Originally Posted by munkyboy

Shame about your Twinstar.. Is your name and address inside it?? If it is, then judging by the recovery rate for lost FPV models on here, theres a chance you might get it back..
My Easystar is crammed full of stuff, makes me wonder how they manage to cram stuff into Multiplex Foxes?? It was hard enough converting it into normal rc.

A few important lessons learned that day. No name and address inside, no phone number, no lost model alarm and an easily distracted 9 year old as a spotter. I did it all wrong that day, too eager to try the new goggles. Turned out to be very expensive, half the stuff in the plane was brand new. I did fly around for about 1/2 an hour before I put the goggles on. Just to test it all out and trim the plane. All was fine to begin with.........

Originally Posted by NKW

A few important lessons learned that day. No name and address inside, no phone number, no lost model alarm and an easily distracted 9 year old as a spotter. I did it all wrong that day, too eager to try the new goggles. Turned out to be very expensive, half the stuff in the plane was brand new. I did fly around for about 1/2 an hour before I put the goggles on. Just to test it all out and trim the plane. All was fine to begin with.........

I feel for you my friend... this is one of those moments when you think about giving up...

Don't ! this hobby is too good to let it go away. I think the most expensive gear apart from the OSD is the goggles and you still have them. A chinese video combo is cheap enough and I find that a cheap security camera from ebay does wonders too.
the plane ? well there is always Ebay or hobbyking, but if you know how to build planes, then you can have a blast designing your own

Originally Posted by NKW

A few important lessons learned that day. No name and address inside, no phone number, no lost model alarm and an easily distracted 9 year old as a spotter. I did it all wrong that day, too eager to try the new goggles. Turned out to be very expensive, half the stuff in the plane was brand new. I did fly around for about 1/2 an hour before I put the goggles on. Just to test it all out and trim the plane. All was fine to begin with.........

You would have to check whether if these things are legal in the UK but if they are try getting an RF beacon! One day it will save you a lot of money and stress. Im not in FPV for the long range stuff (since I live in greater london) im in it for the experiance of gaining a different perspective and I will probly stay within park range.

http://fmtv.us/rf_beacon.html

Also found this:
http://hobbywireless.com/cart/index....28b8826af964c1

After reading about this models adventures, http://www.modelflying.co.uk/news/article.asp?a=6235 an RF beacon might not helped that much

Originally Posted by munkyboy

After reading about this models adventures, http://www.modelflying.co.uk/news/article.asp?a=6235 an RF beacon might not helped that much

It doesnt mention anything about an RF beacon

Originally Posted by malcr001

You would have to check whether if these things are legal in the UK but if they are try getting an RF beacon! One day it will save you a lot of money and stress. Im not in FPV for the long range stuff (since I live in greater london) im in it for the experiance of gaining a different perspective and I will probly stay within park range.

http://fmtv.us/rf_beacon.html

Also found this:
http://hobbywireless.com/cart/index....28b8826af964c1

Good thinking, that is exactly what I have done. I just bought one of the Beacons from him. Just my luck however, the one he sent me seems to be duff. I lose the beacon signal at less than 100ft. I've tried it on a few different frequencies but the same results. I've sent it back to him to check. He said he would just send a new one, which is great. The principle is good and the price is OK. I looked at telemetry beacons used by Falconers. Very small and long range, a couple of miles. The cost is quite high. Although, relative to the cost of a plane packed with loggers, osd video cam and TX, etc.. its not outrageous.

Having lost the Twinstar plus the gear ( about £500 ) I've going belt and braces. Name, address, phone, reward, sonic beacon and flashing LED's (on a delayed timer) RF beacon. Is that too much?

If I lose another, I'll have to sell one of the kids..........

I know, and after just reading it, turns out to be an april fools story .. Ah well..
Anybody used those Rf beacons in the UK?
Because I use the EZOSD, I dont really see the point? I can find the last known GPS position and use Google Earth to find a downed plane. If I lose it in the air then it could, in theory, travel miles before it touches down. So the mile range quoted wouldnt be all that helpful, and probably less in hilly/wooded areas, unless you were lucky.

edit: I have my name, address, email, mobile number and the offer of a reward if found on both the wing and inside the fuselage, (just in case wings part comapany with the fuselage)..
I have just built a small strobe unit, from Maplins, that I intend to couple up to a rc switch through a spare rx channel. So that when it goes into failsafe, the strobes are activated. Not had chance to tinker yet due to uni work. But its on my 'to do' list

Assuming your battery stays connected...

DIY
http://www.rc-cam.com/lma.htm

or

Buy it Now
http://www.njttechnical.co.uk/lmf/index.htm

Nigel.

You can also safely use the LOC8TOR, which features a very small transceiver you can embed into your Plane, then you have a handheld LCD device, that will "point" you in the direction of your plane... among other things!

http://www.loc8tor.co.uk/Store/

Originally Posted by munkyboy

edit: I have my name, address, email, mobile number and the offer of a reward if found on both the wing and inside the fuselage, (just in case wings part comapany with the fuselage)..

Personally, I have just an email address and offer of '£50 cash reward if found' on my plane.

If in the process of crashing my plane takes out someone's greenhouse (or worse), I'm not sure I want them to have my name, address and phone number

Good point, but I fly in the middle of nowhere, and some of the locals I know struggle with mobile phones, let alone an email address
Theres nothing to hit for miles, except the ground and that one tree in the middle of the field..

I hear you're point! There could be a single tree in 5 sq miles of open field, but the chances are you'll hit it - I know what you mean!

hi guys whilst we are on the subject of downed planes i thought i would like to share you my story i was in a field as you normally are lol with the radian with the 2.4ghz radio spectrum with no fpv gear on at all i might add the radio i was using at that time was the dx5e i was appx 1200ft upgoing up with the thermal then it was going behind be downwind so i span round 360degrees to try and concentrate on getting it upwind but oh no why cant i control it it was now descending in slow circles me knowing now it was in failsafe mode oh ***t i thought as i just watched it dissapear over the hill behind me i know the area like the back of my hand so off i went backto my car with tx in my hand and no plane got the odd comment im sure you went in there with a plane lol by this time i was sweating quite bad lol through nerves i think got in my car andheaded in the general direction of flight for some reason unknown to me how i turned down the last track and drove about 300yrd down there looked over to the fields and swa right in the corner what looked like a radian wingtip so i juimped over the fence ran over and was greetedby a horse looking down at my radian me thinking its going to be right mess was shocked to find one small piece of foam missing off the front of the wing amazing here is the route looking at the picture flight was left to right and the landing zone was elevate by 500ft

Bloody hell Mark, quite impressive it made it without so much damage bet you were chuffed, with my luck it would have been in more pieces then its component parts

Yes indeed.

It's like my friend Frank who lost his plane a couple of fields away. I found it using my radian and camera but the poor thing was surrounded by cows.

Not only they trampled all over the plane but they also dumped on it. Frank had to get his hands into the creamy warm mess to retrieve his receiver