I have been filming all over the place to get material for a demo reel that will show what my company is capable of doing. I have flown for 4 weekends straight and I have noticed that the CS8 is quite an attention getter. I have also found that people ask the same questions over and over again. Last weekend I think I was asked the same question at least 15 times over a course of 3 hours. I'm sure you all have experienced this. I have also been approached by local police on two different occassions asking what I am doing. On one account they said they were responding to a UFO 911 ccall. So to combat this, and to minimize distractions I have printed up 500 flyers that I have sitting next to me as I fly. Here's what I have on the flyer. Most frequently asked questionsWhat are you flying? I am flying what’s called a 8 blade octocopter. It’s also known as a multirotor, or UAV (Unmanned Aerial vehicles). This vehicle is battery powered from Lipo batteries and can fly about 10-13 minutes at a time. The unit is equipped with a very high end camera and mount that has excellent electronic stabilization that provides a very stable picture. The aircraft has the capability of filming in high definition video as well as taking digital stills. Why are you flying? I have my own production company and I am filming different parts of the city for a demo reel that I am creating to showcase what type of work and services I can do. I will be filming all around town this summer. How much does your aircraft cost? The aircraft and equipment that we use is the best equipment available for aerial photography that is available on the market. There is a lot of technology built into the aircraft and the latest technology is never cheap. Did you build the aircraft yourself? Yes I built it from scratch from a kit that is available. The aircraft is called a Cinestar 8 and it took approximately 40 man hours to build and test. Can I talk to you while you are flying Please do not talk to me when I am flying as it can be very distracting. I need to have my full attention on the aircraft and the safety of everyone around the aircraft. I am available to talk once the aircraft has landed safely. Is your aircraft safe? Before I take the aircraft up in the air I spend about 2 hours going through various safety checks. IF anything looks out of the ordinary I will not fly the aircraft in public. For testing I fly in a large public park that has 500 square meters, and will only then take the aircraft out in public if it passes all safety checks in testing. This aircraft has redundant safety features in case of an emergency or failure. If the unit loses signal or communication with the remote control radio it will go into what’s called “Come Home” mode where it will fly exactly where the copter was started and hover over that point until remote control communication is restored. If communication can’t be restored the aircraft will go into what’s called “emergency landing” where it will slowly descend at the come home location. I always run 2 batteries so that in case one battery fails the other battery will provide enough power to land the vehicle safely. Can I take a picture of your aircraft? Yes Who am I? My name is Dave King, the owner of new Production company called Designed AV Solutions. Dave has have been in the AV business for 22 years. We recently produced a golf instructional video for Shawn Clement who is the most popular golf instructor on YouTube. During the filming of the instructional video Dave got the idea to add overhead video incorporating a “drone” that had a video camera on it which inspired him to acquire remote control aerial equipment. The plan is to provide commercial Aerial services in the near future.
Any reason not to actually answer the "How much does your aircraft cost?" Dave? Don't you also get: How high can it fly? How far can it fly? How long does the battery last? etc.? I've even been asked "Is it like a drone?" and "Do you have insurance?" Also on the "Who am I" you change from first person to third person which makes it sound a little funny. First person singular: "My name is Dave." Third person: "Dave has have been..." (note there's also a small grammatical error there....) Then first person plural "We have recently...." Hope this helps -- don't want to be a language pedant.... Andy.
Two hours might be a little overstated but I definitely am close to it. First thing I do is go over the weather forcast for sunspots and wind and wind direction. I go over everything on the copter top to bottom. I make sure the copters CG is balanced, I make sure the gimbal is balanced, as soon as I get my metal clamps I will feel better about the roll balance not moving on me I have found it to move quite easy. If my roll balance is not perfect I will get roll twitches. I double check all 8 motors to make sure they are balanced and check for rollout and bearing damage. I double check the torque on all bolts on the hub that hold down the booms. I double check the torque on the clamps that hold the motors. I make sure the booms are at the proper length and that the booms haven't moved forward or back in the hub. I replace all 8 lock nuts that hold the propellers on it before every flight day.I turn on both downlink systems and make sure they are working. I then go through my entire list of everything to make sure I have everything before I leave. When I drive an hour or so I don't want to be find out that I forgot something.
I think words like drone and UAV are misleading and potentially harmful. I'd stick to R/C helicopter/multicopter.
Dave, this is a terrifically useful list. If you don't mind, I'd like to snag it (and edit it a bit) for my own use. I will credit you if you'd like. I love the idea of being able to hand something out to people. I'm thinking an oversized business card/brochure. I give away a lot of business cards whenever I fly (I keep them in my tool bag), but this would be even better!
I've always wanted a T-shirt that says, "It's a flying camera, yes I built it, it goes 400' high and costs over $10k. Stay back back and keep quiet." Obviously I get annoyed. Luckily my camera Op handles these queries more gracefully. I just can't stand it when people just come up, usually from behind and startle me with, "What is THAT??" Use your eyes, people!!!
Steve please use whatever that would be helpful to you. We are all in this together. I don't need any credit. All you guys need the credit!
Yeah...that can scare the bejeezus out of you, especially when I'm looking down in FPV. Mind you my really pet peeve is when I have this on a tripod: and I'm waiting for That Moment and someone comes up and says loudly, "Wow! Is that a Hasselblad?" "Nope. It's a Pretzlprumph camera, but that's spelled HASSSELBLAD." Sigh. Andy.
I modified my document with some of the suggestions and input given. Thanks again. Most frequently asked questionsCan I talk to you while you are flying the aircraft? Please do not ask questions while the aircraft is in the air because I need my full attention on the aircraft and the safety of everyone around the aircraft. I am available to talk once the aircraft has landed safely. What are you flying? The aircraft is a 8 blade multi-rotor helicopter also known as an octocopter because it has 8 booms,motor and propellers. This vehicle is battery powered and can fly about 13 minutes at a time without changing batteries. The unit is equipped with high tech flight navigation electronics, GPS, and is equipped with a high end camera that has excellent electronic stabilization that provides a very clear stable hi-defintion picture. This aircraft can go as high as 400 feet in the air and as far as a quarter of a mile away. It can do still pictures as well as HD video. Why are you flying this aircraft? Why are you flying here? I started my own video production company last fall and I started doing aerial photography this spring. I will be filming various parts of the city for a demo reel that I am creating to showcase what type of work and services I can do. IF you know of anything unique that I can film please let me know. How much does your aircraft cost? The aircraft and equipment that we use is the best equipment available for aerial photography that is available on the market. This aircraft isn’t something you can just buy in a store. There is a lot of technology built into the aircraft and the latest technology is never cheap. The copter itself and all its support equipment that are needed to make it fly cost $20K. Did you build the aircraft yourself? Yes I built it from scratch from a kit that is available. The aircraft is called a Cinestar 8 by Freefly and it took approximately 50 man hours to build and about a full month to test and work the bugs out. Is your aircraft safe? The aircraft is very reliable and safe nevertheless before I take the aircraft up in the air I spend about 2 hours going through various safety checks and functionalities before I leave to go on site. I also perform routine maintenance constantly. IF anything looks out of the ordinary I will not fly the aircraft in public but I have never had to do that. For testing I fly in a large open park that has 500 square meters, and will only then take the aircraft out in public if it passes all safety checks in testing. This aircraft has several redundant safety features in case of an emergency or failure. If the unit loses signal or communication with the remote control radio it will go into what’s called “Come Home” mode where it will fly exactly where the copter was started and hover over that point until remote control communication is restored. If communication can’t be restored the aircraft will go into what’s called “emergency landing” where it will slowly descend to the location it took off. I always run 2 batteries so that in case one battery fails the other battery will provide enough power to land the vehicle safely. Who am I? My name is Dave King and I own Designed AV Solutions, and I have been in the AV business for 22 years. Designed AV Solutions does video production, post prodiction, photograhy,and AV installations. I have business cards upon request.
Hi Dave: I was re-reading your post. Would it be better, in response to the "May I talk to you while you are flying the aircraft?" to be more general. You say not to ask questions -- but you really don't even want people talking to you at all -- even if they're not asking questions, right? Andy
I think your right I just reworded Can I talk to you while you are flying the aircraft? It is very important to be as quiet as possible around my workspace so that I have my full attention on the safety of the surroundings around the aircraft. I am available to talk once the aircraft has landed safely.
I think that is good. If you want to "soften it a bit" (it's the British in me), you could also say: For reasons of safety I would ask that you do not talk to me, nor distract me by talking to other people. I need to have my full attention directed to the aircraft. Once I have safely landed the aircraft, I will be more than happy to chat with you and answer your questions. Andy.
Andy, you are a very kind soul. I would word all of that a bit differently. Unsuitable for posting here. nick