Go Pro on a (model) plane

"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
02/16/2014 at 23:17 • Filed to: RC PLANELOPNIK

Took my go pro out for its first flights today. I have 3 videos to share, just added the second, and now the third!

EDIT: Video 2 has uploaded. Camera underneath the plane now

EDIT EDIT: Video 3 has arrived. 1080P at 30FPS, facing backwards. Let me know which resolution/frame rate you think works better

DISCUSSION (23)

THOMAS5 > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 21:14

That Sonic in the background

Agrajag > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 21:14

That's awesome. Are there any programs that let you view the footage live on your phone or the likes?

Jayhawk Jake > THOMAS5
02/16/2014 at 21:33

Well, one of the biggest reasons I got the Sonic was to take my planes to the field

Jayhawk Jake > Agrajag
02/16/2014 at 21:35

Programs? No.

Hardware? Absolutely. FPV is a thing . Now that I have a Go Pro, I might get some equipment and a plane for it.

THOMAS5 > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 21:36

How big are your planes that you need a hatchback

Jayhawk Jake > THOMAS5
02/16/2014 at 21:56

It's not just girth, it's the quantity, but...

The plane this was shot on is a 15 pound biplane. It's a little over 5 feet long nose to tail, 70" upper wing, 62.5" lower wing.

At the start of the second video you can see a glimpse of my favorite airplane, an electrified Kaos . She's a bit of a pain to transport, it has a very long fuselage and the main gear is attached to the wing, which has to come off, so it sits in a cradle.

I have another plane I actually brought today but didn't fly because it had a hole in it that I didn't see, a plane I have nicknamed the 'Believable Hulk'. It's about the same size as the Kaos, a little bit smaller.

Those 3 are my usual stable, but if I'm going for a whole day I also like to bring a small flying wing I have, and right before winter hit I started to fly my ducted fan Citation again

Then of course I have to bring my transmitter, batteries, and toolbox

It takes up most of the hatchback to go flying...

Bandit > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 21:56

This is awesome! I feel it would become a very addicting (and frustrating) hobby to get into.

THOMAS5 > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 21:59

That's very impressive and cool. I wish I had a r/c plane.

Jayhawk Jake > Bandit
02/16/2014 at 22:10

It's extremely addicting, but only frustrating at first.

And honestly, if you get involved with a local club early on I think most of the frustration wouldn't surface. In the last year I started to fly far more often than ever before, and finally joined the local club. Now I know a bunch of great guys that I fly with and just have a blast on nice days, and if I ever need help I'm surrounded by people that have been in the hobby longer than I've been alive. And since I'm an electric flyer and most people out there are just starting with electrics, I can offer help with that side of the hobby.

Like many hobbies, you start it for the activity, and you stay for the community.

Jayhawk Jake > THOMAS5
02/16/2014 at 22:14

Thanks. It's an easy hobby to get into, you can get ready to fly planes for cheap, but if you don't take the time to learn properly through a simulator or with an instructor, it won't last long.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 23:06

Hah. I was like "go pro? Must be a big ass plane!"

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 23:11

Badass dude! I could see getting into that someday. I'm pretty into my scale rc rock crawler right now. Unfortunately where I love is urban, hilly, usually wet, and completely covered in bushy evergreens.

Jayhawk Jake > feather-throttle-not-hair
02/16/2014 at 23:16

Where do you live? I'm sure there's an RC field somewhere. If there's any bare hills, you can do slope soaring

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 23:25

I live pretty much smack dab in the middle of Seattle, so it's mostly the trees I'm worried about. That said, I'm making dumb excuses, a smaller aircraft would be doable without too much if a drive.

I always loved paper airplanes and balsa gliders as a kid. We are amazingly lucky to live in the age of flight. Mans oldest fantasy is a distinct reality of our time. It should be taken advantage of.

Jayhawk Jake > feather-throttle-not-hair
02/16/2014 at 23:31

http://www.mar-c.org/content/airfie…

There's a club in Seattle. I would imagine there's an active RC community there, people involved with aviation are the most common RC hobbyists, and Seattle is basically an aviation mecca

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jayhawk Jake
02/16/2014 at 23:38

Lol, yup. That's about twenty minutes from where I live and like five minutes from where I work.

This is going to merit some serious consideration. I'm not sure I'm immediately ready for a new hobby, but shit, I'd put the likelihood of this happening in the next year or two at above 80 percent.

Ever since I watched "James mays toy stories" over Christmas, I've been rolling around the idea of a glider or very basic rc plane around in the back of my mind.

Jayhawk Jake > feather-throttle-not-hair
02/16/2014 at 23:52

Powered gliders are the easy way to get started, it's actually how I 'rebooted' after college. Get a Bixler or AXN Clouds Fly Floater from hobbyking.com, and pair it with a computer radio. The radio will last you forever, so don't go cheap. I've seen positive feedback on the Turnigy 9XR from Hobbyking, but most people here (myself included) use Spektrum. If you can find out what the people at the club near you use it would be smart to get the same so they can help.

The other recommendation is a simulator to learn how to fly. Realflight is the best IMO, but Phoenix is a good alternative. A few hours in the sim and you'll pretty much be good to go

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jayhawk Jake
02/17/2014 at 00:00

Yeah, the radio is definitely the thing I have the most anxiety about, it's basically a non issue with cars, since they only need 2 channels and not much range, but with anything flight bound....yeah don't wanna end up buying more than one, but as a beginner it's tough to just jump in and buy something really nice. Sounds like that's the way to go though. I've played around with an rc flight sim at my local hobby shop. It had an actual radio hooked up to the controls. Do you know if that's normal? or do you just have to make due with a keyboard for the most part?

Thanks for the info/tips btw.

Jayhawk Jake > feather-throttle-not-hair
02/17/2014 at 00:08

That would have been Realflight. All the simulators have the controller, it would be useless otherwise.

I have a Spektrum DX6i, and it's been great for years. It's plenty of radio for nearly anyone. A new version just came out, it looks amazing: http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/dx6-6…

You can pick up second had DX6is for less on eBay. Hell, if you decide to get started I'd consider selling you mine, I've been thinking about upgrading eventually. The only reason I haven't is because the DX6i is perfectly fine, even if I'd like a new radio

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jayhawk Jake
02/17/2014 at 00:28

Awesome, thanks again for the info. Sounds like I'd be looking at around 400 bucks give or take for a beginner setup if I don't cheap out and go used. I just spent a buttload of my toy budget on a racing wheel setup, but I wouldn't really want to get started before it gets a little nicer outside anyway.

But the idea at the back of my mind just got a whole lot more concrete.

Jayhawk Jake > feather-throttle-not-hair
02/17/2014 at 00:43

That sounds about right. $200 on a plane, $200 on a radio.

Realflight used to go for $200, I'm not sure how much it is now. I strongly recommend going used for that, as long as you get a disk and a controller you can buy an upgrade to the newest version.

doodon2whls > Jayhawk Jake
02/17/2014 at 09:55

Good stuff, Jake...

Does the field have a strict CCW pattern, or can you switch it up ?

Sounds like your landing gear needs a drop of oil... :-)

Jayhawk Jake > doodon2whls
02/17/2014 at 11:19

If there are multiple pilots in the air, we are supposed to fly in the pattern. The direction of the pattern depends on the wind.

If you're by yourself, you can do whatever you want. Even if there are multiple pilots, it's not really 'strict', but most people will stay in the pattern. After all you don't want a mid air, it'll do as much damage to your plane as the other guy's.

And yes, my wheels need some oil, but at least they aren't on the ground for long