I was out sup paddling off Scarborough Qld today about 1km offshore at the time towards Moreton island when I got buzzed by this seriously massive RC plane. It was still a fair height from me and looked big it's engine/prop was in the rear. I couldn't see a camera on it but I'm assuming it has one in the nose.
It did this massive loop past me then took off seriously back over land over the trees and high rises and into the horizon and towards the Redcliffe airport where I know they fly these things.
Though that is easy 5km or more from where I was..
How the bloody hell can something get that sort of range and how the bloody hell can you fly something so well from so far away looking on a little screen..
Anyone have any insight??
I was amazed by it and automatically want one.
Most 'normal' 2.4GHz RC will do a couple of km (if it is line of sight) with safety, so I imagine they can do double that in reality - if you are gutsy lol.
Thus hi end should do 5km pizza cake.
If it is such a good drone and out there, surely it is 'them' following you.......
Something with that range will be on UHF for control, with 1.3 Ghz for video. You work up to that sort of system, it's not something you pick up off the shelf. Google Trappy statue of liberty if you want to have your mind blown (and want to see how you can get fined many thousands of dollars)
With a good directional antenna setup, I've seen guys get many ten's of kilometres with an FPV set up. Not hard to get 5 km.
Select to expand quoteCambodge said...
Are you sure it didn't look like this?
That's exactly what it looked like 
Thanks guys I had no idea of te range of those things. Still amazed someone can fly the thing so smoothly doing different moves along the way just from the view of a small screen on a remote.. Esspically over water and high buildings..
Might go down to the little airport behind Redcliffe to check them out properly
Well if it was like that it is not the range of the signal that is exciting - as they work on very special signals bounced from very special satellites etc to enable flying anywhere. Plus multiple backups so you can't just jam a certain frequency and they crash.
It is not like the dude flying it has a box with an aerial poking out of it in his hands lol
My mate reckons there are drones everywhere off Redcliffe, watching everything...I have yet to see one, but then again, I don't smoke ice like he does...
Select to expand quoteChris6791 said..
^^^ that's nuts, what sort of RC plane has that endurance/range?
and can it hover over the nudie beach and take such good footage....
Select to expand quoteChris6791 said..
^^^ that's nuts, what sort of RC plane has that endurance/range?
It's a "queen bee" flying wing. It's a delta wing made of foam (similar shape to a hang glider), with a 2.5m wingspan.
To make these long FPV flights they search around for 'lift' to keep them in the air for so long, and so are effectively gliding a lot of the time.
I noticed it on Sunday. Can a hobbyist own one that big? Seems huge & how do they stay out of the way of the other flights at the redlifde airport?
THREADPOLICE!!! THREADPOLICE!!! What kind of handle is that, besides which you can't spell Redcliffe.
I am one of the spelling and grammar police, so get your act together!! 
You must be undercover then huh?
Redcliffe - as in the place with red cliffs.
BTW this delta wing drone even had flashing lights on the wingtip 
I get 5kms out of my Orange RX set up. That's as far as I want to push it, without loosing another plane.
I also have a 1.4 mtr wing. They're great fun, especially for combat.
Select to expand quoteAndyR said..
I was out sup paddling off Scarborough Qld today about 1km offshore at the time towards Moreton island when I got buzzed by this seriously massive RC plane. It was still a fair height from me and looked big it's engine/prop was in the rear. I couldn't see a camera on it but I'm assuming it has one in the nose.
It did this massive loop past me then took off seriously back over land over the trees and high rises and into the horizon and towards the Redcliffe airport where I know they fly these things.
Though that is easy 5km or more from where I was..
How the bloody hell can something get that sort of range and how the bloody hell can you fly something so well from so far away looking on a little screen..
Anyone have any insight??
I was amazed by it and automatically want one.
It may have been a Scan Eagle you saw, they are a pretty amazing bit of gear.
^^^^
Still learning the difference between a plane and a Quad Copter?
here's a hint. One has wings.
Just curious about what regulations apply to these planes/choppers etc that can fly at height that would conflict with people carrying aircraft?
Drone limit is 400ft and not within 5km of an airport.
the CASA rules are not to bad.
only problem is that as the cost comes down, the d!ckhe@d quotient goes up.
it only takes one d!ckhe@d...
Select to expand quotewestozwind said..
^^^^
Still learning the difference between a plane and a Quad Copter?
here's a hint. One has wings.
Terribly sorry westauswend.
Please ignore my ignorant post.
Select to expand quotewestozwind said..
^^^^
Still learning the difference between a plane and a Quad Copter?
here's a hint. One has wings.
well.....
if westy must be fussy - both have wings.
one is referred to as being a rotary wing - the other goes by the technical moniker of "fixed wing"
stephen
