Sky High

This is aerial video that was shot earlier this year. There are some cool shots and moves throughout both flights. There was a slight wind that day so when you see noticeable bumps that's when the DF got hit with a surprise wind gust. I just love those. [:@] This is a new neighborhood so thankfully all power and phone lines are buried. That would have been real interesting flying around those. [X(]

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/homeconstruction/HOMECONSTRUCTION1.asx]Home Construction 1[/link]

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/homeconstruction/HOMECONSTRUCTION2.asx]Home Construction 2[/link]

Sky High

This is aerial video that was shot earlier this year as well and I was able to get much higher in this wide open space. There was a slight wind that day so when you see noticeable bumps that's when the DF got hit with a surprise wind gust. [:@] The first flight over this house was totally out of control because of the wind so not much video was usable from it. [:@] The wind became calmer shortly after the first flight and I got much smoother video on these subsequent flights.

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/LOTAERIALS.asx]Lot Aerials[/link]

Sky High

Here is the latest traffic report from the Sky High traffic DF. This was part of 3 great flights one evening this week. I have flown over traffic here many times but this is the first time recording it. Believe me, I get very nervous while doing this because a power failure or whatever would be fatal as my DF would get flattened by the traffic if it fell. Perish the thought!

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/traffic/TRAFFIC.asx]Traffic Report[/link]

Hooch

Very Nice, VERY BALZIE hehe, but very nice! I did a long video for the first time today, lmao dunno if I am brave enuf to post it cuz of how crappy my flying and video abilities are on 1st flight lmao, but first gotta figure out how to use Adobe Premier, any tips are appreciated lmao.

Sky High

This is one of 3 aerial videos from this area. The others will be posted shortly. They show more altitude and the last is right after dark with the city lights.

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/stadium/STADIUM1.asx]Stadium Flight[/link]

Sky High

Well, I sent the SAVS to the moon this evening to get a specific shot for another project and once it was almost out of site, I reduced the power to induce a slight freefall as always. The climbout is processed but the descent is just as it happened. That's what the sudden jolt is when it loses its level and then begins the descent. Somehow it became vertical (straigh up and down) for about 2-3 seconds in a nose dive and I didn't notice it until it was about 75 ft from the ground! [X(] I may have reduced power when it rolled like it did from the initial power down and it just stayed in that position which makes since. Just bad timing. That scared me to death. I don't really remember how I recovered but I must have just applied alot of power and back stick and it just leveled out enough to recover and land in my hand. As you will see the ground is shown straight below during this nose dive. I'm glad I at least got this on tape. I hope that never happens again. Wheeew!!

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/various/NOSEDIVE.asx]SAVS Nose Dive[/link]

Phodel

Breathe taking!! Close call I must say but good recovery!

Sky:

Can you post a short full resolution video clip? I would like to see how good it compares the normal EyeCam Extreme setup that I have.......also are you able to pull some decent resolution Still frames from the SAVS video? Could you post your best example of that as well?

Thanks for your input!

Phodel

TheHindmost

Great recovery! That shouldn't have happened with TI enabled, obviously...I'm glad you were able to recover it so well!

Will

Sky High

Thanks. Ti couldn't have helped without power. I think this happened when I reduced the power to freefall and it just tipped more than usual before I applied more power again and I didn't notice it until it was dangerously low. I really cant believe it recovered. After reviewing the video, you can clearly see the nose lift up quickly so I think I hit alot of throttle and applied back pitch to bring the nose up. If I had applied forward pitch, it would have induced an even steeper angle by applying more power to the tail rotor flipping it over straight into the ground. It would have been totalled. [X(]

TheHindmost

I didn't realize you had throttled all the way down...But anyway, there's a free-fall demo video ( "super drop" ) on DFI's web site and the guy (is that Zenon?) talks about the DF keeping itself level in freefall due to TI. He just gives it throttle to recover. Of course, he almost loses it into a tree in the video...

Will

Sky High

Yep, that's Zenon. I didn't completely throttle down. That wouldn't be a good idea with the weight of the SAVS. If it gains too much momentum from a freefall it may not be able to recover like the lighter DF V Pro. I did a super drop on my first day of flying because I was so frustrtated at this thing. Sending it straight up is something anyone can do. Bringing it back is the challenge. Zenon said, ohh you shouldn't do that. LMAO! At that point, I didn't really care what happened to the damn thing. I was in a huge field though. Now I do super drops quite a bit with the DF V. It will definitely keep you alert!

My Super Drop
www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3626586

Sky High

This is a flight of the DF flying in a big open field more like a plane.

[link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/various/FLYAROUND.asx]Fly Around[/link]

laceycopter

Sky High,
Really good video...
I'm working on it, I hope to have some soon.
I tried yesterday....but I got a Bad case of the wobbles and was to busy trying Not to crash...
Lacey

Sky High

If it's just wobbling (oscillating) like a top it will more than likely recover. I know that it is scarey looking but it recovers everytime when it happens to me. Just give it a little bit of throttle and a bit of yaw.

Clement7

Hi Sky!

I bought a SAVS and crashed it hard in one of my practice sessions (nose dive) even with the Ti ON. The crash was so bad I had to replace the CCD camera.

After flying it for two months now, I realized that the folding blades is the culprit of most of the instability and crashes so I decided to buy the fixed CF Blades from DFI. Now with the new fixed blades I don't seem to have any problems flying the SAVS anymore, no more fear that the blades will get misaligned again during flight which causes it to wobble then go out of control. The folding blades really seem to have a tendency to, YES, fold inflight and thus causes the DF to vibrate excessively and crash.

Now my concern is how do you keep the SAVS camera from bouncing too much? Can you post a still shot/jpeg of how you configured your SAVS camera mount to prevent it from bouncing excessively during flight?

Where can I get DFI's plugin for Adobe Premiere?

Any other tips you can share to me on how to avoid bad vibrations?

I use iStabilize with my Pbook to process the aerial videos I shot, but the quality of the video would be a lot better if I can figure out a way to get more stable and vibration-free shots.

Regards,

Clemente

Sky High

Here are a few links to help answer some of your questions. As far as vibration, make sure that the frame stiffener that the retainer ring is mounted on has been glued at the elbow joints. This should have been done by DFI. The ring should not rotate at all during flight. If it does, the arm will touch it and high frequency vibration will be transmitted to the camera. Make sure that the camera mount arm is just slightly above center when suspended in the retainer ring. I have held my helo down to the pad with weights with a raised support only under the landing struts allowing the camera ball to be suspended then gone full throttle to see if the rotor wash would push the ball down and in turn push the arm against the retainer. Well, surprisingly the arm barely moved so rotorwash doesn't create the vibration or cause the arm to hit the retainer. However, air turbulence will make the ball bounce a bit but shouldn't cause high frequency vibration. I have noticed that the only time I get high frequency vibration is when the helo in lateral or vertical motion especially during a fast climbout. I always get high frequency vibration during a climbout and as soon as I settle into a hover or slightly reduce the throttle it completely disappears. I believe this is because the rotors are speeds are changing rapidly to make the DF do what it has to do to fly and there's that's where it comes from. The video speaks for itself.

SAVS Images & Video
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4072885 (scroll down for posts 11, 12 &14)

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4136132/tm.htm

Stabilization Software Info
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4094795/tm.htm

Clement7

Thank you! You hit the mark re the high frequency problems when the arm touches the ring. I have been experimenting for the past couple of days on the best setup to minimize the bouncing and vibration with the SAVS using foams, rubber bands etc etc . . And yes, the high frequency problem do vanish when you're hovering up high already. Those demo videos on the DVD that came with the SAVS package (posted on the DFI web site as well) are really proving to be hard to imitate! When I asked Gary of DFI how in the world were they able to create rock solid footages, he just mentioned in his reply that they added weights to the ball to make it slightly heavy.. plus ofcourse the stabilizer software.

Thank you Sky High! I will work on your advice and check out the links.

Sky High

Weights in the ball? I was never told about that by Zenon. Are you using an upper and lower band on the arm? You need both to create a opposing forces on the arm to maintain neutrality in it's suspension. Did you see all of my demo videos. I've gone just as high if not higher than those DFI boys!

Clement7

Hey guys have you seen the latest video posted by DFI? (Industrial Aerial Video Series)

They have a new one showing-off what SAVS can do-- inspecting transmission lines.

[link=http://www.rctoys.com/private/videos.html]http://www.rctoys.com/private/videos.html[/link]

Sky High

Yes, I saw that demo. He has nerves of steel flying so close to poles and wires. It's not the poles that make me nervous as much as the wires. They're just so thin and therefore not easy to see from the ground even at that height and an error in depth perception is what will get you. He told me that one good thing about the folding blades in this situation is that if you lightly strike something they will give by pivoting thereby absorbing the hit and then self correct once you back away and you can recover. If you hit anything with stiff fixed blades it's coming down because there isn't any give in the hit and there will be a quick jerk and you know the rest.

laceycopter

Fold and self correct??.. mine just fold if I go from FFF to sharp banked turn and never go back to center. I took mine off and put the one piece blades on.. I like them better. And I don't fly by power line (on purpose). I know they should self center my other heli's do... But my SAVS never does. It just gets a Bad case of the wobbles and tries to crash.

Clement7

Yes, I'm using both upper and lower bands on the arm.. can you please post a picture of how your bands are set-up. My configuration might be incorrect (in terms of the right tension). After seeing the new DFI video using the SAVS, I guess it's normal for the ball to bounce that way and just stabilize it during post.

Scott's !QUOT!Fun in the Park!QUOT! video showcases a white thingy to support the arm and prevent the ball from bouncing. . Any ideas on how he did it? I also saw another version of the limiter in DFI's real-estate video.

scottslc

Hey clement7 and all, sorry I've been off the site for a while. I upgraded my df to the latest savs model. Got to say, I'm loving it baby! Looks like (for me anyway) they've got the vibration problems licked. Couldn't be more pleased. On the folding blades, I haven't had a problem with them, you have to remember to tighten them into place before flight. Love the convenience of putting the flyer in a case for travel.

Real estate has been good here, thought I'd share my latest. This is a combo of df footage with standard hand held video. I drop my frame rate down to 15 fps for faster loading. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Best, Scott

http://www.slcity.com/df/360/
You can see my older vids at http://www.slcity.com/df

Clement7

Hi Scott! Thank you for your reply! I went to your web site to check out your videos, especially the new one, cool! Nice shots! You did a great job mixing the SAVS shots with your real-estate interior and exterior shots.

Yes, vibration problems have been indeed eliminated with the SAVS, the bouncing of the camera mount is the only concern I have.. after conducting several experiments for the past couple of days with the SAVS, I came to a conclusion that the original configuration of the SAVS (rubber bands) is still the best and easy to cure with a stablizer software. AND the bouncing is a lot easier to cure than the high frequency vibration. So I assume that you made use of 2D3 or iStabilize with your SAVS shots?

Regarding the folding blades.. I did tighten them, but in mid-flight they still tend to get mis-aligned which then causes the SAVS to wobble excessively and fly out of control. I am more confident in flying right now and recovering from near mishaps, using the fixed blade version.

Again, thank you for the links, Scott! Your work is a perfect example on how to blend and make use of the SAVS technology with Real Estate videos without over using /over featuring it.

Best Regards,

Clemente

Sky High

Those were prototype retainers that you saw. My prototype's version was like the one you saw in Zenon's demo.