09-May-2017, 11:36 AM (This post was last modified: 09-May-2017, 11:53 AM by Carl.Vegas.)
I've been going back and forth on a video based on safety and being a good steward in the community. In no way would I want this video to make someone else feel like it's appropriate to do what I've done. I'd like opinions on if I should post it.
So first the backstory.
I found a tiny park about 2 months ago. Before my first flight actually. I knew it was small but it looked like a nice place to fly, there were some trees and some open area and in general it looked like an OK spot to my inexperienced eyes. This past weekend I was headed to the RC park early and wanted to make a few stops to see if there was somewhere I could fly and this little park came to mind. When I got there it was empty (which with a park this size it needs to be empty to fly there)...
So already item 1 fail... if a park is too small to fly at when there is anyone around, you probably shouldn't fly there at all because someone could show up while you're in the air. but, this was not what was on my mind.
So I grab a spot, bring over my quad, batteries, goggles and vrx, and radio. I power up, get the goggles on and start flying. Up until this point I hadn't even thought about the power lines overhead, but they were thick enough that I could see them in the goggles. My initial reaction was "This is a critical object that I must avoid" not "This could be dangerous even if these cables are likely well insulated"... So I flew it anyway paying close attention to where the cables where and avoiding them, however I did get rather close in a few spots (not as close as it looks I think, but still close enough that if anything went wrong with my radio or I made a mistake I could have hit one of the cables).
The flying was fun, I learned that I could fly in a tight spot and even enjoyed almost more of a proximity flying experience. After I landed though it started to occur to me that 1: the park was too small, 2: those power lines were more than just an object to avoid, they are a serious risk, and 3: I maybe shouldn't even post this video as it could be a bad example for others.
So what are your thoughts on the subject? do I:
So first the backstory.
I found a tiny park about 2 months ago. Before my first flight actually. I knew it was small but it looked like a nice place to fly, there were some trees and some open area and in general it looked like an OK spot to my inexperienced eyes. This past weekend I was headed to the RC park early and wanted to make a few stops to see if there was somewhere I could fly and this little park came to mind. When I got there it was empty (which with a park this size it needs to be empty to fly there)...
So already item 1 fail... if a park is too small to fly at when there is anyone around, you probably shouldn't fly there at all because someone could show up while you're in the air. but, this was not what was on my mind.
So I grab a spot, bring over my quad, batteries, goggles and vrx, and radio. I power up, get the goggles on and start flying. Up until this point I hadn't even thought about the power lines overhead, but they were thick enough that I could see them in the goggles. My initial reaction was "This is a critical object that I must avoid" not "This could be dangerous even if these cables are likely well insulated"... So I flew it anyway paying close attention to where the cables where and avoiding them, however I did get rather close in a few spots (not as close as it looks I think, but still close enough that if anything went wrong with my radio or I made a mistake I could have hit one of the cables).
The flying was fun, I learned that I could fly in a tight spot and even enjoyed almost more of a proximity flying experience. After I landed though it started to occur to me that 1: the park was too small, 2: those power lines were more than just an object to avoid, they are a serious risk, and 3: I maybe shouldn't even post this video as it could be a bad example for others.
So what are your thoughts on the subject? do I:
- Bury the video, maybe even marking it unlisted on youtube and be done with it?
- Post it but explain what I did wrong to share my learning experience and possibly help other new pilots consider things to look for in a flying spot?
- Post it and not worry too much about it, at most posting a disclaimer that I sort of knew what I was doing (I actually did, I was very confident at the time that my flying skills would not cause me to hit the wires) and dont try this at home sort of thing
carl.vegas
Current Quads: Operational: Diatone GT2 200 In need of repair: Bumble Bee, tehStein, Slightly modified Vortex 250
Current Quads: Operational: Diatone GT2 200 In need of repair: Bumble Bee, tehStein, Slightly modified Vortex 250