From Selfie To Dronie

The past months the term "selfie", or the act of taken ones own picture, has become more and more of a common term. But, with multirotors capable of carrying cameras a new form of selfies is beginning to evolve, dronies. A dronies is a photo taken of one's own self using a remote-controlled pilotless aircraft. Want to be on the leading edge of the new trend? You can always use your Blade 350QX or DJI phantom to take a dronie.  

Drone To Scout Oregon Fires

If you are a local customer you may have been breathing the smoke from the recent Bryant fire near Bonanza. That fire, along with other recent fires, has sparked the Oregon Forestry Department's to build a RC helicopter that will be able to scout dangerous areas that are not accessible by humans. The helicopter will cost around $5000 and will put Oregon ahead of the drone usage curve for fire scouting. Using video, infrared cameras and GPS the helicopter hopes to be using the fire scouting drone by mid-July. 

Blade 200QX Available Now!!

The Blade 200 QX is now available! The brushless motors were designed with an emphasis on power but also the capability to carry a payload, like a camera! The translucent body and internal lighting create a refreshing look that is sure to please pilots. The included 800 Mah battery will provide flyers to achieve flight times close to 7 minutes. Looking to be one of the first to have this quad? Click HERE to get yours today!

Phantom knocked from sky during LA Kings celebration

A DJI Phantom was knocked from the sky Friday night as the LA Kings celebrated their Stanley Cup win. A fan captured this video showing the overly excited fans throwing debris, varying from cans, paper and clothing, at the DJI Phantom. A T-Shirt eventually made contact with the drone causing it to fall to the ground, where the eager fans reached for it. Once the DJI Phantom was on the ground the fans quickly tore it to pieces, making it very clear it was not welcome to fly above them any more. The Phantom's owner has not been identified, and no one has stepped forward to claim the lost quadcopter either.

Remote Control Car Gets Amazing Shots Of Lions!

Using a 4x4 RC buggy professional photographer Chris McLennan was able to get some up close and personal footage of some curious lions. The car name Car-L had a Nikon D800E that was wrapped in a protective housing that allowed them to get close to the animals without danger. The lions who had previously been lazily lounging became interested in the unfamiliar remote controlled device and followed it around, allowing for the photos. Some of the lions swatted at it and even tried to take a bite out of it, but surprisingly the car and camera survived.

Paramotor over dolphins!

If you are looking for a way to see dolphins you may want to try paramotoring. A GoPro user was able to paramotor over the ocean, and get some amazing footage of the dolphins below. The GoPro camera was able to capture some of the dolphins swimming and leaping from the ocean as he sailed across the sky.

Chocolate Quadcopter

Recently we seen a quadcopter made with a carrot frame, but more recently a quadcopter was made with a chocolate frame. A pilot and his girlfriend came up with a creative build idea that combined his interest in building quadcopters and her passion for baking. Using over 1000 grams of chocolate the couple poured melted chocolate into a silicon mold. Once the chocolate hardened in the refrigerator for a couple hours they added the flight control components. To keep the chocolate from melting quickly the motors were mounted onto steel spacers, and the battery along with the esc's onto styrofoam spacers. After a successful flight the couple was able to celebrate with some multirotor chocolate.

Graffiti Drone!

Meet KATSU, a talented street artist who has been recognized for using odd items, such as a fire extinguisher and now a drone, for his graffiti art. KATSU's graffiti drone was his own creation and he was the developer behind the system that attaches to the multirotor to spray the paint from a can.  The drone is actually a DJI Phantom 2 that uses a cradle and remote sprayer, that he created, to be able to go higher than many other graffiti artists have dreamed. KATSU developed the idea to push the limits of possibility and get his graffiti tags in spots never imagined, but also hopes that people see this and adapt the concept to bigger and better possibilities.

Omaha Beach with a DJI Phantom

Seventy years ago today thousands of soldiers invaded the sandy beaches in Normandy, France. Today, the D-Day beaches show little signs of its bloody past, and is almost eerily quiet appearing. A DJI Phantom owner used his Phantom with a GoPro attached to get some aerials of the memorial and the surrounding areas.

FAA Considering Exemptions for TV and Movie Use

The FAA has been working several months on rules and regulations that would apply to UAS and UAV pilots, but it seems little ground has been made. Since the March ruling determined that the FAA had no regulations for a small UAS it seems that the FAA has began to push to establish the regulations. The FAA announced earlier this week that several aerial video and photography companies have asked for exemptions to use the UAV's with regulatory exemption. Under section 333 of the law, certain airworthiness requirements can be waived to let specific UAS fly safely in narrowly-defined, controlled, low-risk situations, but the companies are still asking for other exemptions. The exemptions being asked to include regulations like pilot certificate requirements, and maintenance and equipment mandates.  Under section 333 of the law, certain airworthiness requirements can be waived to let specific UAS fly safely in narrowly-defined, controlled, low-risk situations. Currently commercial operations are allowed on a case-by-case basis, but if exemptions are allowed it could be the okay many aerial photographers are waiting for.

Hoverskater!

Since back to the Future was released who hasn't wanted a hover board? Well a new kickstarter project has developed a hoverskater, and it's as close to a hover board as we have gotten yet. An air cushion added to the bottom of a long board type skateboard allows users to go across terrain that typically would stop skateboards. The first prototypes used traditional skateboard trucks and wheels, and was tested without wheels but later reintroduced the wheels concept to provide stability. The air cushion below is inflated by a remote-controlled air-turbine and the electric moped wheel underneath the board provides forward and braking capabilities. If they reach their goal hover skate will be available by Christmas 2014.

Lighting up the sky

Digital Sputnik has developed a mountable LED lighting system for mutirotors to carry. The new LED is mobile, easy to use, and can give film makers and directors lighting possibilities. The LED lighting system has a output equivalent of 1.5kW HMI, and is light enough to be able to be carried by a variety of small drones. The LED lights has different features and lighting options, one being daylight white, and is compatible with different lenses for different needs. With the new product now available it may not be long before multirotors are lighting the way for film makers.

A Giant Paper Airplane

When you think of a paper airplane, you may think of a nothing more than a novice child's toy, but after seeing this video your opinion may be changed. A record setting paper airplane took a short flight, lasting about a minute, over the dry Arizona landscape. The paper airplane launched is world record sized; measuring at 45 feet long and 26 feet wide. With a GoPro camera attached capturing some POV flight, the questions I asked as an 8 year old, like what would it be like to be atop a paper airplane, are now a little more clear.