be careful not to publish any of people who might have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
My son has the dji phantom 2 which takes the gopro 3. Factor in you also need a Zenmuse gimbal mount for super stable shots an extra £200 and extra battery £100. Never flown any think remotely before. But was flying the dji easily within 10 minutes of use. Used mainly for filming kitesurfing and kite buggying, so copes really well in windy conditions.
This was the chap who videod me, great bit of kit but think its a grands worth.. He can also fly it first person via a screen which is very cool
A mate at work has gone full on with drone photography and started his own business. The company paid for his CAA drone operator license and agreed to let him work part time, so guaranteed income plus additional income from something he really loves - win win! did have a DJ1 but crashed that then bought a fancy custom one with all the bells for his business.
