Spot On

We are back on the cliff going through our preflight checklist and chatting with our spotter. You have a spotter, right? A spotter can be anyone. A spouse, a friend, even a stranger who seems interested in what you are about to do. Ok, we now know what a spotter is or can be but, what purpose do they serve for our vidding adventure?

 

The FAA declares that anyone flying First Person Video, looking through goggles, is in fact flying without maintaining constant visual contact with the UAS (Unmanned Aerial System or Vehicle). That is a FAA violation. Well isn’t that a load of government over reach crap? Maybe, maybe not. Hear me out here Grasshopper.

I belong to a RC flying club where we have wide open flat land to fly. We have experimented with FPV in both fixed wing aircraft and recently in quads. There have been times out at our field when flying ‘under the hood’ has left me completely at a loss as to where my quad is. Imagine driving around in your car for five minutes looking only through a 10”x10” view out the front windshield. Now ask yourself, “Where in hell am I? And, what am I about to run into?"

After five minutes of flying using only your FPV goggles, the quad can be so far away that you cannot see or hear it and very likely cannot pick it up in the sky. Your spotter has been visually following your flight and it is your spotter who is going to tell you where to start looking. Nope it is not to your right but to your left and 200 feet in the glaring sky, slightly right of the sun. It is just a white dot in a very bright sky. Now bring it back before the batteries go dead and before your baby performs a perfect auto landing out near Seal Rock. Get the point? Have a wingman or wing-woman or wing-stranger.  They might be worth $2500. Plus it’s fun to share the adventure.

BTW, I usually share my FPV googles with anyone interested around me. Their first comment will be, “Oh, is that one of those things to spy on neighbors with?” Their departing comment is always, “That is really cool. Thanks for letting see this.” One more convert. 319,000,000 to go.