RC Aircraft flying on Winnipesaukee

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Coolbreeze

This has been on my list of things to do since I was 10. I tried it with a battery powered hydroplane from tyco a few years back and it was a blast until the first wave swamped the boat and you can imagine the giggles that came from the kids when they saw dad swimming after the boat in his clothes.
I really want to try one of those 4 prop drone types with a go pro camera on it. I think it would be cool to fly over Wolfeboro during the 4th of July parade and other places. Keep an eye out you may see it soon.

I keep seeing these things flying, and the video produced and posted on UTube, and I keep having the following thoughts:

In the event that one should have a mechanical problem and take on the aerodynamic stability of a brick, and then strike someone on the ground, the liability could be pretty high.

I have a friend who is talking about getting one and wants to take it to Braun Bay and fly it over the crowd. Same worry about bodily injury as above, and then posting a video where some folks may not want to see themselves splashed all over the internet. (Back about 44 years ago from right now, I was skiing at Pat's Peak with my soon to be fiancée. We got off the chair lift and as we got ready to ski away, I looked back at the off load area and saw a good friend of mine getting a nice kiss from his skiing companion, who was not his wife. Imagine his surprise when he saw us. Imagine if I had been taking pictures and posting them on the internet .) Be careful who you are posting pics of.

Final thought: When we lived in Bossier City LA, there was an RC airport about a mile from our first house. I was an air traffic controller at the time (yeah, I know, a scary prospect, at least for those who know me), and would go up there and chit chat with the pilots. We were told that one day one of the pilots had a very nice, very large, very expensive plane up flying and as he started to turn it back to the runway, it ceased following his instructions and flew over towards the high school and its parking lots and disappeared. They rushed over to the HS, but the plane was not found. They felt that someone had a high powered remote control that had taken over control, then landed it at the HS. I'm sure that remote controls are far more sophisticated than back in the early 70's, but I would hate to see my $300 and up toy and equally expensive camera go bye bye.

Just an old guy's opinion (liability concerns come from having worked in personal lines insurance, another scary thought.).

[Coolbreeze]

Still seems kind of a cool thing to do, but i understand your point. If I decide to
Move forward with the idea i will give you a heads up post here so that you can wear a helmet at the parade.

[Rich]

People don't realize that a lot of these RC aircraft are not really toys.

These things can and do go out of control from time to time! Sometimes it's the pilot's fault, other times it's just a failure of some sort.

They can be dangerous to the point of death. Imagine a 1 to 50 pound object flying at 20 to 100 (or more) MPH hititng someone. Not to be morbid, but one must respect them at all times! And don't forget that most of these things are flying with some sort of a meat grinder (propeller) on them.

Even the ones sold as toys can hurt someone.

I fly with plenty of liability insurance, and one of the rules of the insurance is that you can NEVER fly over people.

The most damage I've ever done was to myself as a teenager, getting my thumb stuck in a spinning propeller, and I have the scars to prove it!

But I have crashed a few ($$$)!

With this said, I've taught many people to fly over the years, they are fun and I've been doing this since I was 10 years old (on and off and on again).

I fly both fixed wing (airplane) and rotary wing (helicopter) aircraft.

Prices of these things go from $100 on up to more than you might imagine.

Even the multirotor (the latest fad, lots of people call these 'drones') can be dangerous, but most don't think of it this way. They just see the fun and novelty.

I've also been thinking of configuring a floating multirotor with a camera to do some on-water flying, but the cost, vs the benefit has me holding off. There are some 'toy like' (in price) units that some people fly a go-pro camera on, but they don't fly as stable as the better units (about $1,000). And imagine the cost if they hit the water and sink (even the go-pro camear itself costs $300 to $400)! And one should NEVER fly them over people or near an airport!!

If anyone wants to know more about RC aircraft, I'm happy to answer. It takes a lot of practice and skill to learn to fly one of these.

Even full scale pilots think they can fly an RC plane, but it's a different experience that has to be learned. The major difference that most forget is that you're no longer sitting in the cockpit of the plane, but on the ground watching the aircraft. So you have to learn to fly with it coming towards you, where the controls seem reversed (try doing something while looking in a mirror to see what I mean), as well as all other angles of view. Usually full scale pilots often make the worst RC students, because they think they already know how to fly! Given the proper instruction, they can become good RC pilots too.


But I still think it would be fun to have a few of us flying together from the back of our boats (of course always taking into account all nessesary safety precautions).

Something like this will give you an idea of RC float flying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivTjjBOE1eU

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

I keep seeing these things flying, and the video produced and posted on UTube, and I keep having the following thoughts:

In the event that one should have a mechanical problem and take on the aerodynamic stability of a brick, and then strike someone on the ground, the liability could be pretty high.

I have a friend who is talking about getting one and wants to take it to Braun Bay and fly it over the crowd. Same worry about bodily injury as above, and then posting a video where some folks may not want to see themselves splashed all over the internet. (Back about 44 years ago from right now, I was skiing at Pat's Peak with my soon to be fiancée. We got off the chair lift and as we got ready to ski away, I looked back at the off load area and saw a good friend of mine getting a nice kiss from his skiing companion, who was not his wife. Imagine his surprise when he saw us. Imagine if I had been taking pictures and posting them on the internet .) Be careful who you are posting pics of.

Final thought: When we lived in Bossier City LA, there was an RC airport about a mile from our first house. I was an air traffic controller at the time (yeah, I know, a scary prospect, at least for those who know me), and would go up there and chit chat with the pilots. We were told that one day one of the pilots had a very nice, very large, very expensive plane up flying and as he started to turn it back to the runway, it ceased following his instructions and flew over towards the high school and its parking lots and disappeared. They rushed over to the HS, but the plane was not found. They felt that someone had a high powered remote control that had taken over control, then landed it at the HS. I'm sure that remote controls are far more sophisticated than back in the early 70's, but I would hate to see my $300 and up toy and equally expensive camera go bye bye.

Just an old guy's opinion (liability concerns come from having worked in personal lines insurance, another scary thought.).

Not sure if it made the news up here but a friend of mine used to routinely fly RC aircraft on some open land in Waltham. A couple years back his plane crashed...into the National Archives Bldg. He had no idea where the plane crashed but called local police to say it may have hit the Federal Bldg. He was floored when The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI showed up at his home that morning for a federal investigation into the mishap (earlier that year a guy threatened to use RC aircraft to bomb the Pentagon). He had cracked a solar panel too. Nothing came of it but it shows you never know where your property may land and who may come knocking.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...61725948,d.aWc

[Coolbreeze]

I agree that there is a big risk in hurting someone else or their property if things go bad. Therefore, if I do fly it, it will be over unpopulated areas.
I met a guy who received a hefty fine for flying his helicopter over grazing Canadian geese on the golf course he managed. Apparently it scared the heck out of the gees and worked really well in controlling them on the turf grass and greens until the neighboring property complained to the Game warden about what he was doing. His fine was for harassing a federally protected bird. (Please note he was warned verbally by the amused conservation officer not to do it again; he didn't do as asked and was fined in the next incident, so he deservingly got his due.)
Maybe flying the plane on the top of a local mountain would be pretty cool.

[Rich]

I don't promote hassling wildlife, nor bothering neighbors.

So I would suggest that if anyone is interested in flying over the waters of Winni that we stick with battery powered aircraft. They are environmentally friendly as well as quiet enough not to bother anyone that prefers a quiet lake environment.

Perhaps we'll bring this subject up again to see if there is any interest as boating season opens, and the boating forum is more active.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Coolbreeze

I agree that there is a big risk in hurting someone else or their property if things go bad. Therefore, if I do fly it, it will be over unpopulated areas.
I met a guy who received a hefty fine for flying his helicopter over grazing Canadian geese on the golf course he managed. Apparently it scared the heck out of the gees and worked really well in controlling them on the turf grass and greens until the neighboring property complained to the Game warden about what he was doing. His fine was for harassing a federally protected bird. (Please note he was warned verbally by the amused conservation officer not to do it again; he didn't do as asked and was fined in the next incident, so he deservingly got his due.)
Maybe flying the plane on the top of a local mountain would be pretty cool.

Please send that guy over to my house this spring-------

[livefreeordie]

I did this last summer with my drone and its very safe if you know how to fly it.

[Steveo]

What is that floating in the middle of the 2nd photo with all the people on it????

[HellRaZoR004]

That my friend is a dock. They hauled it some 2 hours from the other side of the lake.

I see my boat Thanks for sharing.

[Pineedles]

Where were these shots taken?

[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

[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

[boattechswife]

It actually is my friends barge not a dock.

[boattechswife]

This was Braun bay July 4th 2013

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by boattechswife

This was Braun bay July 4th 3013

Dam who has the time Machine, I would like to go see new years 3013 myself!!!!!!!!!!

:laugh :