In this episode we take our custom-built prototype quadcopter down the strip, meet some interesting - and less interesting - people and generally have a great time. Here's the video:
For those of you unaware, there is an airport right next to the strip. There is also a lot of RF emissions. This is why we played it safe and did not fly the Zephyrs down the strip - too many unknown variables.
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Comments
Cocky Trappy is back! (we missed you!) hehe
Really super video again, waiting to see #13!! ;)
no comments on the "law" or lack of or gray zone... Safety is always a concern for sure and I do not encourage this. But I do like your video!
Dany
Tim Brown, you're making a wrong connection. If failure will cause great damage the best option is NOT to stop doing it, the best option is to adequately prepare so that there will be no failure. we have spent 2 full days to prepare for these few Vegas flights. We have tested the copter for 15 full days before flying over any person. Just because your plane crashes all the time doesn't mean ours will ;)
I've got to side with Zak on this one. I love the team black sheep videos, they are totally awesome and push the limits of coming up with new cool ways to fly uav's. I show them in presentations all the time to convey to people why this technology is so amazing. And shit who doesn't want to see the quadcopter view from the strip? But it only takes one high profile accident to set back hobby uav a long ways.
Of course it is ridiculous that there are less regulations on real helicopters flying over vegas than tiny uavs but as folks may have noticed, the Man (not to mention the FAA) is not one for using logic to solve regulatory problems. You really think having your digital camera on while the plane is taking off is going to make the plane crash, or that by letting the TSA see your kids naked on their full body scanners that can easily be spoofed to miss real weapons is keeping the air travel safe?
With things like UAV regulations, public perception is huge and if people in the community fly where the consequences of failure are significant from a PR perspective, then they are risking making things a lot worse for everyone.
by the way, you're going to love #13 :)
Sorry Zak, I don't completely understand. Las Vegas has a lot of real helicopters flying over the buildings. Obviously there is no problem with aircraft 5-10'000 times the weight of our little thing flying over buildings and traffic. Why would they object to having a smaller aircraft that is less dangerous fly there?
Also, could you clarify how that would threaten to make your hobby unavailable? Imagine they banned flying on the Las Vegas strip because of it - what kind of impact would that have on your hobby? Let's go one step further and assume they ban flying over populated areas entirely - what kind of impact would that have on your hobby? If it has ANY kind of impact, then you're a hypocrite.
Thanks for taking part in this little experiment :)
Why did you do this? In the previous episodes, you were playing safe by doing your flying in desolate areas, not in the dense area of the strip in Vegas... This is exactly the type of thing people are looking to regulate and make the hobby for the rest of us unavailable.
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