RC helicopters for aerial photography?

That's a MikroKopter Octa, posted earlier in this thread: https://www.mikrocontroller.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=80&products_id=506&zenid=9008256cb4d5858e8b68a2313b7801f4

About 1/3 of the price of the pre-built one.

Mike Gerstner said:

Supposedly it has gyro stabilization, and I think I read somewhere in the description by the owner, or perhaps on the manufactureres site, that you can preview the shots on a laptop while in the air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLZHjdY6i3s&feature=player_embedded

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1027&message=35958020

peruse through some of his posts and you'll get some more info. Pretty sure its part of his commercial venture.

pre-built not cheap,

http://www.robotshop.com/oktokopter-2-fully-loaded-octocopter-uav.html

but you can build your own, google octocopter plans or something similar

Mike

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Actually, where I live they have specifically outlawed it. Besides the local law enforcement getting excited about it there was something about privacy issues or some such.

There was a quad/octa rig that could be had for <$1000 that pretty much flew itself but now they are >$8000 and illegal to fly over residential neighborhoods.

The FAA regulates this kind of self-powered flight -- particularly strongly when it comes to residential and city areas -- and even more so when it comes to commercial work.

I'd highly recommend looking into the FAA regs on it.

I think you are in Mexico - so you should be OK - but don't try it in the US.

As others have said - FAA won't issue you a license to do real estate photography.

http://photographyforrealestate.net...nmanned-drones-doing-real-estate-photography/

The new drones have pilot assist and GPS built-in - much easier to fly than a fully manual RC Helis. You don't need to be a real pilot to fly one of the new drones.

Check out some videos using GoPros with the DJIs

http://www.dji.com/showcase/

Edymagno said:

Edymagno wrote:

I'm seriously considering going into real-estate aerial photography flying rc helis. I've never flown one. I don't own on yet. Initial budget would be some sort of limited.

Once I learn to fly a beginners heli, I'm planning on buying a bigger one that can lift a small camera. So far, I think the best choice currently would be the Canon S95 for its feautures and performance and for being able to take the CHDK hack.
Any comments, info and suggestions would be extremely appreciated.
Eduardo

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Remote-Controlled Model Helicopter Fatally Strikes Its Operator

A few years ago I bought some studio gear from a guy getting into the aerial photography business. He had two large AC helicopters crated that he was afraid to fly and lose $$$$. On a table he had a smaller one that cost a mere $3000 dollars.

He was so confident in his AC helicopter piloting skills that he also had a large RC blimp sitting in another crate. It was the kind you might see in sports stadiums shooting tshirts at crowds.

I'm pretty sure he was selling his studio gear because he was going broke buying gadgets he was afraid to fly. Not really sure what came of his new business venture.

The FAA needs to hurry up and figure out an acceptable policy for commercial drones in the US. They're useful, but can be dangerous to low flying planes.

Edymagno said:

Edymagno wrote:

I'm seriously considering going into real-estate aerial photography flying rc helis. I've never flown one. I don't own on yet. Initial budget would be some sort of limited.

Once I learn to fly a beginners heli, I'm planning on buying a bigger one that can lift a small camera. So far, I think the best choice currently would be the Canon S95 for its feautures and performance and for being able to take the CHDK hack.
Any comments, info and suggestions would be extremely appreciated.
Eduardo

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As has been pointed out standard Heli big enough to do the job is a expensive and hard to learn skill.

On the other hand there are the multi engine platforms that are easier to fly and seem to be less costly to own. And much more stable when flying. That seems to be where air photography of this type is going. Sooner or later I'll probably try one, I'd already be playing with heli if they were not so expensive and so delicate.

You can get the quadcopter camera setups as a kit for instance.

Since this thread was started there have been some serious changes in regulations, Fed,State,local. And of course equipment, choppers, cams etc. as to cost I just received a quadcopter (electric) for $149.00 RTF out of the box. Personally I think its one step up from a Toys-R-Us thing, but it does a great job for about 5 minutes.

I have a friend that flys a quad with a miniture video cam and gets remarkable images.

Here in the US, aerial photography is regulated by the FAA, and if done for commercial gain, must be done from certified aircraft. RC, Ultralight, Light Sport, and Experimental don't fit that requirement. Also, RC flying is only legal up to 400' as I recall in Class B, C, D, and E airspace. Above 400 you are most likely in controlled airspace over most of the populated areas of the country, and that could get you dinged pretty good if you are caught. Some areas, like within 4 or 5 miles of an airport, control begins at the surface and extends up to 2500 or higher. Check the regs carefully before you do this. It is quite difficult to win a case against the FAA and their interpretations, even for a pilot of a certified airplane.

Yes to some of your post, actually its 3 miles from and airport for a model aircraft flying site(RC).

There currently is a system called FPV which is being used in the RC community. Search google for RC heli's o fixed wing craft for video capture. One group is from Cal. for RC heli's also check with the Academy of model aeronautics."AMA" in Muncie Ind.

Many years ago I built a model RC helicopter to photograph factory roofs with IR film to locate heat loss and leaks. The early models used one main rotor and one tail rotor, and were very tricky to launch and land due to pronounced ground effect.

There are more modern, powerful, and stable designs today using from 4 to 8 rotors, with 8- or 10-channel controls. They also have models with internal GPS to enable fixed hover, and return to launch point should control be lost. I am currently in the market for one to use with a camera. You can do your own search or start looking here:

Modular RC helicopters for photography

My advice is: don't start out with something cheap. Invest in quality equipment that will last and get the job done, especially for business use.

Hope this helps, and post how it turns out for you.