Recent content by ReadyKilowatt

I've had a part 107 since 2017. Renewed it in 2020 (let it lapse for a few months), then did the online recurrent this spring. No issues but I seem to really enjoy looking at sectionals and decoding weather briefs.

> View the FAA’s law enforcement guidance Page Not Found × The page or file you requested cannot be found. ID: 227519571 (Link at the bottom of the guidance page)

Running Pi-Aware software on a touchscreen: https://discussions.flightaware.com/t/piaware-with-a-touchscreen/61704 Probably overkill for most flights, but an option. On my Pixhawk birds I have a ground station Pi running Mavproxy, optional RTK correction and ADS-B, which also shows aircraft on...

If it is considered a wildlife refuge there may be notes on the sectional about recommended minimum overflight rules. As long as you weren't harassing animals you're OK. But if someone decides that the recommended 2000 ft note is a rule, that's going to open a can of worms. There's also the...

The first iPad with cellular I owned had a physical SIM card slot, but after setting it up with T-Mobile (legacy GSM technology) I was instructed to remove the SIM card and store it in a safe place. After setup it worked fine for years without a SIM card. However, when I upgraded to my current...

RTK can get GNSS down to a few centimeters.

What about the fact that it is moving and therefore would never get a "home" takeoff point? Would the GNSS system update quickly enough to get a solution? Old GPS receivers would take forever to lock in a cold start in a moving vehicle, sometimes hours. Can't imagine it would be able to keep up...

Still flying mine. No plans to upgrade. Doesn't get as much use as it did in years past, but mostly because I've been flying a Parrot Disco and modified 3DR Solo more. And also because I haven't been able to do much traveling or travel photography. But at this point it's probably the best value...

No. The people who would be directly participating in the flight language is there for (as an example) a film set with actors. The area is controlled and limited to actors and crew. It is expected that the RPIC brief everyone at the location for safety as part of the preflight checklist...

Imaging tech moves along fairly slowly, especially for artistic uses. Most DSLRs are using processor chips that are several generations behind mobile phones and tablets, for example. And more megapixels aren't as big of an issue if you're just taking pictures for web use. The big driver in...

Keep in mind that 30 minute window after "civil twilight" is still plenty dark when you're pointing a camera at the ground. Just plan your flight ahead of time to make sure you're landed before your Mavic turns back into a pumpkin! But agree with other posters that additional lighting is a good...

I get the impression their VC backers are more interested in marketing than producing a product. And they're still thinking that "everyone will want one" even though the regulatory environment is clamping down on consumer UAVs. Even the price point is set to sell millions at Best Buy instead of...

And the inevitable letdown when the product started to be used. I have a Solo I've been using for under-the-hood training, and with the Open Solo project it has become a pretty nice platform. But the stock firmware and some hardware (GPS, WiFi radios) were pretty bad and it took a lot of effort...

The real issue is that police departments are starting to see the value of sUAVs in their day to day activity. They'll get to do whatever they want, but civilian use be regulated out of existence.

I renewed my membership when it expired, mostly for the insurance. But another benefit to me is if I'm hassled I can at least show that I'm trying to follow the industry accepted norms. But as an organization I'd say they're about as relevant to the hobby as the ARRL is to ham radio. The...