RC India

I see some interesting trends emerging in growing beyond RC concerning UAV and FPV

So I thought why not just brain storm a bit  and find out  what members feel   about these :

1) UAV : Autonomous  flight with lower end practically affordable products like Ardu Pilot etc from DIY Drones  the total package will be around Rs 20 K ++ for a thermopile type and around Rs 25 k ++ for IMU Type .

2) FPV  :  no idea at what price will people be interested in any case a complete system I guess should retail around Rs 30 K ++

Currently these  are the system price estimates apart from the flying platform

The reason I am asking this is because these are future trends , what intrigues me is that I have had many customers from North India talking to me especially about UAV's as they are looking for multiplex planes as platforms .

Sai

FPV flight ? ;D 

Yes see this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZctEMMHICQA

OR this funjet :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx-afykd9Xw

Guys are pushing to fly beyond visual range .
This might not be  even considered in India now , but future who knows  ;D

Sai

I was hoping for more of definition and textual description for the sake of others  :P

Anyways, it is "First  Person Video" flight, where the model is controlled by looking only at the video feed transmitted from the model.

OK did not realize what you meant  no problems thanks for having expanded.

sai

Cool video!.. I always wanted to do it but the equipment cost put me off. BTW, I guess, there would be legal issues if you fly that far and at that height.

-Ismail

I agree flying around cities at that altitude and distance could pose legal issues.

But the feel of piloting your RC Plane from the cockpit seems amazing . In fact to give you the realistic feeling the special  eye ware has a HUD ( Head UP Display ) which  gives you  various  reading  including battery voltage , you also get what is called as head tracking  which automatically pans  the camera in the plane based on your head movement on ground.

These seem great growth areas for Modelers in a couple of years .
As for the cost yes today it might be too high but as it usually happens I expect that these would get affordable in the years to come.

As for autonomous flight  I was involved in a project  by an engineering college  and the thrill lies in actually predetermining a flight path  and getting the plane to perform that without manual interference  and watching it  follow those commands on a laptop.

Sai

@ sai,

FPV, UAV & mav are been done in india. There are alot of individuals & companies into this. i saw atleast 6 indian companies in the aero india show.

So i don't think india is lacking in this at all.

Photography is not illegal only you should not break anybodies privacy & not fly the models over govt or defence property.

Katty ,
I am closely associated with 3 of them  for UAV/MAV related platforms  , but these  are high end  variety similar to MICRO Pilot , Kestrel , etc .
I am talking about hobby budget products.
The legal angle Ismail is talking about I assume is at  high altitude when you fly a foam plane say like above cloud level as in the VDO's  you will not be visible to air traffic  and  could be infringing  air space  of commercial or other flights  same goes for long distance flights .
Like this one :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6luxYUN9gpw

sai

SO WHAT IS THE COST THAT WILL TURN YOU ON  ;) ;D

That is very interesting. I was always interested in experimenting with FPVs. How much would the Video transmitter / receiver setup cost, and the range for it ? also the other issue would be range of the radio .. ie the ones we use are < 1 km  .. so how do you go about that ?

 ;D - Well, I saw a video of FPV about 2 years before and the guy who made the video had made references to the equipments he used. The video transmitter alone soared about $200!!.. On top of that the video googles with motion sensor and other accessories were way too much.

For a SPADer like me, I would prefer a kit or a circuit diagram to make it. That is more fun than buying it off the self. The max I would spend is about $300.

No Longer a SPADer you now have an arf  ;D ;D

The budget you mentioned is not really way off the mark  within striking distance excluding shipping freight  for a basic FPV set up without head tracker  which I am told is  not essential for a beginner in FPV in any case

Oh yes... but deep inside me I am a spadder.

That ARF would not survive my kind of landing...I am used to SPADs! SPADs are like real men... 8)

Ismail ,
Your Spitfire is featured on IIT Chennai Tech fest web site for aero fest/ air show :

http://www.shaastra.org/2009/site/events/aero_fest/air_show

It seems to grab attention where ever it goes  ;D {:)}

Sai

Oh don't remind me of that puppy!.. I always miss it. Next trip to India, I am planning to get it with me.

Feels good that its been featured in IIT. Might have given a demo flight if I were there.

Here is another crazy FPV Video  the plane is a Multiplex FOX chuck glider converted to Brushless , this is the smallest Multiplex plane for kids :o :

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1087542

Check out the Video " Hey can you fly thru that "

Sai

 {:)} superb mr.sai.. thanks for sharing that thread..

Multiplex products are simply awesome.. All new beginners should start with multiplex, they many not be so cheap but trust me its worth each and every penny you put in...I started some months back with multiplex easy star and totally loving each and every moment of it...

Am sure i will be buying the new Multiplex Easy Glider Pro kit from mr.sai soon..

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373015

For more details you can get in touch with mr.sai (rcforall)

cheers

atul g.

Here is the video Sai mentioned.

http://vimeo.com/5137358

Interesting FPV Video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBn1h0x-37E

Wonder how the rockets are ignited in air .

The OSD is this one developed entirely by the author Remzibi have ordered one of them
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=921467

Amazing what all these guys develop and try  {:)}
Sai

another thrilling FPV video, where favorite easy star gliding through clouds...and he lost it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okgATpm449U

That was an interesting one.

Another Enchanting FPV Video  (:|~ (:|~

http://vimeo.com/4231984

The music that goes with it is awesome

Yet another reason FPV is a good idea !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCEXEHSSmTo