Finally got a "real" drone!

[Big-Foot]

Amazing video (Train) - highly illegal here in US but amazing nonetheless...

Originally Posted by Blindcoyote

I guess it must be me, but I have tried 3 different drones and every one seems to drift. with zero wind. Shouldn't they just hover if you're not messing with the controls?

My DJI has started to drift slightly from time to time. A controller recalibration was all it took on those particular days. But in hindsight, I had not checked the Kp Index with UAV-Forecast and it may well have been a factor.

[Squerly]

The recreation park in town from 350'.

[Big-Foot]

Nice park Jim! Hopefully a popular place for the kids to hang out!

[Squerly]

Went out this morning to fly around the house. Wind got nasty and at my novice stage, I decided to make a quick return home. Anyhow, for what it's worth, here is how it turned out.

I own 50 acres that backs up against thousands of acres of government forest land and my nearest neighbor is a mile down the mountain. So here I am, out on the side of a mountain, flying my drone... lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukdmOPowPBo

[Sweetbriar]

Just so any potential novice pilot knows -

Spent a week at an unclassified Naval Air Search Radar Users Group meeting last week. Heavy discussions regarding drones, detections ranges and discrimination from birds and such. One of the contractors put on a live demo via Skype of the radar data and a video feed from the drone. The radar easily detected, tracked and classified the drone on the first scan or sweep of the antenna past where the drone was flying at just short of 5 miles and held the track until just short of landing. They claimed firm detections for the same drome in excess of 10 miles (they wouldn't disclose actual limits). Very easy to pick out from ground clutter and other such chaff due to the doppler effect coming off the blades and motors.

In other words be careful where you fly and know where the no fly zones are. Very easy to pinpoint exactly where you are.

The radar display. The drone is at 170 deg true. The black arrows are birds.


The drone.

https://www.amazon.com/DJI-Inspire-1...G0BYKFQNB2T0VR

Have fun, and BTW I fly RC planes when I can make the time to effect repairs from the last flight termination. The hobby has been very organized for years which is probably why you never hear anything about it.

[Squerly]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

Just so any potential novice pilot knows -

Spent a week at an unclassified Naval Air Search Radar Users Group meeting last week. Heavy discussions regarding drones, detections ranges and discrimination from birds and such. One of the contractors put on a live demo via Skype of the radar data and a video feed from the drone. The radar easily detected, tracked and classified the drone on the first scan or sweep of the antenna past where the drone was flying at just short of 5 miles and held the track until just short of landing. They claimed firm detections for the same drome in excess of 10 miles (they wouldn't disclose actual limits). Very easy to pick out from ground clutter and other such chaff due to the doppler effect coming off the blades and motors.

In other words be careful where you fly and know where the no fly zones are. Very easy to pinpoint exactly where you are.

Good info to know. I can't speak for others, but I'm lucky enough to have a couple of large fields and very few neighbors anywhere around. Staying over my own land and under the 400 foot ceiling isn't a problem for me.

[Big-Foot]

Nice place there Jim! Yes, the winds in the mountains can be really fickle and sometimes the trees don’t really help.

Sweetbriar - great info!

Guys, if you’ve not already got the App, I highly recommend UAV Forecast.
Here are a couple screen shots I just took.
It’s drizzle raining here right now.
Important factors are your flying zones and also solar flare activity (Kp Index) which can really screw up your Drone’s telemetry etc. This App brings things to our attention that we would otherwise possibly not know.

[Squerly]

The weather has been nice for a couple of days so I went for a flight over the property. Took off from the middle field and flew up to 400'.

That little white spot in the middle of the forest, (at the end of the video) is my house. We call our spread "Deer Springs" I'm very well tucked into the trees so it's hard to see anything. But yes, that's my humble abode.

We're the only family on the entire mountain and literately thousands of acres around us. Yes, I planned it that way...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1cS...ature=youtu.be

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by Squerly

The weather has been nice for a couple of days so I went for a flight over the property. Took off from the middle field and flew up to 400'.

That little white spot in the middle of the forest, (at the end of the video) is my house. We call our spread "Deer Springs" I'm very well tucked into the trees so it's hard to see anything. But yes, that's my humble abode.

We're the only family on the entire mountain and literately thousands of acres around us. Yes, I planned it that way...

Awesome place to live. I'm jealous

[Big-Foot]

Beautiful area Jim!

[Squerly]

Took the MH to Lake Lanier for a few days and shot this video early yesterday morning. Be kind, I'm learning...

[Squerly]

Got a break in the rain so I took the dogs to the field. While I was there I snapped a couple of pictures of the backyard from 395'.