R/C Aircraft

[Scorpiоn]

That little R/C sub thread reminded me.

Now that I've finally assumed a job title, and have the dough rolling in (::)), I figured I can now pursue all the projects I have planned.  One of which, was to make a R/C aircraft with a camera.

It all doesn't sound very feasable without employing Boeing to do wind tunnel test work: Build a remote control aircraft with a payload, and not only that, but a payload big enough to support wireless camera equipment.

Am I drifting in the clouds, or can it actually be done?

[Hagar]

Yes it can be done. A friend of mine built a glider with a camera in it many years ago. Cameras are lighter these days & most R/C aircraft should be capable of carrying one. The problem would be in focusing it. Depends what sort of photos you want to take.

[Scorpiоn]

I just want a video camera to look straight ahead during flight.  I don't care if it's black & white and one frame every second, so long as I can get a constant video feed.

I'm just really worried about ranges, or how far can I push it before I lose signal for video or remote control.  Oops!  Your just lost aircraft control!  Down she goes!

Keep in mind I don't know the first thing about building R/C aircraft.

Plus, would it be possible to make an inverted gull of the Ju 87 or F4U fashion capable of producing sufficient lift?

[Hagar]

It should still be possible but you didn't mention camcorder in your original question. I was talking about an ordinary still camera. My friend used an old automatic with film in it. None of this modern (expensive) digital stuff. The camera plane was a slow-flying thermal glider he designed specially for the job. He was still very careful while flying it with the camera on board as he didn't want to damage it. He was also a pretty good R/C pilot.

[Iroquois]

There are video camera kits for R/C aircraft. I've seen them in magazines. They run off the battery and can transmit to any TV with a UHF antenna. They're simple pinhole video cameras. A bit like those nanny cams you see on "Shocking Things Caught on Tape" episodes of daytime talkshows.
Here's one example.
http://www.gearcam.com/gearcam.asp

Just type in "Cameras for R/C aircraft" in Google or Yahoo and see what you get.

If you want to take overhead stills, there are payload kits that hold small cameras. They're designed for use with those Fun Saver cameras. A simple servo and an empty channel is all that's needed.

So it can be done. There was even a professer in the states that uses an R/C camera attatched to a toy helium balloon. He had teathered the balloon and uses it for security and resurch.

As for mounting a camcorder, it's simply inpossible unless you have a a giant scale plane. They're too heavy and complicated to mount on an R/C aircraft.  

[Scorpiоn]

I wasn't thinking camcoder, as it'd probably be too heavy.

[jimclarke]

Any of you older guys remember the Estes model rockets one of which had a single shot camera in it, and another one with a movie camera?  I had the one with the single shot camera but I never used it.

Jim

[Scorpiоn]

Hmm, it sounds as if this is all very feasible.  Now to see if I can make an air worthy Ju 87v1...

The one concern I have before I start investing serious thought into this is range.  How far can the reciever be from the transmitter (camera and aircraft) before you lose either one?

[Hagar]

Scorp. If you're serious about this I think you should learn to fly a R/C model first - the conventional way with a good old-fashioned trainer. Then you might appreciate the difficulties of what you're suggesting. I've been flying all types of R/C models for 25 years & I don't think I could control one simply by looking at video images transmitted from the model, in fact I'm certain of it. Some people always seem to want to start at the top for some reason. They go out on the nearest field with the most unsuitable model you could possibly think of - like a beautiful scale Spitfire, it's usually a Spitfire over here. They then promptly smash it to pieces at their first attempt to fly it & usually give up at this point. I've seen this many times & it always ends in tears.

[ATI_7500]

If you're really going to build a Stuka,don't forget the siren.  Then go out on the streets and scare some WWII veterans with it. Methinks 50% will throw themselves on the ground within a second and 50% will take out their guns and shoot at it.

[Iroquois]

I agree with Hagar. Even if you've been playing FS, it's not the same as flying R/C. If your really interested in the hobby Scorp, PM me and I'll send you some information on how to get started.

A Stuka is not a good plane to start out on. Scale planes are less forgiving then trainers. Even my new Tomahawk isn't exactly like the real thing. That's something for a third or even fourth plane.

They then promptly smash it to pieces at their first attempt to fly it & usually give up at this point. I've seen this many times & it always ends in tears.

I only crashed mine once where it was my fault. Twice if you count a rather unfortunate radio failure. The trainer button had become jammed and my instructor lost control. That's when Futaba had the press down buttons. I've noticed they've converted to toggle switches now. My old Hobbico Superstar came out looking OK except with a badly damaged wing. I just use it for parts but I'll probably fix it some day.

Second time it stalled about a foot above the ground on landing. Luckly it was going slow and I only damaged the aileron a bit. Was easily fixed. I never cried when these things happened but I did say  a lot of words that I cannot repeat on this forum.  ;D

[Scorpiоn]

Well, this is why I wanted to install a camera in the plane.  I can't imagine how anyone could fly an aircraft from the third person perspective, or at least with some sort of guidance.  Plus, Houston is a very heavily wooded area, even in a cleared out area, it'd be very easy to lose sight of the craft.  At the current moment, I'm still trying to decide whether this is something worth pursuing.  I read from a google search, that a camera can relay images back from up to five miles.  How far can an aircraft fly away from the transmitter before control is lost (on average)?

I have no aims to just dive into this.  I'm willing to spend my money, but not throw it away, and a crashed aicraft is wasted money.  I planned to get the cheapest thing available to learn on, and the Ju 87 as something I'll carefully build, and fly only when I'm fully confident in my skills.

[Iroquois]

It's not hard to fly from the third person. It's tricky to get used to at first but once you get the hang of it, it's a breeze. Just remember, left stick drop left wing, right stick drop right wing.

I wouldn't worry about finding a place to fly in Huston either. I did a search on the AMA website and I found 8 fully chartered AMA clubs in Huston.

Crashes are nothing to worry about if you have a good instructor. Learning to fly model aircraft is very hard to do alone and I wouldn't recomend it. Cameras in the plane don't help either because they give a flase sense of security. As for learning on the cheapest thing available, not smart either. While some low cost trainers are decent, others cut corners. Make sure you do your research.

As for aircraft control distance, I'm not sure. I think about 10km which is about 6mi. Some radios are more powerful than others. I've never experianced signal loss and I've never know anyone to experiance this. Most clubs have flying boundries that are well within the power of all R/C aircraft radios.

Lastly, a crashed aircraft is not a waste of money. It's a valuable lesson. You might crash your plane or you might not.

If your still interested, I'll send you some info. Try talking to Hagar and Rifleman too. You may may also want to visit these forums. They've got some good info for beginners.
www.rcgroups.com
www.rccanada.ca

[Scorpiоn]

The problem with learning with an instructor, is I have enough trouble getting my parents to drive me to a store on a single, 10 minute drive.  Actually getting anywhere worthwhile in Houston requires substantially higher drive times and (in this case) multiple visits.

[Iroquois]

Try going to www.modelaircraft.org and click on the club locator. As I said earlier, I found 8 clubs in Houston Texas. It gives the name and address of the club. You should find out which one is closest to you. There's even a hobby shop locator. Very useful.

I think it's time you started saving up for a car Scorp. May I suggest the lovely 1976 Chystler K-Car.  ;D Only $10 tops and completely guaranteed not to set off airport metal detectors.