Awesome shots Todd! Can't wait to see more video.

I hope it never happens, but I just gotta say that someday this is likely to generate complaints from certain tree hugger type folks (not me) for flying so low over the designated "wilderness area" on Timp, and some will even gripe about harassing the wildlife. Aircraft do have restrictions on such activities. I even received multiple warnings about slope soaring my Alula with a hawk, being told that the DWR could prosecute or fine me for harassing the bird.

But you guys are doing some seriously cool things with FPV, even though it looks totally techno-geek-nerdy (that pic of Todd sitting on the grass under his hood ). I hope it doesn't ever get squelched.

Mike, there's no doubt in my mind that people will get pissed off. People will get pissed off no matter what you do. The new proposals under consideration with the FAA will strictly prohibit RC pilots from flying over 400 feet above ground level. That's ridiculous. People at AMA fields fly way above that all the time. I bet you guys fly way higher than that when you catch thermals.

People fly over Timp all the time in real planes, and those are WAY more intrusive and loud. People crash their real planes into mountains all the time and nobody complains. Maybe because the pilots usually die, so they figure they got their justice. Happened again a few weeks ago, some guy crashed his plane into a mountain in southern utah, trashed the mountainside, way out in the wilderness. Set the place on fire.

No RC airplane will EVER be as destructive as real airplanes are.

But from my reading of the rules, it looks like they've left out WHICH ground level the 400 feet refers to, so if it's the PLANE's ground level, there's no reason I couldn't fly to the top of Timp, so long as I don't fly 400 feet above whatever terrain I'm over. That's not a problem, I'm usually in the 40 feet to 4 inch range.

You see the base jumpers splatting themselves all over cliffs and nobody complains & paragliders and guys on little motorized kites and all sorts of extreme sports. Ours is the LEAST extreme, the LEAST intrusive sport you can imagine.

And it can't be called harassing the wildlife if you didn't know they were there to begin with and didn't go back and bug them. How is flying over an animal anywhere near as damaging as some red-neck cruising up into the mountainside and blowing the brains out of anything with four legs? Seriously! You can't even COMPARE the two!

I plan on doing it as aggressively as I can before it gets legislated out of existence. It's the coolest thing I've ever done outside of having a family.

Mike & Scott are wimps!!!!! I would love to see their stuff, well unless they are hurting baby seals!!!!!!

I think the new regs whatever they are could be gotten around.

Like when we were flying in Zion. They said you couldnt fly with props, so looks like a ducted fan is in order.

Mike's been helping his Brother-in-law build the most monstrously huge wing I've ever seen. The thing could easily haul up baby seals and drop them from extreme altitudes. They're gonna start a new game similar to "Egg Drop", but much more exciting.

There'll be a seafood BBQ afterwards!

J/K

But seriously. Seafood BBQ sounds good doesn't it?

Maybe just seafood, or BBQ,

But yeah, I could go for some Dungeness crab and some shrimp right now!

Todd,

I didn't mean that derogatively.

The only way you are going to summit timp from the foothills is to climb about 7,000'.

I'm wondering how close you got.

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* update - I thought you took me wrong, I can see that you were talking to another mike.

Skywalker FPV Over Mountains (4 min 53 sec)

I'm not sure M_B. I haven't checked my live video feed. I know it tells me line-of-sight, but I'm not sure about altitude. Which reminds me, I left all my gear in the back of my truck before heading out with the family for FHE. Gotta go get it all out so it doesn't freeze! I'll check the vid and get back with you on that.

I'm envious of your pan-tilt setup. Can't count the number of times I've wanted to do that while flying my wing.

Got an update for you Mike B. Barely under 10k. The three tallest peaks on Timp are all the same height, about 11,700. So 2k feet more to go to hit one of those peaks. Not a problem at all. Just need to be able to see it.

Originally Posted by Wind_of_Change

Got an update for you Mike B. Barely under 10k. The three tallest peaks on Timp are all the same height, about 11,700. So 2k feet more to go to hit one of those peaks. Not a problem at all. Just need to be able to see it.

6 1/2K, that's about what I figured.

It's quite an amazing feat...

A couple sneak peak photos of a Herc with a blunt (needs to be laminated) and 2 x DR. Grims (ready for FPV electronics and balancing)...

Mike K.

Daaaaang!!!!!! Now thats gonna be swanky!!!!!!

Mike the Herc looks awesome! I remember how big it is from when I stayed at your place. That wing is massive.

Those look awesome. I'm really jealous that you have two DR's sitting right there.

Now, I've only built one Reaper, but I have one question. Wouldn't it make more sense to cut clearance for props in a curved shape, so that in an impact, the inertia of each wing moving forward, which wants to split the wing in half, would be distributed along the trailing edge? I cut clearance for my props in the same way you have, a triangle-shape. The two times I've crashed hard enough to have to repair my Reaper, it's been once at each of those concave angles.

I know the shock cord helps, but... well, I haven't tried cutting rounded shapes yet (I will on my next Reaper), so I can't say I've tested and found a difference, it just makes sense to me.

Oh, wait. *light bulb* I guess I could just not crash.

Rounded or Triangle if you hit hard enough its going to rip at the weakest point period...

We decided not to even bother with the shock cord on these 3 planes. They aren't for combat so I see no point in doing it.

Mike K.

Sure, if you hit hard hard enough it won't really matter, I guess. That's probably something you worry about less than some of us still starting out.

I sure don't plan on crashing as hard as I did my first day out, but I think I'll still go rounded, and if I have some crashes, I'll have to report back.

Those sure do look purdy, though