RC Toys, Models and Other Stuff

[Goafer]

Took a quick video of a nearby wind turbine:

 

[Happenstance]

Took the drones out again today with @Goafer

 

[Goafer]

Went on a bit of a walk with the dog today and took the new drone with me. It's so nice to have a more portable drone. The Mavic Air can be controlled by gestures only, so I gave it a try. Left the controller in the bag, turned the drone on and took off, moved it around a bit, took some photos and then landed, all with just hand gestures. It's a really odd feeling to not have direct control, but it works well. Even managed to get a photo without the dog barking furiously at it:

It's such a good feature if you're in a relatively open space and just want a quick photo.

[Goafer]

The CAA have finally announced a proposed drone registration fee. £16.50 annually. 

Whilst it's not much at all, I still find it annoying. It's already pretty hard to find somewhere to fly legally, with lots of public parks explicitly banning them and other areas requiring landowners permission. Now we have to pay for the very system that penalises us, with little to no benefit to the user.

If there was any sort of benefit to the users, such as a guarantee that more public places will continue to allow drones, I'd be fine with it. Instead, it's money for fuck all. I'd even be happier if it was more expensive, but included some sort of insurance.

[Goafer]

I'm still massively impressed by how compact the whole Mavic Air package is. On the left is the Phantom 3 controller. On the right is the bag that contains the Mavic Air, it's controller, all chargers, 3 batteries and a set of spare propellers. It's so nice to be able to take it places and not have to worry about being weighed down with stuff.

 

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Goafer