helicopters (on topic!)

[Alan Braggins]

If the gutters are within reach of that, he could use something like

Handle would be stiffer than a couple of bamboo sticks, and he could clean the gutter with it himself....

even comes with a camera mount, but is American.)

But for a potentially fun toy which will give you video good enough to see "are there whole tiles missing or not", there are quite cheap options these days:

Searching YouTube will show sample videos.

[Andy Burns]

ISTR Roomba making a gutter cleaning robot, bet it's as hopeless as the carpet cleaning ones ..

[GB]

If you use a model helicopter for survey work, you need a CAA licence, which costs a couple of grand. Theoretically, even if you just survey your own roof you probably need that, but certainly if you do it commercially.

[JimK]

See

This documents all UK air law . The type of helicopter you want to fly would fall under "Small Unmanned S urveillance Aircraft" and as such is exempt from the vast majority of the A ir Navigation Order. The articles that do apply are: 138, 166, 167 and 232

Article 138 states that you must not recklessly or negligently cause or per mit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.

Article 166 refers to small unmanned aircraft and covers general safety req uirements of flying such a craft (see the link above to read them all). The y mainly cover the restrictions on height, flying over crowds of people, fl ying near airfields or other restricted airspace, that sort of thing.

Article 167 is concerned with small unmanned surveillance aircraft (pay att ention to Article 167 paragraph 5)

167 (1) The person in charge of a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not fly the aircraft in any of the circumstances described in paragraph 2 except in accordance with a permission issued by the CAA. (This permission is the license)

167 (2) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) are: (a) over or within 150 metres of any congested area; (b) over or within 150 metres of an organised open-air assembly of more tha n 1,000 persons; (c) within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft; or (d) subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), within 50 metres of any person.

167 (3) Subject to paragraph (4), during take-off or landing, a small unmanned surv eillance aircraft must not be flown within 30 metres of any person.

167 (4) Paragraphs (2)(d) and (3) do not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

167 (5) In this article 'a small unmanned surveillance aircraft' means a small unma nned aircraft which is equipped to undertake any form of surveillance or da ta acquisition.

Jim K

[cpvh]

Are the latest SLRs SLRs? IE, are they single lens reflex (I never was sure prescisly what reflex meant, but I suspect it's not present in the latest SLRs. Should thay more properly be called TTLs? Then again, perhaps they are reflex.

[Andy Burns]

Many have become mirrorless now, therefore no "reflexions", DSLM is the new DSLR (or even MILC).

[Tim Streater]

If they have a mirror that gets moved out the way when you press the shutter button, and a prism or mirror box to reroute the image to the viewfinder, then it is a single-lens reflex.

Not to be confused with:

[Mike Humphrey]

So you can't fly within 50 metres of anyone else's house or car, even when taking off or landing. That would seem to prohibit flying in most urban streets.

Mike

[John Williamson]

It would also seem to preclude the advertised use of many of the smaller ones as indoor toys.

[Mike]

That's correct, see the BMFA's page on FPV flying here:

- Mike