Use of Remote Aircraft to View Property

[Egon]

sounds good but did it happen.:laughing:

 

[sfloggie]

Gary..You made me laugh:laughing:Thanks, Jim

 

[grsthegreat]

that old email about the f16 was proved to be false years ago...but i thought it was really funny myself.

I have a pilots license and have taken alot of pics from the air. small planes like the piper turbo arrow IV that i flew had a nice small 6" x 6" opening window on the canopy that allows one to yell "all clear" when turning the prop... and it allows a nice opening for a camera lens.

one can get nice pics like this ... my place from the air taken a few years back.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you keep the windows clean, you can take good photos without an open window, but an open window will get you some sharper photos. I owned a 1975 Cessna Cardinal RG that I bought in 1981 in Venezuela and kept for several years. Most unique photos I ever got was of Angel Falls in Venezuela. It took about 2 hours of circling it to get a dozen or so clear shot without clouds or rain obscuring it. I also took lots of aerial photos of all the Caribbean Islands that I passed thru when ferrying it back to Baytown Texas where I got all the paperwork cleared up and registered it in the USA
as N794GF. I guess it is still flying. I sold it to an Air Force Captain in 1989 after flying it to Long Beach California where I was living then. I sold it just in time to avoid the personal property tax from the city which I didnt know about when I brought it out. Sometimes I wish I still had it now, SO I COULD SELL IT AGAIN.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Flying an RC Plane or worse a helicopter is very, very hard, and very expensive to learn as you will probably crash a few.

Second, you do not get live video. So if you can master the flying, you send the drone out, record video, get it back, download it to your computer, and find out the height you were at, or resolution was so poor you have no evidence anyway (assuming this if for people encroaching on the property). if it is for just examining inaccessable areas it will be cheaper to have a friend go up and shoot from their plane. Remember that most private pilots cannot be hired, so offer them gas money as reimbursement.

I am speaking from a low price point. You can get live feedback but anything of quality and distance is very expensive (100K plus investment)

here is the cheapest live video one I know of, but I think the images would be terrible as there is no zoom and the camera is low grade

Draganflyer X4-P Four Rotor UAV Helicopter Aerial Video Platform


We use remote helicopters all the time in my business, and now news crews are starting to buy into them.

Drone policing in the US is, well, inevitable I know of a case that is being tried where the guy said he was being spied on by a drone and wants his conviction overturned. In LA we see helicopters being used in detective work. They fly slowly above a moving car... tracking the movement from a distance (Of course there is the police chase stuff but I am referring to more covert actions).

A vendor and reel

Flying-Cam // Close Range Aerial Filming

And a fun demo

Watch Ninjas Flip Out And Kill While Filmed by RED Epic Drone Copter

 

[sfloggie]

Carl,
I thank you for taking the time to write. You provided a lot of thought and information I will study tonight. And I do plan on visiting the local airfield this weekend.

My son is in the R&D plus operational side of tactical drones, so I may end up asking him to take a good flying craft and add a video capability. He modified a craft like the Silverlit X-UFO RC Flying Toy for his personal use.

Best to you, Jim

 

[grsthegreat]

you can also get a bunch of these....
Quadcopter Swarms Dance in the Air : Discovery News


or better yet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L75ESD9PBOw

 

[schmism]

local private airplane owners are usually always looking for excuses to go up. but note, as a private aircraft they can not accept payment for services. Although most will let you pay the fuel bill and then take you on a free ride.

 

[ultrarunner]

one can get nice pics like this ... my place from the air taken a few years back.

Nice looking Homestead you have there!

 

[grsthegreat]

Nice looking Homestead you have there!

thanks... this pic is a few years old...time to get some new ones

 

[ETpilot]

I was doing some aerial viewing yesterday. I needed to warm the engine for an oil change and compression check. So I flew around checking out the local area. It was not a good day for picture taking but I took a few of neighbor's homesites. If they come out good I will give them a copy. It is a great way to check your property and local area.

The pictures are from a different flight. I was checking gas well activity in the area. They were taken thru the window. You can make the window out in the first picture lower right. For really clear shots I can open the window. I just have to disconnect the window holding mechanism.

 

[sfloggie]

Great photos ET and pretty country. Thank you for sharing! Jim

 

[YesDeere]

I got a spontaneous invite for a helicopter ride. All I had was my iPhone. Just thought I'd share the pics. Flew over the house and had wife come out and wave. Pretty dang cool. Bell helicopters rule as far as I'm concerned.

 

[grsthegreat]

I got a spontaneous invite for a helicopter ride. All I had was my iPhone. Just thought I'd share the pics. Flew over the house and had wife come out and wave. Pretty dang cool. Bell helicopters rule as far as I'm concerned.

way back in the late 1980's i was flying bell Jetranger 206's.

also flying single engine retractable Piper turbo arrow IV. did more of the Piper flying then the 206, cause helicopters are just TOOOOOO DANG EXPENSIVE to play with.

When i think of the $$$$ i spent playing in the Jetranger..... man i can use that money now. Then again..... the wife would never let me spend that kind of money nowadays, so maybe its best that i got it out of my system back when i was single.

 

[crazyal]

Poacher watching was mentioned.
A few months ago in SC an animal rights groups was upset about an upcoming live released pigeon shoot at a gun club.
So they brought in a helicopter type drone to "spy" on them.
It was shot down.
Something to keep in mind

Did they disguise it as a pigeon?

 

[ETpilot]

way back in the late 1980's i was flying bell Jetranger 206's.

also flying single engine retractable Piper turbo arrow IV. did more of the Piper flying then the 206, cause helicopters are just TOOOOOO DANG EXPENSIVE to play with.

When i think of the $$$$ i spent playing in the Jetranger..... man i can use that money now. Then again..... the wife would never let me spend that kind of money nowadays, so maybe its best that i got it out of my system back when i was single.

You sure said a mouthful there. We could be richer if it were not for aviation and airplanes. I just cannot shake the bug. I tried back in 93. Sold the plane but kept the hanger. I did not go to the airport, just paid my fees. Then in 95 I could not take it anymore. I went and bought a Cessna 182. In 97 sold the 182 and got a T210 which is my present bird. This will definately be my last. I just don't know when that will be. So, I remain Airplane Poor.

 

[crazyal]

How about using a RC plane. There are plenty that have large wings like a glider but with an engine. I would think they could hold a camera as well as fly slow enough to take pictures. Plus they are a lot easier to fly.

 

[Don87]

And yet another idea: Learn About RC Blimps

 

[ultrarunner]

You sure said a mouthful there. We could be richer if it were not for aviation and airplanes. I just cannot shake the bug. I tried back in 93. Sold the plane but kept the hanger. I did not go to the airport, just paid my fees. Then in 95 I could not take it anymore. I went and bought a Cessna 182. In 97 sold the 182 and got a T210 which is my present bird. This will definately be my last. I just don't know when that will be. So, I remain Airplane Poor.

A buddy had a P210 and we would try to take it out the last Friday of each month... lots of fun plotting our destinations... usually somewhere for lunch.

He sold it when he retired... the hanger fees and flight regs flying in and out of Oakland made it a serious commitment.

Still kept his 60' 3 masted schooner because it was much less expensive then the 210....

I really miss that plane and looking back, I'm glad I was able to get away one Friday a month to make it happen...

Always thought if I lived away from the big city with 3 major airports only a few miles apart that I would get my pilot license...

Tractors will have to do for now...

 

[bcp]

Tractors will have to do for now...

Slow and fast ones for you: