TaigaCam, ROBUST plane for aerial photography

Don't do this at home with other planes! ;-)

In the first episode motor, rudder and tail servos are not yet installed.

Plane is home made, there is no ready kit available.

- Wingspan 150 cm
- Length 120 cm
- Empty weight without batteries 1.3 kg
- Maximum load with batteries is about 1.2 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight is about 2.5 kg
- Flight speed is about 50 km/h, maximum about 80 km/h
- Flight travel with one 2100 mAh battery is about 7 km, flight time is approximately 8 minutes.
- In plane there is space for 4 batteries, so flight time is more than 30 minutes
- Space for autopilot, batteries and payload is about 30 x 7 x 5 cm.
- Wing is made from EPP foam, it is made with CNC hot wire cutter
- Fuselage is made from EPP foam and PVC pipe or fishing rod
- Price of the plane frame without servos and motor is less than 100 euros
- Price of the plane with good servos, motor and wires, but without batteries and remote control is about 395 euros in Finland, in other countries much, much less...
- The building time is about 8 hours

Plane homepage in Finnish: http://sites.google.com/site/taigacam/

Honestly, the major drawback of all those indestructible EPP planes and all others used in aerial photography, is that the mission doesnt depends n th eplane to be bulletproof, but on the camera to be mounted, protected, always in the same position, less or more stabilized, correct camera settings, all batteries charged, enough endurance to make many legs to guarantee overlap and many many more. Robustness of the plane alone is only a few percent of the success, but you cannot fail on that. I doubt however if making the plane even bulletproof will help in this mission, if is so easy to fail elsewhere. At the end, when you land on a stump, even if you have only bent the camera mount slightly, the mission is a failure in the sense yo have less time for data processing or cannot fly the next mission immediately while lighting conditions changes.

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T3

Krzysztof Bosak May 18, 2011 at 5:50am

Honestly, the major drawback of all those indestructible EPP planes and all others used in aerial photography, is that the mission doesnt depends n th eplane to be bulletproof, but on the camera to be mounted, protected, always in the same position, less or more stabilized, correct camera settings, all batteries charged, enough endurance to make many legs to guarantee overlap and many many more. Robustness of the plane alone is only a few percent of the success, but you cannot fail on that. I doubt however if making the plane even bulletproof will help in this mission, if is so easy to fail elsewhere. At the end, when you land on a stump, even if you have only bent the camera mount slightly, the mission is a failure in the sense yo have less time for data processing or cannot fly the next mission immediately while lighting conditions changes.
Alpo Hassinen May 18, 2011 at 12:50am

This FIK 150 plane has similar wing. I used this wing in TaigaCam prototype. I changed wing tip angles to 5 degrees, and added carbon strips to center part.

http://www.epplanes.sk/technical.html
Ritchie May 17, 2011 at 3:25pm

Brilliant. Models and brutality without damage.
Joe Bloeski May 17, 2011 at 12:02pm

I was more worried about the side of the house than the plane, that would be more costly to repair.
Kirill May 17, 2011 at 10:28am

That's very cruel video... The most cruel I ever watched.
Alpo Hassinen May 17, 2011 at 10:10am

Fireproof? Not very... I have tested also that ;-)

Shortcut in the motor controller...
Dano May 17, 2011 at 9:51am

Nice therapy ;)
Ita G May 17, 2011 at 9:30am

Amazing! :-)
Guntars May 17, 2011 at 8:33am

Is it also fireproof :)
Tom Hastie May 17, 2011 at 8:05am

You, sir, have anger issues.

:)

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