Flying around the parking lot on a Sunday afternoon

I’m still having a blast with my little drone- but although I can film from it while it’s flying (as above shot this afternoon in the parking lot) I can’t see what it’s camera is seeing while it’s flying. I can turn on and off the video recording, but I can’t see what has been recorded until I get the drone back on the ground and pull the microSD card out of the camera and plug it into my computer.

I have to fly it what is called “LOS” or “line of sight” which means I am watching it from the ground and controlling it based on what I am seeing. This is fine when it is facing in the same direction you are, but not so easy when it’s facing towards you or to either side- all the controls change- if it’s facing towards you you must move the controls right to go left etc.

So… I have ordered the stuff I need to be able to fly it “FPV” or “first person view”. This means I will replace the current camera with one that is connected to a transmitter that will send the video signal to a small video screen that I will mount on the controller so that I can see what the camera is seeing in real time, this way I will be able to fly it as if I am the pilot sitting in it 🙂

This is all quite new technology and so I’ve had to do a ton of research online to find out what I need and what this little drone can carry. There are ready made kits for larger drones (and drones with this already built in), but this little drone is quite small (ready to fly with it’s battery pack it only weighs 96 grams) and no-one makes a “ready made” kit for it, so I’ve had to track down parts from all over to find stuff small (and cheap) enough to do it.

I have nick-named the drone “Timex” (coz it takes a licking and keeps on ticking) and so I want to see if I can do this with it without having to go to a new, larger drone. And part of the fun and the challenge will be to see if I can rig up something small and light enough that will work.

I have parts in the mail to me from all over the States, a transmitter from one place, a camera from another, and antennas and wiring from other places- and the screen that will mount on the controller is currently in the DHL system on it’s way to me from China! Hopefully it will all work together when it arrives 😉

Until then I’m still having fun practicing my LOS flying, and occasionally crashing into trees (don’t ask- it took a LONG pole to bring it down!).

Oh, and Holly thinks it’s great fun to chase- as you will see in the other short video below. I left some of the raw audio on it so that you can hear her barking 🙂