Analysis Paralysis

Whenever I approach a new topic that I have no experience with previously, I tend to research it carefully.  Certainly the world of UAVs demands that you educate yourself and act responsibly.  The majority of UAV crashes and incidents can be attributed to pilot error.

I try to understand as much of the underlying technology as I can to create a good knowledge base from which to work.

So, in an effort to educate myself on this topic and discipline, I have used 2 resources:

The internet
A local UAV retailer

First up is the internet.  Everything you need to know is out there.  You just need to separate the wheat from the chaff.  With that in mind, I offer these found resources that were very useful in my research.

Let's start at the beginning.  How does a helicopter work?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdEWzqsfeHM&list=PLNbXXMoWfR3Bf7Z77vcviPlkHtTXUlEpC

Here is an excellent series on flying a model helicopter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeUTh3iWRec

OK, now let's get quad specific...

Quad flight school:

http://quadcopter101.blogspot.com/2013/10/chapter-1-introduction-to-quadcopters.html

Lessons and resources:

http://myfirstdrone.com/
http://www.phreakmonkey.com/2014/12/beginners-guide-to-flying-quadcopter.html
http://www.dronethusiast.com/quadcopter-beginners-guide-learn-to-fly-drones/
http://www.tested.com/art/makers/459457-joining-quad-squad-how-get-started-rc-quadcopters/
http://www.realflight.com/basic/basic-aircraft.html
http://www.inspirepilots.com/threads/understanding-compass-and-magnetic-fields.3742/

LiPo (the battery of choice for the R/C world):

http://multirotorforums.com/threads/understanding-lithium-polymer-batteries.12072/

General forums for reading and asking questions:

Forums:

http://multirotorforums.com

http://www.inspirepilots.com/

http://quadcopterforum.com/

http://droneflyers.com/talk/

http://aeroquad.com/

http://www.rcdiscuss.com/forum.php

https://www.avforums.com/forums/drone-quadcopter-forum.446/

And a couple of DJI Inspire 1 sites:

http://visual-aerials.com/dji-inspire-1.html (includes nice checklist)

http://www.inspirehelp.com/

And, while this might be a bit pre-mature for you, here is a set of pre-flight checklists for the DJI Inspire:

http://www.dronefrontier.com/inspire1checklist
http://www.inspirepilots.com/resources/categories/dji-inspire-1-downloads.1/

MY NOTE:

Quad calibrations should be done away from:

Any metal objects (fence, car etc)
Do not wear a watch
Do not do around cell phone

A final note - check your surroundings for power lines/ cell towers or any other items that might be an issue

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make Sure Batteries Are Fully Charged in Both TX and A/C
Verify Mode P/A/F
Put phone and tablet in flight mode
Power On TX
Power On A/C
Load DJI App
Exit Storage Mode via the app
Power Off A/C
Attach Camera
Check memory card is inside the camera
Install Props & Prop locks when we get them.
If winter set outside for a few minutes to get Acculamated to Temp.
Power On A/C
Check For cleanest Channel?????
Calibrate Compass
Check IMU Calibration .99 - 1.01
Set Fail Safe Height
Set RTH For A/C or TX
Point Antennas Correctly on TX
Power up motors if in winter to allow motors to warm up for a minute or so.
Then enjoy your flight
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRE-LOCATION
• Batteries / tablet charged
• Firmware current
• Calibrate RC
• Confirm desired RC mode
• Memory card cleared

ON LOCATION
• Disable wifi on tab and airplane mode phones
• Prop locks / tighten props
• Calibrate your compass
• Calibrate your IMU (if readings are off)
• Give GPS a moment to lock in
• Properly position antenna
• Confirm RTH settings
• Confirm fail safe height
• Liftoff to 2-3 ft and watch behavior (steady, or drifting)

MISC
• Camera settings
• Check weather
• Plan flight route
• Be aware of surroundings.
• Allow unit to acclimate, then motors to warmup (cold weather)
• Always be prepared GPS loss
• Stay within line of sight
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather:
Wind below 20mph?
If below 40 F, use battery foam
Physical inspection:
SD card
Inspect bird and props
Install camera
Install props
Install prop locks
Prepare iPad:
Close all other apps
Open DJI Pilot
Cache maps for flight
Airplane Mode on
Verify TX switches:
Flight mode switch
Landing gear down
Power TX
Power aircraft:
Monitor status check and warm up LED indicators
Calibrate compass
Check IMU MOD levels:
Gyro: 0
Accel: .99-1.01
Comp: 1400-1600
When was last TX calibration?
Lift off to 6 ft hover:
Verify stable hover
Verify all controls are responsive
Landing gear up
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRE FLIGHT CHECK LIST

1______CHOSE A GOOD TAKE-OFF LANDING PLACE

2______CHECK PROPS

3______CHECK CAMERA FILTER

4______TURN ON REMOTE CONTROL - APP TURNS ON

5______CHECK TABLET BATTERY LEVEL

6______TURN ON AIRPLANE MODE ON TABLET / CONFIRM

7______FLIGHT MODE SWITCH IN P POSITION ON REMOTE ( P - ATTI)

8______TURN ON INSPIRE

9______TURN ON PILOT APP – CONFIRM BASICS ON SCREEN

_______FLIGHT MODE (P-ATTI)

_______AIRCRAFT BATTERY CHARGED

_______RC BATTERY CHARGED

10______CALIBRATE COMPASS

11______CONFIRM GPS CONTROL

_______APP SCREEN - SATELLITE BARS FULL

_______APP SCREEN – SAFE TO FLY (GPS CONTROL)

_______INSPIRE REAR LIGHT BLINKING GREEN

12______CONFIRM GIMBAL MODE ON APP (FOLLOW, for me)

13______MAP CHECK – AIRPLANE ICON AT HOME BASE?

14______CHECK AND CONFIRM CAMERA SETTINGS

15______STAND BEHIND INSPIRE (this helps me)

16______TAKE OFF – HOVER – FINAL CHECK OF BATTERY LEVELS, GPS CONTROL

17______RAISE LANDING GEAR

18______FLY SAFELY, SHOOT. CONSTANT BATTERY CHECK – ALLOW TIME TO RETURN
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, in the next post I will talk specifically about my conclusions based on the research I have done as well as my experiences with a local UAV retailer.

State your goal

State your goal is something I have said to clients that were struggling with what they think they need and get them focused on the desired end result instead of the process to get there.

The process to get there is my problem.  I also use it on myself in an effort to simplify what I am trying to accomplish.

The goal for me here is to be able to do aerial coverage of farm, ranch and equestrian facilities as well as the odd golf course fly through tour...

With that in mind I put together a set of criteria and did some research as well as leveraging my own knowledge of video production techniques and content distribution.

• Most of our work ends up on the web.  That means we don't need to fly a RED or an Alexa.
• A hexacopter with gimbal and camera is about $13K+.
• A quadcopter with HD camera can be had from about $200+.  The low end sans gimbal.
• Almost all quadcopters restrict a 360 degree view due to landing gear. 
• Quadcopters with retractable landing gear are pricey.

Add to this that the closest I have ever been to flying anything is in GTA.  Years ago I read a book on flying called Stick and Rudder so the ideas of yaw, pitch and roll were not new.   I had the theory but ZERO practice.

I am also VERY aware of how dangerous any kind of helicopter type of vehicle is.  Consider this:

Safety is of the utmost importance here.  In order to be safe we have to educate ourselves on the topic at hand.  Listen to the advice of the experts.  Always act responsibly.  Always be a positive ambassador to the UAV community at large.

If someone had been standing in front of that door when the UAV crashed, that person would have gone to the hospital.  As a responsible UAV pilot we must all work towards never, ever placing someone at risk like this.

This means flying your UAV only in areas that are legal and safe.  Sadly, the pilots that upload footage from a UAV taken over people on a beach or at a festival or anything of that nature is just downright irresponsible.  Four or more spinning blades make for a nasty weapon should the UAV go out of control.

Within the current FAA rules, there is a section 333 that a professional user of UAV equipment will need to file an exemption for.  I will talk about that process in a later post as I make application for the exemption.  Currently, the FAA is a bit overwhelmed with requests for this so they are taking a while to process.

In the mean time, I have a lot to learn and a lot to cover.

In the next installment, I will talk about the different UAVs that were considered as well as our current front runner.  The use of a mini-UAV to learn to fly will also be discussed.  part of my goal here is convey my process to hopefully ease the pain for others that are considering this as a tool.

Welcome to The R/C Retard

This is my blog to document my experiences and progress as an aspiring pilot of quadcopters.  In an effort to expand my video business, I intend to add aerial photography as a new service.

The video above, in my opinion, exemplifies the beauty of aerial photography.  The use of framing, as well as camera and subject movement are excellent and provide us with something to aspire to.  It documents how multi-rotor UAVs can be used to incredible effect for the photographic and videography worlds.

The current state of the drone industry in terms of public perception as well as the FAA's extremely slow reaction time in terms of creating rules for the safe use of drones has led some states to legislate in ways that are not reasonable for the professional videographer engaged in the legitimate and safe use of drones.

This blog will also report on issues that seem relevant to this fast changing world of drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).  Going forward I will refer to these as UAVs or by their rotor designation (quad, hex, octo etc.) as the term drone has the negative connotation of the weaponized drones used by the military.

As I have started my journey into the world of multi-rotor UAVs, I am reminded of the nascent personal computer industry.  Although when I started in that business, the name personal computer had yet to be coined and we just knew them as microcomputers.  The rate of innovation and change in this field is just as incredible.

I think it's a very exciting time for the UAV pilot or pilot to be with new technologies emerging annually that hold great promise and spark the imagination.  Products such as the DJI Phantom 3 and the Inspire 1, 3DRobotics SOLO and Lily are all amazing tools that broaden our reach as photographers and videographers.

As I write this, in August 2015, ideas like collision avoidance systems will be commonplace for Prosumer and professional UAVs alike in 2 years time.  When you look at how accurate the GPS positioning is for these flying cameras, it's far from being able to do motion control but I suspect that day is not that far off.

As a final note, we do not monetize this blog.  It is just a place for us to freely document our experiences with both the activity of aerial photography and videography as well as the products associated with it.  When we talk about any products, we are describing our unvarnished opinions and experiences with the product, both good and bad.

Stay tuned for more!