Category Archives: Video

Amazing very long range FPV with mystery quadcopter in thailand

This are probably the most impressive FPV videos I have seen so far. The pilot skills are outstanding, and so is the video link range. The poster of the videos on youtube did not release the quadcopter specs and apparently is not answering questions right now. From another video, the quadcopter could be an F450 with a very very big battery on in it. Will follow the channel to see if more details are released.

Video 1: Koh Samui Sunset

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7dpQwggsLI

Video 2: Thailand, Koh Samui, Lamai, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4O_fP-8Krs

Hobbyking’s Integrated PCB Micro Quad PNP with kk2.0 flight controller setup (success!)

As a follow up to the previous post on

Advances in setting up Hobbyking’s Integrated PCB Micro Quad PNP with kk2.0 flight controller

Great news: propellers from hobbyking arrived today, so I was able to complete the setup. Trimming correctly was a bit tricky, but I think I got quite right. It is a bit unstable on take off but then catches up quickly as it gains some height.

The default landing gear seem to be expressly designed to have the quad tilt on landing and arms crash on the floor, as it provides a very narrow base. Hence the ping pong balls mod.

ping pong balls as landing gear for the hobbyking micro quad with kk2 board
ping pong balls as landing gear for the hobbyking micro quad with kk2 board

Here you go:

Edit: Moved the ping pong balls more toward the center, as right under the motors is not a good place to avoid stress to the “weak spot”. Also added a mobius camera to check for video stability and as a first step toward an FPV setup. A soft sponge ball was zip tied to each arm, and covered with tape for additional arms protection.

Turnigy micro quad with mobius camera
Turnigy micro quad with mobius camera
Turnigy micro quad arm protections and landing gear (ping pong balls)
Turnigy micro quad arm protections and landing gear (ping pong balls)
Turnigy pcb micro quad arms protection with sponge balls
Turnigy pcb micro quad arms protection with sponge balls

Team Black Sheep videos

Team Black Sheep earned a reputation for their amazing videos  in urban environments in cities all over the world, mostly taken either with their TBS Discovery FPV quadcopter:

TBS Discovery Pro
TBS Discovery Pro – Source

or with their wing called “the caipirinha”:

 

TBS Caipirinha
TBS Caipirinha – Source

I found a video on Venice taken with the Discovery that is just outstanding, thought I would share it here. Here you go:

And a couple more…

This is a more recent one in Thailand, taken with the caipirinha:

Enjoy!

 

Deer Trail is currently issuing unofficial licenses to shoot drones (25$ each)

Deer Trail, a small city in Colorado, has been releasing licenses to shoot surveillance drones, at 25$ each. The vote on releasing the licenses was actually delayed, maybe also because the FAA warned that shooting UAVs is a crime.
The licenses release looks more as a political/promotional move at the moment, as it appears that as of today no drone was seen flying over Deer Trail.

Here is a video that features the story:

Here are a couple of related files:

license_deer_trail

Source: http://www.deertrailcolorado.com/

 

Deer Trail drone shooting license
Deer Trail drone shooting license

Source: http://www.droneshooters.com/

UAV and law enforcement

Found this video that features a long interview to Prof. Alan Frazier on the subject of drone usage in law enforcement, in which he also answers questions from the public.
Prof. Frazier has a very particular curriculum, as he is both a Professor at the North Dakota University, Department of Aviation and Deputy Sheriff in the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Department (link). This puts him in a strong position to deeply understand the technical and legal background of quadcopters, multirotors and more in general UAV usage, and to apply this knowledge in the field, as a law enforcement officer. For these reasons it is of particular interest to hear his views on the subject of UAV and law enforcement. Here’s the video:

For some quick examples of how drones were used recently by Prof. Frazier in the field, see this article