SAFETY

If You Hurt Somebody (even yourself), We'll Be Mad

Safety is very important. If you seriously hurt somebody with a multi-copter, you will also hurt the hobby. So please read these safety tips and keep them in mind.

General

  • Never fly whilst you are intoxicated.
  • Do not try an First Person View (FPV) racing quad as your first multi-copter. Practice with a micro quad first. 
  • Never fly near or above people or animals nor in a public space. If the multi-copter fails, it becomes a falling brick.

Props (or propellors)

  • Props can cause very serious injuries. Even with little palm size quads, a prop strike will draw blood.
  • Do not try to catch a multi-copter in mid-air.
  • Disengage the battery immediately after picking up the multi-copter.

LiPo Cells (or batteries)

  • Be very careful with LiPo cells. Always check for signs of damage after a crash. 
  • Do not leave them unattended whilst charging. Be aware that a damaged cell can spontaneously ignite.
  • Never use a damaged LiPo cell. Deposit with us, to dispose of it safely and properly.
 

Brief history of the sport

Multi-rotor, quadcopter, drone, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) – there are many terms for this new addition to the radio control (R/C) aircraft family.  It doesn’t particularly matter what they are called; they are great fun for the enthusiast and a great tool for the commercial operator, and because of that they are rapidly growing in popularity.

In the early days they were all home-built by enthusiasts who were deeply into the programming side of things. But when mass-produced quadcopters started to hit the market around 2012 the hobby went mainstream – and really took-off! Now it is the fastest growing sport in the world. 

Numerous racing competitions are popping up around the world as is main stream dedicated TV slots (ESPN in particular).

 

FIRST PERSON VIEW

FPV (First Person View) is a very recent innovation in R/C model flying. A miniature video camera and video transmitter are installed on the aircraft, and you view the transmitted live video stream using either a set of video goggles or a monitor.  You use this ‘cockpit eye-view’ to fly the aircraft, using your standard R/C gear.

Besides the fun to be had simply piloting a quadcopter using the FPV equipment also works perfectly for those wishing to use their quadcopter for aerial videography. Many quadcopter owners like to fit a GoPro or similar video camera to their machine, to capture aerial footage of their surroundings. A simple FPV rig allows the pilot to see this footage in real time, and so manoeuvre the quadcopter to get the perfect sequence.

The video goggles give you a totally immersive experience – it is like sitting right in front of a widescreen tv in a darkened room.  For those with large budgets, HD options are now available – but just as with tv, the non HD equipment gives perfectly acceptable picture quality.

Source: https://www.firstpersonview.co.uk