Near miss of bridge

[Dale D]

Even the music was stomach churning. I wouldn't have the cajones to fly that route.

 

[Eyeonyou]

Sometimes ya gotta risk it for the biscuit?

 

[Dale D]

not if I'm gonna lose my drone in the water!

 

[Eyeonyou]

If it drops from more then 50ft off the ground it’s most likely ruined anyway.

 

[Filipok]

If everyone only flew where they could actually see there drone with the naked eye then they wouldn’t be flying past 1000ft?

And the xxxxxxx shall commence...

 

[jonthecourier]

By using. Lighting such as ARC2 strobes VLOS is increased to about 2000-2500 ft in most cases.

To OP... beware of hanging cables, rope, etc. scout the area when possible before flying close.

Hi. I looked at the cube lights and they are so expensive, I can see what you mean when you say you can get a better VLOS perhaps the lights you use are a little less expensive, I will try using ARC2 as a search and see what happens. Best regards John from sunny Cornwall.

 

[Eyeonyou]

I would like to get some lights on mine as well if they weren’t so expensive

 

[Milo187]

Agreed. Still you can get closer and use binoculars, etc.

BTW ... Binoculars don't satisfy VLOS requirements. Eye glasses and contacts are the most "aid" that you can use.
According to Section 107.31 -
(a) With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight in order to:
(1) Know the unmanned aircraft’s location;
(2) Determine the unmanned aircraft’s attitude, altitude, and direction of flight;
(3) Observe the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and
(4) Determine that the unmanned aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Hi. I looked at the cube lights and they are so expensive, I can see what you mean when you say you can get a better VLOS perhaps the lights you use are a little less expensive, I will try using ARC2 as a search and see what happens. Best regards John from sunny Cornwall.

Hi. I looked at the cube lights and they are so expensive, I can see what you mean when you say you can get a better VLOS perhaps the lights you use are a little less expensive, I will try using ARC2 as a search and see what happens. Best regards John from sunny Cornwall.

Cubes are more for lighting, huge and heavy !
The Firehouse Tech ARCIIs are the go

drone strobe lights

drone strobe lights

www.firehousetechnology.com

Still on special I see.
Hope the little switch problems have been sorted by now ??
You can find threads on this forum by searching > Firehouse ARCII (or 2) LED

This is a popular set, red and green on outer front arms, white at rear, std nav setup for knowing orientation.
Aerial Pixel (a member here) makes arm mounts for these, but you can velcro on for remove and replace (I'd use a dob of urethane adhesive under the mounts to the arm and led though for extra security of the adhesive).

 

[Thomas B]

BTW ... Binoculars don't satisfy VLOS requirements. Eye glasses and contacts are the most "aid" that you can use.
According to Section 107.31 -
(a) With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight in order to:
(1) Know the unmanned aircraft’s location;
(2) Determine the unmanned aircraft’s attitude, altitude, and direction of flight;
(3) Observe the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and
(4) Determine that the unmanned aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.

Agreed,...my post was about scouting areas before flying to avoid things like the dangling cable or rope imaged above.

 

[Thomas B]

Cubes are more for lighting, huge and heavy !
The Firehouse Tech ARCIIs are the go

drone strobe lights

drone strobe lights

www.firehousetechnology.com

Still on special I see.
Hope the little switch problems have been sorted by now ??
You can find threads on this forum by searching > Firehouse ARCII (or 2) LED

This is a popular set, red and green on outer front arms, white at rear, std nav setup for knowing orientation.
Aerial Pixel (a member here) makes arm mounts for these, but you can velcro on for remove and replace (I'd use a dob of urethane adhesive under the mounts to the arm and led though for extra security of the adhesive).

I use 4 Firehouse ARC2s, one on each arm; 2whites on rear arms and then a red and a green on each front leg ... all in Aerial Pixel mounts no Velcro or adhesive needed. These have over 600 flights on them since Dec 2018. As mentioned above, this also helps visual recognition of drone orientation. Never a camera problem

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I use 4 Firehouse ARC2s, one on each arm; 2whites on rear arms and then a red and a green on each front leg ... all in Aerial Pixel mounts no Velcro or adhesive needed. . . . Never a camera problem

They look good there Thomas.
I plan to use the same setup pattern with nav lights red / green on front legs (pointing slightly outwards), and 2 white on the back arms.

I'll use velcro though, as I can place the loop tabs on other drones and swap the one set out to another drone as needed.

The other thing with mounts is they are so exy here in Australia, think the set (2) on Firehouse page are around AUD$25, so $50 a set (for use on one model drone) is just too much.
Better priced than the nice angled ones though, like available here in Aus from Perth Drone Shop . . .

DJI MAVIC 2 PRO ZOOM ENTERPRISE ARC STROBE MOUNT SET - Drone Shop Perth

DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Front or Rear Strobe Light Mount Set (Strobe not Included) Professional designed, US Made Strobe Light Set for DJI Mavic 2 Series Including Enterprise DJI Mavic 2 Pro Zoom Enterprise series mounts for the Firehouse Technology Strobe Light Series. Designed and made to snap...

droneshopperth.com.au

AUD$44 is about US$30 !!

Firehouse don't ship to Oz either, but I am getting some sent over via a relative there.

So good to see (FHT just confirmed for me) the switch problem is totally resolved, they do very rarely have a bad lipo in one here and there, they said, but fingers crossed this won't happen too often.

 

[Thomas B]

They look good there Thomas.
I plan to use the same setup pattern with nav lights red / green on front legs (pointing slightly outwards), and 2 white on the back arms.

I'll use velcro though, as I can place the loop tabs on other drones and swap the one set out to another drone as needed.

The other thing with mounts is they are so exy here in Australia, think the set (2) on Firehouse page are around AUD$25, so $50 a set (for use on one model drone) is just too much.
Better priced than the nice angled ones though, like available here in Aus from Perth Drone Shop . . .

DJI MAVIC 2 PRO ZOOM ENTERPRISE ARC STROBE MOUNT SET - Drone Shop Perth

DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Front or Rear Strobe Light Mount Set (Strobe not Included) Professional designed, US Made Strobe Light Set for DJI Mavic 2 Series Including Enterprise DJI Mavic 2 Pro Zoom Enterprise series mounts for the Firehouse Technology Strobe Light Series. Designed and made to snap...

droneshopperth.com.au

AUD$44 is about US$30 !!

Firehouse don't ship to Oz either, but I am getting some sent over via a relative there.

So good to see (FHT just confirmed for me) the switch problem is totally resolved, they do very rarely have a bad lipo in one here and there, they said, but fingers crossed this won't happen too often.

You can move the Aerial Pixel mounts for the lights as there flexible. A set of 4 for back arms and front legs is $13.00 U.S. plus shipping. Your U.S. contact could mail them... they are only good for M2P and Zoom... each model has it’s own type of mount. One thing about the mounts offer is protection for the circuit board. Just FYI. Details are here;

Home

Products by drone pilots for drone pilots. In 2013 we started Aerial-Pixel as a drone photography and videography service. Since then we have grown to also provide vinyl graphics, apparel and 3D printed products for the drone industry.

www.aerial-pixel.com

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

One thing about the mounts offer is protection for the circuit board.

Very true that.
Will take a look when the lights arrive, can always get the mounts posted, light and small so should be quite reasonable postage.

 

[Skywalker]

This wire:
View attachment 80066

Catch that just right and you turn your drone into a permanent wind chime.

Wow what are you viewing that on, a 65” HDTV? I see none of that detail on my phone.

 

[DJ Wes]

Wow what are you viewing that on, a 65” HDTV? I see none of that detail on my phone.

I think you've answered your own question. I viewed the YouTube video at 1920x1080 on a computer screen. You are using a phone.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Funny hey, you can't see wires, spider webs, and things like that when you're flying, can you !!?
Seen plenty of hits and near misses of inch thick HT electricity lines that UAV operators encounter and haven't seen (YouTube and here occasionally).
They seem to show up quite well in replay at home though.

 

[Milo187]

Agreed,...my post was about scouting areas before flying to avoid things like the dangling cable or rope imaged above.

Absolutely! What's really dangerous for us daredevils are those cables and very hard to see fishing lines!

One thing to note with his flight wasn't so much the top of bridge structure itself but the flag poles. I could see he had reasonable clearance for a dramatic shot but a bit too close to the poles for me! One tip for flying over/under a structure like this is to make sure you can see the opposite vertical surface. Line up equal to the front surface making sure your camera is in the 90 degree position then rise up/down a bit until you can see the other (back edge) of the structure. This will give you sufficient clearance and remember that things are a little further away from the drone than they appear in the camera view. I always allow a bit more space as a precaution and pay close attention to the wind. Of course the height of that bridge over water like that will almost always be pretty windy for sure!

 

[PAW]

I use 4 Firehouse ARC2s, one on each arm; 2whites on rear arms and then a red and a green on each front leg ... all in Aerial Pixel mounts no Velcro or adhesive needed. These have over 600 flights on them since Dec 2018. As mentioned above, this also helps visual recognition of drone orientation. Never a camera problem
View attachment 80110

And what's nice, you can use them with the PolarPro leg extenders...

 

[PhoebeSnow]

I was flying over a railroad trail trestle and the magnetic interference took effect. I'm hesitant now to ever fly through one and stay higher when over one. Being on a trail bridge over the Allegheny River on a five wide path I almost took off to photo shot my spouse. Glad I didn't take off on the 5 foot path on the birdge as interefence may have RTH in the brink. Fortunately, I opted to take off from the ground at the end and sure enpugh lost connection until the RTH where it landed close enough but on a large track of ground. Had I been on the trestle bridge it could have missed by enough to go into the river. Lessons learned.

For real risky shots I now use the Xiaomi FIMI X8 as I'd rather lose a $400 drone as opposed to an expensive DJI drone. And so far the Xiaomi has been flawless - I'm very surprised how very good it is and I use it for all of my high risk videos.