Lost Drone

[n2ize]

A couple weeks ago I was flying a mini quad copter in front of my house. I did a routine high altitude climb. Or at least I thought it would be routine. It wasn't. I reached high altitude and started a decent. Everything was as it should be. And then, it happened. The drone started drifting away from me. I fought to pull it back but I got no response. I decided to cut power, a precautionary measure. I felt it would be better to ditch it and let it hit the ground than to let it continue to drift under power. Fortunately it responded to the cut in power but it was too late. It was too high and it was falling at an angle. It fell into a tree high up and way off into the distance. I could still see it's lights blinking. I could still establish radio contact but I couldn't get the motors to pull it out of the tree. I tried to locate the tree but it was to no avail. The closer I approached the direction of the tree the lower I went in altitude and the harder it was to see. Eventually it's lights faded as it's battery drained. It is possible I still may find it. Since it is in fluorescent color I may be able to locate it at night with an ultraviolet beam. If I find it it will be plus the damages suffered by weather and rain. In the meantime I have a replacement here today. In this business we stay aloft. Occasional losses are just a part of the game.

[KG4CGC]

Dude ... you just got drone jacked.

[KC9SQR]

A couple weeks ago I was flying a mini quad copter in front of my house. I did a routine high altitude climb. Or at least I thought it would be routine. It wasn't. I reached high altitude and started a decent. Everything was as it should be. And then, it happened. The drone started drifting away from me. I fought to pull it back but I got no response. I decided to cut power, a precautionary measure. I felt it would be better to ditch it and let it hit the ground than to let it continue to drift under power. Fortunately it responded to the cut in power but it was too late. It was too high and it was falling at an angle. It fell into a tree high up and way off into the distance. I could still see it's lights blinking. I could still establish radio contact but I couldn't get the motors to pull it out of the tree. I tried to locate the tree but it was to no avail. The closer I approached the direction of the tree the lower I went in altitude and the harder it was to see. Eventually it's lights faded as it's battery drained. It is possible I still may find it. Since it is in fluorescent color I may be able to locate it at night with an ultraviolet beam. If I find it it will be plus the damages suffered by weather and rain. In the meantime I have a replacement here today. In this business we stay aloft. Occasional losses are just a part of the game.


That sucks :(
Sorry to hear about that.
Hopefully you find it to at least have some spare parts for the one you ordered ;)
14196


^^^^
That's mine :)
I also fly a SJ4000 attached to the Go-pro mount.

[n2ize]

That sucks :(
Sorry to hear about that.
Hopefully you find it to at least have some spare parts for the one you ordered ;)
14196


^^^^
That's mine :)
I also fly a SJ4000 attached to the Go-pro mount.

Looks nice.

It happens. Every now and then you can lose one. This was my first loss of an rc aircraft. I lost it at night. There is a good chance that if I do find it soon it may still work. The problem is that it seemed like it got stuck high in a tree some ways off in the distance. Possible a tree in someones back yard or along the highway. But I don't know which tree. And even if I can find the tree I may not be able to retrieve the aircraft unless the wind blows it down.
Fortunately it was an inexpensive quad and replacement cost was low. The new one arrived today and I gave it a test flight.

My main interest is in regular RC helicopters. I fly a 250 and 450 sized electrics, one fixed pitch and one collective pitch. I also have an old GMP Cricket fixed pitch helicopter from the 1980's. It's gas powered. I am in the process of restoring it.

I mostly fly the quad when I can't get to a field and just want to fly something small around my own property. From now on I am going to fly the quad at a lower altitude. That way if anything goes wrong I can get it on the ground quickly and close by.

[W3WN]

Well, at least nobody shot it down...

[KG4CGC]

Well, at least nobody shot it down...

Apparently they do in Kentucky.




http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/william-merideth-arrested-after-shooting-down-1800/

[W3WN]

Yes, but N2IZE is not in KY. Thus the quip.

[n2ize]

Apparently they do in Kentucky.




http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/william-merideth-arrested-after-shooting-down-1800/

Technically it is a violation to shoot at any aircraft, manned or unmanned. That said, the question here is were they simply photographing a house as they claimed or were they photographing the guys daughter. And even if they were it is not necessarily illegal. I can understand his concern. The other question is, were they flying the aircraft in direct line of sight from the ground. Currently the rules are that the pilot must at all times maintain a visual line of sight between himself and the aircraft. Flying beyond the line of sight using visual aids (such as cameras) or GPS for navigation is not permitted for model aircraft. However, the rules are a bit fuzzy. While the guy was wrong for firing a shotgun (he should have called the police if he was concerned) the problem is many of these quadcopters are available, extremely easy to fly, and equipped with video cameras, etc. At some point clear rules are going to have to be drawn up regarding drone operations. Hopefully a set of rules that protect the hobbyist and the average everyday citizen can be developed.

[n2ize]

Apparently they do in Kentucky.




http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/william-merideth-arrested-after-shooting-down-1800/

BTW the guy sounds like a perfect Teabagger. Note he said that the fed (i.e. Obama...hint...hint) is trampling his rights everyday. Note he lives in "Bullitt County". That sounds very appropriate.

[W3WN]

Technically it is a violation to shoot at any aircraft, manned or unmanned. That said, the question here is were they simply photographing a house as they claimed or were they photographing the guys daughter. And even if they were it is not necessarily illegal. I can understand his concern. The other question is, were they flying the aircraft in direct line of sight from the ground. Currently the rules are that the pilot must at all times maintain a visual line of sight between himself and the aircraft. Flying beyond the line of sight using visual aids (such as cameras) or GPS for navigation is not permitted for model aircraft. However, the rules are a bit fuzzy. While the guy was wrong for firing a shotgun (he should have called the police if he was concerned) the problem is many of these quadcopters are available, extremely easy to fly, and equipped with video cameras, etc. At some point clear rules are going to have to be drawn up regarding drone operations. Hopefully a set of rules that protect the hobbyist and the average everyday citizen can be developed.I don't blame that guy for being upset at what (he claims) was a camera equipped quadcopter playing voyeur with his daughters.

His actions, though, were more than inappropriate.

[NQ6U]

I don't blame that guy for being upset at what (he claims) was a camera equipped quadcopter playing voyeur with his daughters.

His actions, though, were more than inappropriate.

I understand his feelings as well but, in the view of the FAA, an RC 'copter is the same as any other general aviation aircraft and they frown upon shooting them down.

[KG4CGC]

Yes. John is a 2 lander.

[n2ize]

Yes. John is a 2 lander.

Yep, I'm from Noo Yawk !! :yes:

[KK4AMI]

They shot one down in New Jersey as well, that's pretty close. You know you can't trust quad copter operators that fly at night, they are known to be "preverts' peekin' in windows. 😉

[W3WN]

I'd just like to borrow one long enough to fly a wire over a nice, tall tree in the back...

[KG4CGC]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeland-security-warns-drones-could-be-used-in-attacks/


Department of Homeland Security has sent an intelligence assessment to police agencies across the country about drones being used as weapons in an attack.The bulletin went out Friday and warned that unmanned aircraft systems or drones could be used in the U.S. to advance terrorist and criminal activities.

Currently, intelligence bulletins are released almost weekly as law enforcement responds to threats from ISIS sympathizers.

[ka4dpo]

All I can say is you are lucky. I have planted several RC planes in trees, got a couple back and lost one but even the ones I got back were toast. My only quad copter is a Blade Nano QX ( IZE will know what it is) and it is a lot of fun but I would never fly it around trees, I'm not that good at it. I plan to stick with fixed wing since I can fly them pretty well and I'll leave the head separators to you. We have a guy at our field who fly's a .90 glow heli. When he steps on the field I step behind my truck.:pray:

[KG4NEL]

I'd just like to borrow one long enough to fly a wire over a nice, tall tree in the back...

Cannons are more fun, trust me.

[NM5TF]

around here the drug cartels are using them to ferry "packages" over the porous border
with our Southern neighbor.....

[WØTKX]

http://www.trbimg.com/img-52d76432/turbine/la-for-html-build-20140115/600

[kb2vxa]

Note he lives in "Bullitt County". That sounds very appropriate. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765/

[n2ize]

All I can say is you are lucky. I have planted several RC planes in trees, got a couple back and lost one but even the ones I got back were toast. My only quad copter is a Blade Nano QX ( IZE will know what it is) and it is a lot of fun but I would never fly it around trees, I'm not that good at it. I plan to stick with fixed wing since I can fly them pretty well and I'll leave the head separators to you. We have a guy at our field who fly's a .90 glow heli. When he steps on the field I step behind my truck.:pray:

I actually started out as a kid with nitro powered control line planes. Mostly .049 planes that I built. In my 20's I started building larger control line planes. The largest one I built was a stunter with a.40 nitro engine and a racer with a .35 Fox combat engine with a pressurized tank. That plane was a real screamer, fast as hell. My first rc plane was a Sig Kadet Mark II trainer with a .40 engine and a Futaba radio system. I flew it only a few times. I still have it but it got wrecked in storage and would need extensive repairs.There are almost no local fields around here large enough to handle planes. The few there were have been developed or are usually too crowded. That's why I switched to helicopters. Vertical take off and landing capability and the ability to fly slow and/or hover makes them ideal for operation on smaller fields and limited space.

[ka4dpo]

I actually started out as a kid with nitro powered control line planes. Mostly .049 planes that I built. In my 20's I started building larger control line planes. The largest one I built was a stunter with a.40 nitro engine and a racer with a .35 Fox combat engine with a pressurized tank. That plane was a real screamer, fast as hell. My first rc plane was a Sig Kadet Mark II trainer with a .40 engine and a Futaba radio system. I flew it only a few times. I still have it but it got wrecked in storage and would need extensive repairs.There are almost no local fields around here large enough to handle planes. The few there were have been developed or are usually too crowded. That's why I switched to helicopters. Vertical take off and landing capability and the ability to fly slow and/or hover makes them ideal for operation on smaller fields and limited space.

I had a Sig Kadet Senorita, it was sweet. I ditched all of my glow stuff in 2000 and went electric, never looked back. Electric is vastly better in every way, cleaner, no expensive fuel, and less noise although a couple of my electrics have some pretty hairy prop noise. I recently managed 142 MPH with my Stinger fan jet and I'm trying to get a little more out of it if I don't fry it first. I can only fly it for about two minutes since it kills the batteries really fast (I'm pulling 100 amps out of a 1500 mah 6S battery) and it is also hard to stay focused at that speed. The FAA is probably going to lower the boom on quads after the latest incidents, get back into fixed wing. You can put a camera on a plane.

[K4PIH]

BTW the guy sounds like a perfect Teabagger. Note he said that the fed (i.e. Obama...hint...hint) is trampling his rights everyday. Note he lives in "Bullitt County". That sounds very appropriate.

I noticed tht, can't make this stuff up!

[n2ize]

I had a Sig Kadet Senorita, it was sweet. I ditched all of my glow stuff in 2000 and went electric, never looked back. Electric is vastly better in every way, cleaner, no expensive fuel, and less noise although a couple of my electrics have some pretty hairy prop noise. I recently managed 142 MPH with my Stinger fan jet and I'm trying to get a little more out of it if I don't fry it first. I can only fly it for about two minutes since it kills the batteries really fast (I'm pulling 100 amps out of a 1500 mah 6S battery) and it is also hard to stay focused at that speed. The FAA is probably going to lower the boom on quads after the latest incidents, get back into fixed wing. You can put a camera on a plane.

Like I said I would fly planes also but there aren't many fields large enough round here. VTOL aircraft are more practical in this near-urban jungle I am in. Besides I like helicopters, to me they are more interesting and far more challenging than quads. And I have put a camera on a helicopter. Not as stable as a quad but it does the job. As far as the electric versus nitro goes yeah, I agree. Electric is more practical, especially for me. Flying in a populated area electric means quieter and much more stealth. Less noise means fewer people attracted and no noise complaints. Although I do still like nitro. I decided that when I restore my old GMP Cricket I am going to keep it 100% nitro just for nostalgia's sake.

If you build larger planes or copters another cheap alternative to nitro is gas. It''s readily available, much cheaper than nitro fuel and all you have to do is make a 2-cycle mix and you're good to go. Another not so cheap but awesome alternative is to go turbojet. You run em on kerosene. Only problem is the mini turbojets are several thousand bucks apiece and by the time you install the starter, FADEC, etc. you have an aircraft worth thousands of dollars that can get lost or wrecked in a couple seconds.

I don;t know what is going to happen with quadcopters. Obviously they won;t dissapear as they are readily available on line and are hot sellers. The problem is they come RTF, are extremely easy to fly and thus any idiot can buy one and be in the air the next day. Like anything that is that easy a lot of people who lack common sense buy them and do stupid things with them like fly over crowds, fly over peoples heads, fly next to airports, etc. Sooner or later the FAA is going to have to enact restrictions on their use. The problem is that will the lawmakers differentiate between quads and regular planes and copters of will we all be facing restrictions, bans, special permits, licenses, etc. Only time will tell. Like many things whence they become too popular and too inexpensive and easy they end up in the hands of people short on brain cells and as a result they spoil it for everyone else.