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How to Build Floating Landing Gear For A DJI Phantom

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I guess the only thing worse than crashing a quadcopter is getting it drowned. I mean there must be some stuff you can salvage from a crash, but total immersion? Not as much.

This is where Floating landing gears come into the play. We have seen a few designs, what they all have in commons is that they are dirt cheap, and really easy to make.

Now I am not sure that if a DJI Phantom hits water falling from 30 meters, this is what’s going to save the day, but I do think that it can help if you want to shoot lots of video over water and are concerned with battery or just want an extra layer of security.

The other big plus is that floating landing gear will get your drone to float, as even if you have waterproofed a DJI (which can be done) once it goes below water level, it loses orientation and just runs around in circles.

The first video, by Buddhanz shown at the top is the quick and dirty way. 4 Styrofoam bars hot-glued together and held with a rubber band, but you can get a bit more sophisticated. (Which we do after the jump)

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Quadcopter Racing and the Future of Cinema

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It seems like as soon as quadcopters came onto the market, photographers began adapting them for more than just disastrous fun on Christmas afternoon. Since then, hobbyists, photography enthusiasts, and even corporate giants (let’s hear it for Amazon!) alike have been putting them to multiple uses, both business and pleasure.

AIRganoy, a “quadcopter racing fanatic association” based in eastern France, holds regular events for remote control pilots, including races like the one below that would seem more at home on a Lucasfilm set. The contestants race through the forest along a pre-marked course where, as seen in the video, “eating dirt” is a bit more reality than euphemism. Each copter is equipped with a video camera which sends a live feed back to the pilot, allowing them to navigate the treacherous, obstacle-laden course.

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Autonomous Quadcopters Used For The Most Wonderful Choreography

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Usually when we features drones (or quadchopters, or UAVs) we share on how they invade privacy, crash on private property or cause violent misunderstandings. But today we stumbled upon this wonderful piece by ETH Zurich of Cirque du Soleil, that would not have been possible if it weren’t for drones. So with my sincere apology, here is a tribute to how wonderful drones can be.

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DJI’s Newest UAV Adresses Function Over Form, and Manages to Keep its Form As Well

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As UAV photography continues to become more prevalent in today’s technology, DJI is undoubtedly the leader in the field. With how many times its products have popped up in news stories and controversies in the past few months alone, it’s clear that photographers have spoken on who they choose to shoot their aerial footage. So when DJI makes announcements for a new model, you can bet on a lack of gimmicks. This isn’t a trend, and DJI knows it; they’re ready to bring improvements to UAV photography, and they’re ready to become its household name.

This isn’t the DJI Phantom that many of you may have come to know. With the Phantom lineup categorized for “Everyone” on the company’s website, this one is placed under the “Experts” tab, and rightfully so. Meet the new Spreading Wings S900 Hexacopter.

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Recording Shows, NYC Drone Incident Was Not Risky To The Helicopter

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Yesterday we shared a story about a couple of drones flying at an NYPD helicopter and putting it at severe risk. Well guess what, A recording from LaGuardia airport Air Traffic Control tells a different story all together.

Yesterday’s story was about two individuals, Remy Castro and Wilkins Mendoza, who were flying their quadcopters  over George Washington Bridge in New York while a police helicopter was patrolling the area. Yesterday, the story was about how the helicopter had to take evasive action to avoid a hit. Remy and Wilkins were arrested.

Today, Motherboard shares that a recording of the air traffic control from LaGuardia airport was posted by the website liveatc.net. Hear below.[Read More…]

Two Drones Nearly Hit a Helicopter, and the Men Responsible React in the Most Immature Manner Possible

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At about 12:15 midnight, Remy Castro and Wilkins Mendoza were flying their two quadcopters over George Washington Bridge in New York; at the same time, an New York Police Department chopper was present and patrolling the area – the two remote controlled quadcopters were headed straight for it. Luckily, the NYPD officers present noticed the two of them, and had to divert the chopper’s direction to avoid hitting the two of them.

Had one of the quadcopters hit the propeller of the chopper, things could have gotten ugly. There were a number of ways things could have gone wrong in this situation, and it shouldn’t be happening in the first place if we expect to be able to keep our right to freely use quadcopters in the US. If you follow this website at all, you know our stance on photography and how it relates to the law; but as supportive as we are of the right to use these devices, we can’t be surprised when regulations get put up because of things like this.

The two men that manned the quadcopters were immediately arrested after the NYPD traced the flying devices back to them. And even after they were taken in, they spewed out dialogue that was nothing short of immature and inexcusable. One of them told the Criminal Court that it was “just a toy” and that they “were just playing with it“.[Read More…]

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