aerial photos

[AJH]

Following on from an earlier thread on overhead shots: I do some voluntary work on a nature conservation area and would like to monitor changes in vegetation. To this end I commissioned some vertical photos from a light aircraft and will repeat the exercise in a few years. The cost precludes doing it more regularly.

One of my colleagues hankers after this:

wondered about one with a good quality video camera and transmitter as my surveillance camera seems good for over 100 metres, although I guess it is not licensed for such use.

I haven't a clue what it costs until they respond to an enquiry but wondered if any aeromodellers here had done such a thing?

I doubt any farmer's here have use for this service nowadays ;-)

AJH

[Rod]

[Rod]

Much more information and detail is available here:

[Geo]

The flycam is quite popular (you could try utube for some sample videos)

[Owain]

Would a camera on a mast be high enough?

[Kevin]

Flycam is ok if you can fly whatever its attached to be it a plane or a helicopter

[AJH]

He's already got one!

Thanks Rod and Geo for the links, I'm still after someone who's actually built and used a camera in a pilotless plane.

AJH

[Alang]

[geoff]

In message , AJH writes

They were using one on Andrew Marrs "Britain from above" on Sunday night

- some farmer in East Anglia uses one

It's prolly repeated in the next few days

[nightjar]

Try talking to the members of a local flying club. You might well find someone who will be willing to take you up with a camera. It is illegal for a private pilot to make a profit from flying anyone, although some might ask for a contribution to costs. You might not get such professional results, but the photos would probably be better than nothing. I would look for Popular Flying Association Struts in the first instance. As a community of DIY aircraft builders, they tend to be very helpful people and to have a strong desire to fly for almost any excuse.

Colin Bignell

[Pete Verdon]

nightjar Try talking to the members of a local flying club. You might well find

My Dad used to fly, and once took up a very keen sailor who wanted to fly up and down over the Solent recording all the eddies, tidal swirls, etc etc etc so that he could put himself in precisely the right place during yacht races.

Yup.

Pete

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "nightjar" saying something like:

And watch out for twin-engined Cessnas.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember AJH saying something like:

As Geoff said, that one was shown on TV the other night. Whatever it cost, it was worthwhile as the farmer was using it to identify areas he didn't need to fertilise and saving wads of money in the process.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Grimly Curmudgeon writes

Current technology can record data from harvesting machinery yield monitors. This information can be used to automagically control fertiliser application for the following crop and enable localised soil analysis for rectification.

Needless to say, my operation does not even aspire to GPS spraying controls:-)

regards

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not me personally but I know a man who does.

Moere talk here

here

here

I doubt any farmer's here have use for this service nowadays ;-) Oh but some do.

I was asked about it.

Out of sight flying is a bit of an issue by the way..voids your insurance..but aerial photography is very very popular.

You might want to contact the local flying club:

[Andy Dingley]

Use a kite. With digital cameras, rather than film, this is now very easy - weight is less and you don't need a power winder.

Dan Leigh in Pontypool is a good chap to talk to about large delta kites for lifting light weights in negligible wind. Some people prefer parafoils (they'll lift anything), but need more wind to do it.

Try asking around in rec.kites

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I know a TV cameraman who has a model helicopter rigged up for such shots. IIRC, it records locally but has a video link to the ground so the pictures can be monitored.

[Doki]

Phase 1 survey?

[Steve Firth]

thread.

[Steve Firth]

Why would anyone ask the village idiot about something related to UAVs?