Have I got the bottle?

[Mel 08]

Having taken some photos over the tops of some dormant cooling towers I was thinking of trying to fly inside one of them.
They are 300ft tall and obviously made of concrete.
How far down do you think I can get before I loose signal?
Thoughts please.

Cheers Mel

 

[Ars3nal3432]

I have no idea, I would decided if the footage is worth loosing your drone over

 

[Mel 08]

Won't loose the drone.
If i loose signal it'll rth anyway

Positive thoughts lol

 

[Sheppie]

Having taken some photos over the tops of some dormant cooling towers I was thinking of trying to fly inside one of them.
They are 300ft tall and obviously made of concrete.
How far down do you think I can get before I loose signal?
Thoughts please.

Cheers Mel

You should be able to easily go all the way down. Please let us know.

 

[crosswired]

Won't loose the drone.
If i loose signal it'll rth anyway

Positive thoughts lol

yup, set rth altitude higher than structure is

 

[Mel 08]

yup, set rth altitude higher than structure is

Yes that's the main thing
I always have it set at 120mtrs
Will have to double. No tripple check it if /when I do it

 

[old man mavic]

i would be more concerned about loosing gps and the fact that all that rebar in the structure would send the Compass nuts once you were down below the rim ,but its your call

 

[Mel 08]

i would be more concerned about loosing gps and the fact that all that rebar in the structure would send the Compass nuts once you were down below the rim ,but its your call

That's my main concern.
But it should still rth. Shouldn'd it?

 

[old man mavic]

there are going to be some very unusual air currents inside such a large structure and if it went into Atti mode there's no telling how it would cope those things are open at the bottom and their shape causes a venturi effect to force the the air to rise up through the steam from the turbines to condense it back to water as it gets to the bottom ,for me it would not be worth the risk but yes in theory it should still RTH on loss of signal if it lasts that long

 

[PhantomFandom]

That's my main concern.
But it should still rth. Shouldn'd it?

How exactly would you figure that it returns home if GPS is not functioning? Once GPS is lost, the drone goes into ATTI mode and will just hover there. Then it is at the mer5cy of the air currents.

 

[SkyeHigh]

Having taken some photos over the tops of some dormant cooling towers I was thinking of trying to fly inside one of them.
They are 300ft tall and obviously made of concrete.
How far down do you think I can get before I loose signal?
Thoughts please.

Cheers Mel

You’re being brave today Mel. I’ve been inside a cooling tower at Radcliffe-on-Soar and it’s an intimidating place.

It will contain a lot of iron, which will surround your AC so unsure how the compass will react and you’ll quickly lose GPS. It’s not unusual to get a strong updraft within the structure too as it is open at the base.

Are you able to fly in at ground level first to see the effect it has on your AC?

 

[Ramjam61]

If you can approach them you could send it up from the bottom to about 30ft let it hover, then step back to a point where you can't see it. If you still have control and all looks good, get it insight again and try it at 60ft. Etc, etc until you reach the top. Iff you can't do this I would be inclined to not try it.

 

[PhantomFandom]

To me this sounds like the perfect storm of system failures:

• As soon as line of sight is broken between the remote and the drone by several feet of reinforced concrete, you can bet that you will lose signal. Video almost instantly. Control and telemetry will probably be lost very shortly thereafter.
• Let's say that you lose video signal first and continue to descend since you had left stick down for the descent. If it gets any decent distance below the rim then you can lose GPS. Now you have a drone in ATTI mode, no control signal, and potentially strange air currents.
• Unless the sun is directly overhead and shining straight down the shaft, you will have deep shadows and darkness. That means that vision sensors and collision avoidance are useless.

I certainly could be wrong and totally surprised that you successfully pull this off, but I would not attempt it.

 

[old man mavic]

Just to add if you do go from the bottom set your rth height lower than the narrowest part of the tower. You don't want it going up if that functions.

for me if at the bottom inside the tower then have it set to just hover or land rather than a set height

 

[Ramjam61]

for me if at the bottom inside the tower then have it set to just hover or land rather than a set height

Good idea. I realised rth might not work as it has to be 10-20m away from you horizontaly I believe.

 

[Mel 08]

A lot to think about
Will mull over it for a while

Thanks for all the input

Cheers Mel

 

[Mel 08]

To me this sounds like the perfect storm of system failures:

• As soon as line of sight is broken between the remote and the drone by several feet of reinforced concrete, you can bet that you will lose signal. Video almost instantly. Control and telemetry will probably be lost very shortly thereafter.
• Let's say that you lose video signal first and continue to descend since you had left stick down for the descent. If it gets any decent distance below the rim then you can lose GPS. Now you have a drone in ATTI mode, no control signal, and potentially strange air currents.
• Unless the sun is directly overhead and shining straight down the shaft, you will have deep shadows and darkness. That means that vision sensors and collision avoidance are useless.

I certainly could be wrong and totally surprised that you successfully pull this off, but I would not attempt it.

I've been inside dozens of cooling towers.
Used to work for a demolition firm that actually knocked down the surrounding power station.
Contrary to your belief they are only 4_6 inches thick.
A common misconception.
I will have a closer look at the site
I'm pretty sure it's riddled with cycle paths and footpaths nowadays

 

[ven]

Would not risk, even if close. I do have a solution ! Go inside yourself , maybe defeats object a little but it may save you £750. But I have a feeling, your going to do it tomorrow. Do you have the bottle? Yup

 

[Ramjam61]

A lot to think about
Will mull over it for a while

Thanks for all the input

Cheers Mel

If the weather plays ball this weekend I'm going to a local disused Quarry. It has some concrete sand and gravel hoppers. Also some dark and dingy very thick walled concrete (stone cutting) sheds. I'll take my mavic mini and try flying blind in and out of these structures. I'll let you know how I get on as the RC signal is not as good as the Air2 on that.

 

[Mel 08]

Would not risk, even if close. I do have a solution ! Go inside yourself , maybe defeats object a little but it may save you £750. But I have a feeling, your going to do it tomorrow. Do you have the bottle? Yup

I've been inside numourous cooling towers mate.
Thousands and thousands of wooden slats suspended on concrete shelving.
Must have stripped out 20 of them in the past
The air turbulence isn't as bad as people think.
Have watched kestrels hover inside them before getting to the nest