‘Unstoppable’ Fun!

Isn’t it funny, how, when a hobby becomes your job, it can lose some of its fun?

I found this years ago playing basketball, and now, more recently, flying my UAS.

This time last year, any break in the clouds, would have seen me out flying my toy UAS. Now because i’m working and flying everyday, when the weekend comes, i just want a break from the Inspire.

  VS  

Why? well i think its down to my platform; The Inspire 1, it is an awesome work tool….but is it as much fun to fly as say a Phantom or similar smaller rig?

NOPE!!! I sold my Phantom to a friend a few months ago, and didn’t realise how much i missed it. We took it out over the weekend, and i had so much fun with it. Of course it isn’t as responsive or quick as the Inspire, but it so nimble and because it doesnt cost your right arm to buy, you can be more adventurous. If i crash my Inspire i’m out of work for a while!

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0012.JPG

And i guess that is the crux of it. My Phantom was a bought as a toy. My Inspire was bought as a business investment.

Well if like me, you are looking to buy a new UAS for ‘fun’ and ‘weekend-warrioring’, maybe this is what you’re looking for……..

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2017062404/b-unstoppable

Looks cool right? A Tank Quadcopter – awesome! This is at least the forth UAS crowding funding campaign i’ve blogged about recently. And if you are quick you can pick one up for the bargain price of £55! – UPDATE – These have all gone. Next price is £59. Still so cheap. So much so, i’ve just backed them too!

Yay – First time, i’ve ever crowd funded before. I’ll be back with my own personal review in October…. right now they have £19,785 of the required £49,000 total.

TU B-Unstoppable.

http://www.bgobeyond.co.uk/

DJI Inspire 1 – Parts and New Releases

I love my Inspire 1, its such a great piece of tech…

But.

Ask any owner of an Inspire 1, could it be improved? They will say yes, and then reel of a list of improvements. Granted, this is a very small list, but it will contain fairly major improvements. Mine is a very short list to be honest.

• Lack of Zoom on the Camera. How close are you prepared to fly £3k to your target. It will clearly be solved with a later updated camera from DJI later this year or early 2016.
• Thank you for my case, but why not make it easier to carry distances. 
• Thank you for my case, but why not make one side flat, making transport to flight mode quicker.
• An additional front facing camera, fixed, solely for the Pilot, would be great, especially when working alongside an additional camera operator.

Not a long list, and these are all improvements that can be overcome. I have more issues with DJI than the Inspire, itself. Releasing the Phantom 3, so soon after the improvement to the Vision 2 Plus, and the unavailing of the delayed Inspire 1, for example.

What has annoyed me with the Inspire, is the lack of parts and spares. The TB48 5700mAh, has only just made its was to the UK, Quadcopters.co.uk and Heliguy had some in stock last week, but when i last checked they were out of stock again.

One of the Mobile Phone device holders i had for my second controller was faulty. Lee at Quadcopters.co.uk, told me that DJI hadn’t sent many of replacement parts for the Inspire, and it might take a few weeks. (luckly, Lee knows a lot more than i do and he was able to fix it while i was there today – not saying how though)

There is one major part that seems to be impossible to locate – A Replacement DJI Inspire 1 Camera. The camera isnt the best 4K on the market, but it is still amazing, and better than most will need it for. But if you trash your camera, for many, your out of business till you buy a new one. But if you cant even find a supplier, you only option is buying a new Inspire!!!!!!

This might give those of you who have a damaged Inspire Camera. Turns out DJI do make some replacement parts!

http://gerrygibbscamerawarehouse.com.au/drones-and-accessories/dji-inspire-1/dji-inspire-1-gimbal-and-camera-unit

Ok, so its not available yet, but at least its coming! And at £500 (approx), its not a lot more than a replacement camera and gimbal for the Phantom 2 Vision Plus!

Here is another piece of Inspire 1 tech, many owners are itching to get their hands on, but cant find anything on the UK quad sites. The new Camera Mount

http://gerrygibbscamerawarehouse.com.au/drones-and-accessories/dji-inspire-1/dji-inspire-1-camera-mount

This camera mount looks great, and at £300 roughly, (if that what it ends up costing) is cheap enough for most Inspire owners add to their DJI horde. Also expected at some point in April 2015 according to the site, but i’m thinking its more likely we will see both items for sale in May or June.

I also heard from a very knowledgeable chap, (who has helped me lots, in fact from day one of my BNUC-s) who has been flying for years, that DJI is going to be releasing details of a new Thermal Imaging Camera for the Inspire very soon! I have no other details yet on spec or price yet, soon as i hear anything it let you know.

It was never a case of if, it was always when. And i shall be most defiantly, be parting with whatever they charge. Damn you Apple, sorry DJI.

You heard it here first!

TU.

Thanks to Jeff and Lee @ Quadcopters.co.uk for replacing my faulty Inspire battery and letting me fly my Inspire behind the office. And thanks to my pal Des, who gave me some invaluable flying ATTI tips in prep for my exam next week. Cheers guys.

Buying an Inspire 1 – My Mistakes

So, on Friday last week, i finally got my hands on the new DJI Inspire 1.

I had placed my order through SimplyElectronics.net on 2nd February. I was told it would be in my hands within 14 working days. 6 weeks later they were still fobbing me off. I decided to cancel my order and request a refund.

That was 2 weeks ago and i’m still waiting on my refund – lesson for the day, don’t buy from companies who offer such a huge discount; if it appears too good to be true. Thats because it probably is!

But at £2150 for a Dual Remote Inspire option, you can see why i initially gave those cowboys my money. (They have also now put the price up to £2474, so your only saving £300 now)

After waiting over 7 weeks, i couldn’t wait any longer. I’m very impatient. I needed to get my hands on an Inspire 1 that they day! I contacted Heliguy, in Newcastle first, as they were closer to my house than anyone else. They were expecting 8 units that day, but had not taken delivery by the time i called.

As i said, i’m not the most patient person ever……

Next on the list was Quadcopters.co.uk. I spoke to Jeff, (whom later turned out to be the owner) who said they had 30 units in stock. I took the 2 hour drive over the Pennines, surrounded by hills, valley and lakes, just wishing i already had my Inspire.

I arrived in Euxton, found the Farm they are based at, and headed to the office. They have a great set up there, an pleasant glass fronted office overlooking farm lands. Boxes of DJI products ready to be shipped stacked to one side, and a great selection of different UAVs and RC Craft on display.

We chatted about the UAS Industry in general, DJI customer service and Inspire, 1. Jeff showed me a demo model, and some footage he had recently shot, using two Inspire 1, which really showcased the Inspire 1 camera footage.

The Inspire 1 cost me £2747, which is the standard UK price set by DJI. I also bought an extra battery at £166. Granted it cost me more than £500 more than buying from the cowboys at SimplyElectronics, but i have piece of mind, that if i have an issue, i have experts in this country, who are more than happy to help.

Thank You to Jeff @ Quadcopters.co.uk for taking 30 minutes out of your day to chat with me. It was really appreciated.

http://www.quadcopters.co.uk/dji-inspire-1–extra-controller-1618-p.asp

Nathan

TU!

DJI Inspire 1 – Literally my Inspiration.

The title is absolutely no word of a lie. The DJI Inspire 1, inspired to complete my BNUC-S Pilots Licence and use UAV’s, for commercial purposes, not just for long range Selfies

Here is a piece of kit, that puts a what has been the privilege of a rich few, into the hands of normal people like me. And most likely if your reading this, you too.

Ok how will it compare to DJI S1000 with top of range Gimbal and Cannon 5D Mk3, well, it mostly likely produce the same quality pictures and video, but unless your Hollywood, will that matter?Secondly the Inspire 1 is coming in at around £2700 for dual controller kit (needed if you ask me) and maybe buy a few batteries at £150 each. So all in all around £3500 to shoot in 4K HD 30fps. Not bad, considering the S1000 plus essential kit, you wont see much change from £10,000. I cant imagine it will be long before a comparison video is posted showing an Inspire 1 Vs S1000 running a 5D or a Lumix GH4, on youtube.

Anyways, the whole reason i wrote this post is i came across this short video, showing how ‘easy’ it is to fly an Inspire 1 indoors. If flying the Inspire 1, is as effective as it appears, i can see so many business opportunities for something like this!

The DJI Inspire 1: finally, a drone that flies well indoors

There are a good few videos on the Inspire 1 on youtube, but for the most part these tend to be promotional or from known Photography bloggers. What i really want to see is a ‘first time flight’ video from a ‘normal’ (like us) to see how they get on. Ive found flying my Phantom to be fairly straight forward, and i’m hoping the Inspire 1 will be more of the same.

Cant wait till next year, when i will most certainly (as long as there are no major firmware issues) be purchasing my very own DJI Inspire 1!

Till then, Thumbs Up

http://www.dji.com/product/inspire-1

New addition to the family!

Just a quick post. Say hello to my brand new DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus.

I went to a DJI products training day for new pilots run by Heliguy, who are based in Newcastle. Great day at the Falcons Rugby Club, got to inspect Phantoms, S900’s and S1000’s which was really useful. I didn’t realise how big the S900/1000 are. Defiantly not for newbies! They gave an in depth training presentation and then flew both a Phantom 2 and S1000 around the inside of the stadium.

After watching them fly the Phantom, i made the decision that i would wait a few more months for the DJI Inspire 1 (the piece of kit that i am really after) and see how i got on with a smaller, cheaper Phantom. They were selling them for just over £1000 with an extra battery i think. I decided to shop around. I was lucky enough to stumble of this on gumtree. Brand New, Unboxed for £750 (managed to haggle to £730 in the end). A result i think you’ll agree!

Unfortunately its dark right now, and maybe thats a good thing, so i will have an in-depth read of the manual tonight, watch as many youtube clips on Phantom first time flights, and will be up bright and early for a practice run…… safely of course!

I will post my first time flight (/crash) tomorrow

Thumbs Up

What Qualification should you choose – BNUC-S or RPQS?

I decided after much deliberation that i was going to choose the BNUC-S qualification and training to gain my UAS Pilots Licence. It came down to two major factors. Cost and Scope.

In the UK you need to hold a CAA approved UAS Pilots licence to operate drones less than 150KG. There are a few other determining factors, such as MTOM etc, but in general for Aerial Photography, 3D Mapping, Surveying etc, As i said i was a total beginner when i decided this is what i wanted to do, and i still am!

The BNUC-S – Basic National Unmanned Aircraft Systems Certificate, is run by EuroUSC. The guys are the market leaders in the commercial UAS training world. They initially worked with the Civil Aviation Authority to write the qualification, and until recently, it was the only one they acknowledged.

http://eurousc.com/about-us/

The RPQ – Remote Pilot Qualification, run by The Resource Group. I did have a long chat with these guys before i made my decision to go with EuroUSC. Apart from the cost element which i will discuss in a later, the main factor was the training.

http://uas.resourcegroup.co.uk/

The EuroUSC course is run across the country, from Heathrow to Leeds, Manchester to Edinburgh. This means you can always find a course close to you. Secondly they run courses every month, so if you are unlucky enough to fail to theory, you can usually get another space sooner rather than later. The Resource group tend to run courses somewhere in Wales and Northern Ireland, and they are not as frequent.

The EuroUSC course was also cheaper at £740 plus VAT for the theory and £350 plus VAT or the flight assessment. Resource Group was £1600 inc VAT. That said the Resoucse group is a 3 day course, as opposed to the EuroUSC which is 2 days. Some of you will prefer to cram and get it over with, other will prefer a more relaxed approach.

Finally the last factor that made me opt for the BNUC-s run through EuroUSC was scope. EuroUSC use this course and operate with offices throughout Europe, Belgium, France, Malta, Spain, Netherlands etc. The RPQs certificate is not recognised by the Civil Aviation Authorities of those countries, something to bear in mind, fi you don’t want to be stuck working just in the UK?

I would like to say, that although i have completed BNUC-S theory, on Tuesday of this very week, i will defiantly be looking to train with the guys at Recourse Group, once i’m up and running and established. Firstly to expand my skill and knowledge base. Secondly to network more, we are quiet a small community and people know people. Finally, they know what they are talking about. EuroUSC has, to an extent had a monopoly on the training of UAV Pilots since 2010. The Resource guys just seemed a little less ‘salesy’ (if thats a word), the Resource Group, guys seemed to be very knowledgeable and precise – no waffle or sales jargon at all!. I reckon most of them are military, so you know your training will be first rate.

Till next time

See you in the sky!

My first post! – An Introduction to the world of flying Drones Legally and Commercially in the UK

In January 2014 i was decided to close my recruitment company. It wasn’t making the money it once did, and i had simply lost interest in long hours stuck in an office behind a desk, staring out of the window. I knew whatever i did next, had to be something that i enjoyed and would get me outdoors, rather than a well paid job that i had. I went through a few months of toying with various ideas and business plans, but noting got me excited.

I have always been a geek. I was as a child, teenager and grown man. Radio Controlled toys were always my passion, but never once thought i could make a living from them….

Then the 22nd November 2014, i had the moment of ‘inspiration’ i had been waiting for. It was a saturday night, i was watching TV, Grand Designs. They were filming an old barn from the ground, then the shot flew up and away from them, with such speed and grace, i was amazed. I wasn’t sure how they had done it, as a helicopter obviously wasn’t used. After a few minutes on Google, i had come to two conclusions. One, it was a filmed with by a Drone. Two, thats what i wanted to do with my life!

If you have read this far, thank you, and learning to become a qualified Unmanned Aerial Systems Pilot to fly UAV’s commercially is something your thinking about. What i aim to do is give you,         an honest and frank account for my own personal introduction to the world of UAV’s, the Legal requirements, insurance, training and qualifications. How i will write my Operations Manual (i haven’t even started writing that as of this second, thats how new to this i am), how i found the theory training and exam which i took yesterday (!!!!!) and anything i think will be useful as an additional source of information for newbies like me. I will also use this site as a source of all the news reports i read on the use of UAS, more commonly referred to as Drones.

One last thing before i go, i would recommend if you are reading this in the UK and you haven’t come across a site call HexCams, i suggest you go there now. It was the most valuable source of info on the different types of UAS qualifications are available i could find. Below is a link the their WordPress Site. Its run by a chap called Elliott, who also offers training, and i will be giving him a call tomorrow, now i know what Platform (UAS) i want to buy.

See you in the sky

https://hexcam.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/bnuc-s-and-registration-for-a-caa-permission-for-aerial-work/