Thread: Paper Airplanes
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Unread 29-04-2013, 01:32
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Re: Paper Airplanes

Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH View Post
No, it would NOT be cool. R/C aircraft--of any type--can be very dangerous. I actually have an R/C aircraft that would be perfect for flying in a dome (if it's repaired), and I wouldn't even THINK about flying over the stands, or Einstein, or any field that was being packed up--for that matter, over any field at all due to the overhead cables for the lights being a great target for stray planes, or the personnel on the fields risking being injured should something go wrong.

If I'm talking about my sub-1-lb ultramicro foamy not being safe to fly under FIRST competition conditions, then anything strong enough to carry a camera is going to be even worse--larger, heavier, more powerful, more likely to hit something or someone. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but if I was to endorse such an idea, I would A) call in a professional, or at least somebody with a ton more experience than I do, and B) clear as many people off of the floor as I could, and C) put flags on every cable so they were more visible to the pilot. Oh, and D) listen to the pro when he told me it wasn't safe to fly.

Also, I should remind you that R/C pilots fly on 2.4 GHz. The field can potentially (and sometimes does) operate on that bandwidth, though it's usually on 5 GHz, but an awful lot of other stuff operates there too. I wouldn't risk it.
Quite true. I'm sitting next to a dinky little $30 toy foam plane I got a few years ago. It's quite painful to get hit by the prop: I accidentally took a small chunk of my finger out with it once. Larger RC stuff can be scary (I should know, I have an ArduCopter).

As for a Pro flying the arducopter plane, I'd be uncomfortable with that also. There are many unforeseen circumstances that could cause your airplane to cut out, crash, and cause a large disturbance. Not to mention that you need a sizable plane to carry something that takes decent footage (gopro esque).

As for the planes, I remember seeing many of them in the stream last year, and not many this year. Personally, I'd rather bounce a beach ball of balloon in the stands, less potential for danger, less waste, and more fun.
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