We all know that operating a UAV for civil commercial purposes is illegal in the US. Obtaining a COA from the FAA is only possible for R&D, and virtually impossible for most of us. It's a safe bet that the new FARs won't make the 2015 target date. So if you want to do some aerial mapping and be compensated for it what can we do?
I want to investigate the practicality of attaching a fishing line tether to a Hexacopter to make it not illegal. The biggest problem of course is not to get tangled up. First tests will be done with a dedicated fishing pole operator (local fisherman). Ideally we would design an automatic reel that would sense the lack of tension and constantly pick up the slack without putting too much drag on the copter.
Flight planning a mission with a tether certainly presents some new complexities. Trees and building could make this impossible, but in a more open setting it should be possible to plan a safe height to keep the tether clear of obstacles.
To keep the line away from the rotors there should be a ballast that pulls the line down several feet below the copter, this will also prevent heading changes from tangling around the gear. Perhaps this can be an additional battery so it is not dead weight. A line release like used for aerotowing RC gliders would also be a good idea if a tangled line threatens the copter.
I wonder what sort of range I can get with a tether?
Has anyone tried this before?
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I just had an idea. What about using the Follow-Me function to allow the copter to follow the base of the tether which is attached to a vehicle. In some areas this could be a moped, but perhaps even an APM:Rover. The Rover would be programmed with the mission, and the copter would mearly follow on its leash.