For those hooked on filming and editing hours of their mates skiing and lots of bllank footage you captured , and for those who really want someone to take their camera and get them on film ... Here it is .. Your must have Xmas pressie .. (2015)
Another reason to wear a helmet enters the debate .... Low flying cameras !
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Problem with those little drones is the battery life... 10 minutes is a good flight time, and cold temperatures won't help much. On the other hand, give it a season or two and you could probably find enough crashed or lost drones in cliffy or forested areas around ski resorts to make a working one for free!
Also, if you wanted to film your life like a "first person shooter", you'd be using a teletubbycamera to do so. Follow cameras are third person...
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
/\ yup mashable are idiots but XDlR is a rockstar so if it's his project it'll get plenty of play,
A friend has one, not sure which but he uses it for surf videos. AIUI he has a major battery upgrade in place which brings flight time up a good bit. There's some aerial footage in this edit from about 3.30 or so on.
Or if you get one of these drones you can film an action adventure as your skiing mates try to avoid being hit by the paintballs from the "four high-capacity paintball barrels, each capable of firing up to 20 bullets per second"....
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Don't use it in France without a license (which is impossible for you to get), it is a 5 year prison term if you are caught. I understand the rules in the US are draconian too.
Seems like you need to have passed the theory part of a private pilot license and to be resident in France, which seems like a strangely strict rule. The guy mentioned in the article above mostly seemed to get in trouble because he was flying over a populated area, and the prosecution seemed keen to point out how dangerous this was and how it would risk people's lives, which seemed a bit of an exaggeration.
In the UK, for example, so long as the drone is under 7kg you seem to be fine, as it would fall under existing remote control aircraft laws. No flying out of sight, however. I'm not sure you're correct in your assessment of the US being pretty draconian either... problems arise when you fly stuff in a city, but the internet is replete with video footage taken from automated and remote controlled aircraft from all over the US. There's been a recent relevant case (Huerta v. Pirker) which involved commercial use of drone video footage... the law has come down on the side of the drone pilot, but the FAA are appealing and regardless of whether or not they succeed they're bound to tighten up the regulations sooner or later. There are also issues of trespass, but if you're in a place where you're already permitted to film yourself, then you're unlikely to be in any additional trouble if the camera is airborne.
Fun times.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Yes. The law in France is such that the second you mount a camera on the drone you have to have authorisation whereever you are, otherwise you can fly drones in zones designated for model planes. It is actually stricter than you mention. You currently need the theory part of the pilots license for what are called Scenarios 1 to 3 (as you said) - basically in sight, under the control of the pilot with restrictions on the fly area. For S4, which I think would also include the remote control scenario mentioned in this thread you need a full pilots license.
But that is not all... your drone needs to be approved by the aviation authority which is a complicated process, that may mean it needs a parachute for example. You then need to apply to the prefecture for each flight you want to carry out for permission.
Oh and you cannot personally be licensed to film from a drone, you need a limited company to operate. Oh and insurance; which you will only get if your are licensed.
Makes ski instructing look like an easier route. The drone pilot's exam will change this autumn to be much stricter - a kind of Eurotest for drone flyers, you will have to perform high speed figures through gates etc (I kid you not) as well as a theory exam which will touch more on the health and safety aspects. However anyone currently licensed will, guess what, get grandfather rights to fly.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
davidof wrote:
The drone pilot's exam will change this autumn to be much stricter - a kind of Eurotest for drone flyers, you will have to perform high speed figures through gates etc (I kid you not) as well as a theory exam which will touch more on the health and safety aspects. However anyone currently licensed will, guess what, get grandfather rights to fly.
The current developments with autonomous drones does make that a bit more interesting tho, as there is no pilot. Who gets the licence? The software developers? The manufacturer? As the drone owner isn't controlling it certainly.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
feef wrote:
The current developments with autonomous drones does make that a bit more interesting tho, as there is no pilot. Who gets the licence? The software developers? The manufacturer? As the drone owner isn't controlling it certainly.
Clearly the software developers will need to hold pilot's licenses I note that some jurisdictions allow you greater freedom to fly things manually, and in line-of-sight. This seems more than a little bit luddish; POV cameras and decent UAV firmware limit a whole bunch of potential accidents, I'd say. Maybe I should start boning up on aviation-grade software certification now, cos I bet there'll be money to be made there soon enough.
Anyway, these problems will come to a head in the near future. Decent camera-carrying UAVs aren't cheap, but the price is dropping sharply every year. DIY is entirely practical, given that there are plenty of other folk out there dealing with the awkward software and electronics stuff, and everything else can be made or purchased easily enough. Give it a few years and you'll be able to build a drone out of lego. Anyone fancy running a sweepstake on when someone is going to fly a graffiti-drone to the HQ of the French aviation authority and write a friendly note?
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Quote:
Give it a few years and you'll be able to build a drone out of lego
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Serriadh wrote:
Anyway, these problems will come to a head in the near future. Decent camera-carrying UAVs aren't cheap, but the price is dropping sharply every year. DIY is entirely practical, given that there are plenty of other folk out there dealing with the awkward software and electronics stuff, and everything else can be made or purchased easily enough. Give it a few years and you'll be able to build a drone out of lego. Anyone fancy running a sweepstake on when someone is going to fly a graffiti-drone to the HQ of the French aviation authority and write a friendly note?
In a more serious vein, the products are available on the (near) market already...
Couple of articles on Whitelines earlier this week, 2 products heading to market, Squadrone, endorsed by Xavier De Le Rue, and one called Airdog which can track you and a comrade separately. There looks like a market, or at least a perceived market - the Squadrone unit got 9 times its $50k Kickstarter funding in days, Airdog looks like crossing 150% of its £200k kickstart in a day or two.
At the risk of pulling a 'no true scotsman' argument, it was glued together, and uses third party cameras, control hardware, motors and propellers.
feef wrote:
I don't think the law cares nor distinguishes between decent and crap
Its interesting you should say that. The law generally does not. That said, you might usefully compare and contrast the reactions you get from police and security folk when you're wielding an SLR with a big fancy lens on it to when you're merely using a cameraphone. The law may eventually be on your side, but you, your property, your bank balance and your free time might not do so well in the shorter term.
Small devices with low flight times that must be operated at closer ranges and generally within line of sight due to control system limitations would seem rather less likely to attract official ire (and might be rather more difficult to make a video as nice as "Nacy vu du ciel" with) than something big and fast with a large payload, etc.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Could you use one to fly a few sarnies and a minature brandy to your mate stuck up a mountain?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
hey guys, saw you were talking about Hexo. but did you know that AirDog drone had prelaunched same idea 2 weeks before Hexo? and it is a hell lot better auto-follow drone for GoPro. AND IT SHIPS THIS NOVEMBER!! so we can get it until X-mas already this year! You can visit AirDog Kickstarter page here http://bit.ly/KickstartAirDog
- Action sports has aggressive movement so it needs precise tracking. AirLeash - waterproof precision motion tracker with array of inertial sensors. It is easier to use, safer and much more precise than a smartphone based GPS-only tracking. We abandoned smartphone based solution after tests 6 months ago as not satisfactory for action sports;
- Waterproof tracker enables you to shoot videos above water (surf, wake, kite) without range issues and with delayed take-off option;
- control range: 300m vs 50m;
- Tracker is easy to use with gloves or on helmet when it is out of sight (big push buttons);
- Dual-axis camera gimbal designed for heavier setup: GoPro in it's protective waterproof case. Your camera will appreciate that. (AirDog is the only drone that offers this);
- low profile foldable design, so it's backpack friendly;
- thought-out and really useful flight and filming modes: record lap, aim &shoot, circle around plus many dedicated modes for different action sports, because in every sports you need a bit different settings from our experience. It is not just about sending drone to a GPS coordinates;
- increased wind resistance. Copters under 1.2 kg (2.5 pounds) will struggle to fight winds of 5 m/s (10 knots) and more;
- the system already exists, it can be demonstrated and is getting ready for mass production;
- all the aerial footage you see in our promo video is filmed with actual AirDog prototype with auto-follow modes, no pilot, no manual control, no post stabilization;
AirDog is designed for aggressive maneuvers providing 3D camera pointing, including pitch control - keeps you in the middle of the frame at all times;
- AirDog has a landing gear and camera gimbal positioned in front, so it will not be damaged during landing.
Hope you choose wisely!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
hey guys, saw you were talking about Hexo. but did you know that AirDog drone had prelaunched same idea 2 weeks before Hexo? and it is a hell lot better auto-follow drone for GoPro. AND IT SHIPS THIS NOVEMBER!! so we can get it until X-mas already this year! You can visit AirDog Kickstarter page here http://bit.ly/KickstartAirDog
- Action sports has aggressive movement so it needs precise tracking. AirLeash - waterproof precision motion tracker with array of inertial sensors. It is easier to use, safer and much more precise than a smartphone based GPS-only tracking. We abandoned smartphone based solution after tests 6 months ago as not satisfactory for action sports;
- Waterproof tracker enables you to shoot videos above water (surf, wake, kite) without range issues and with delayed take-off option;
- control range: 300m vs 50m;
- Tracker is easy to use with gloves or on helmet when it is out of sight (big push buttons);
- Dual-axis camera gimbal designed for heavier setup: GoPro in it's protective waterproof case. Your camera will appreciate that. (AirDog is the only drone that offers this);
- low profile foldable design, so it's backpack friendly;
- thought-out and really useful flight and filming modes: record lap, aim &shoot, circle around plus many dedicated modes for different action sports, because in every sports you need a bit different settings from our experience. It is not just about sending drone to a GPS coordinates;
- increased wind resistance. Copters under 1.2 kg (2.5 pounds) will struggle to fight winds of 5 m/s (10 knots) and more;
- the system already exists, it can be demonstrated and is getting ready for mass production;
- all the aerial footage you see in our promo video is filmed with actual AirDog prototype with auto-follow modes, no pilot, no manual control, no post stabilization;
AirDog is designed for aggressive maneuvers providing 3D camera pointing, including pitch control - keeps you in the middle of the frame at all times;
- AirDog has a landing gear and camera gimbal positioned in front, so it will not be damaged during landing.
Hope you choose wisely!
Though the Airdog is double the price (even at Kickstarter level)...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi WilliamsM, Congrats on making your Kickstart goal and your first stretch goal too, good luck with the project, Personally I think Airdog looks like the more complete package. If I were putting my money down, its the unit i'd probably be looking at. Sure, its more expensive, but then so is the Go-Pro and that doesn't seem to stop everyone rushing to pick up the latest version of the Pro Black edition every year.
I do have one question though - do you hold the patents on any of this? What's to stop FoxConn from buying the first production unit and simply selling a Go-Pro badged drone?
do you hold the patents on any of this? What's to stop FoxConn from buying the first production unit and simply selling a Go-Pro badged drone?
Given the number of camera drones and radio-tracking systems out there already, patents seem unlikely (and the odds of a small company being able to use their patents against a monster like foxconn are slim, to say the least). Even with patents and trademarks and copyrights and whatever else, someone will build em cheap and flog em on ebay with no brand and no guarantees; that's pretty much a given these days.
Mass-produced Chinese copycats aren't the end of the world though, so long as people can still make and support a decent product and cope with the fact that their company probably won't be worth a hundred million any time soon.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It's kicking off with hexo claiming that air dog have hacked their tweets to get interest.
I like the hexo but the air dog does seem slightly better spec'd, at a price though.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I'd hold off either until we see which one the GSA chooses to beatify with his holy blessings.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Richard_Sideways wrote:
I'd hold off either until we see which one the GSA chooses to beatify with his holy blessings.
Good idea, though I have been known to be an early adopter when it comes to camera tech.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Richard_Sideways, surely the GSA-PBUH will rock both simultaneously as he did with the blessed Contour and GoPro.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I'm not keen on Airdog's marketing tho.. several facebook profiles, which should be for individuals not businesses (create a page for that) Private messages in Facebook which all seemed a little intrusive and spammy, and I said so on twitter.. this is their response...
Doesn't make me want to buy from them at all.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I had seen your tweet.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
twunts - the arrogance of some start ups continues to astound. A marketeer should never be in a position to define what is spam after all cheap Viagra is useful to someone.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Your communiquette does smack a bit of "Yours Sincerely, Angry of Droitwich" feef - leading out with 'YOUR MARKETING IS THAT OF CRIMINALS AND I'LL NEVER BUY YOUR STUFF' is seldom going to deliver results. Despite their online presence smacking a bit of amateur hour, I have a kind of respect for companies who don't grovel and kowtow to every 140 character commentard who fires their way - in the same way I wish Gordon Brown has stuck by his 'bigoted old woman' remark.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Well, considering anything negative is being deleted on their facebook page, a tweet seemed to be the only thing they couldn't delete or ignore, and 140 characters does limit what you can say
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Forget quadcopters, this is clearly the most awesome way to film your skiing...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Serriadh wrote:
....
In the UK, for example, so long as the drone is under 7kg you seem to be fine, as it would fall under existing remote control aircraft laws. No flying out of sight, however......
More that that, the person in charge of the craft has to be in direct line of site. CAA document CAP 658 Chapter 7 refers.
Quote:
The law requires that the person in charge of a model aircraft must maintain direct unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path so that collisions may be avoided. This is obviously not possible if the person in charge is wearing goggles or is otherwise constantly monitoring a display.
As for skiing instructors, they would be using the craft commercially, and so CAP 658 Chapter 14 would apply, and so the operator would need an ANO Permission from the CAA.
I suspect that an awful lot of First Person View drones and model aircraft are operating illegally within the UK - and I am unaware of policing to stop that. However if an operator were involved in an incident, no insurance I am aware of would cover it, and the operator could have an interesting time with the police and courts.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I note that some jurisdictions allow you greater freedom to fly things manually, and in line-of-sight. This seems more than a little bit luddish; POV cameras and decent UAV firmware limit a whole bunch of potential accidents, I'd say. Maybe I should start boning up on aviation-grade software certification now, cos I bet there'll be money to be made there soon enough.
