Discussions

Hi All

I am new to the world of UAVs and this forum. I am a multi-engine commercial pilot so flight experience is not an issue nor is the world of RC. I have done 90% of my rc flying on the old WingWarrior Marauder (60") flying wing. Unfortunately that kit is no longer available and since bigger is better I decided to move up to 100"

I have flown slope primarily with very little experience in electric (bought a zagi and flew it till it died) and have never selected an engine or prop system.

I am planning a 3 stage system to move my kit into the UAV realm.

Stage I will be buying the aircraft and radio systems for basic RC flight and accomplishing flight testing the airframe with an engine

Stage II will be be buying the Camera tx/rx setup for live video and OSD. More flight testing

Stage III will be buying the AP and telemetry stuff and really making it into a UAV.

Here is the kit I am thinking about: http://www.windrider.com.hk/products/e_images/queenbee-box_label.jpg

For the Camera: KX191

OSD I was considering the new Gen 5 RangeVideo when it gets released (it has an AP but I think Ardupilot is more flexible) I like the HUD that the RV system has but I am open to suggestions

http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=135

For the Transmitter: 900mHz 500mW system

I need advise on a radio transmitter for the plane as I am unsure how many channels I will need for this project. I have counted 7 so far (elevons x 4, motor x1, camera x2 (pan/tilt))

I also don't know how large a motor/prop/battery to get, I am hoping for about 1+ hour endurance

The whole concept of making the base station is a bit overwhelming to me. I see base stations like this: http://fpvpilot.com/GroundStation.aspx and my mind goes *poof*

What do I need to have a UAV with a downlink with telem and video? Am I missing anything? I have done as much research as I can and now I am getting lost in all the choices. A lot of the FPV and UAV stuff seems to overlap and my experience level is not letting me differentiate the needed equipment vs the hard core cost more than my house systems.

Any help is greatly appreciated.