RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

I'm thinking about re-enrolling in the (Academy of Model Aeronautics) and joining a local .

There aren't any RC 's [sic.] particularly close to me, but not too far away, either. All I really want to do is dink around with a little park flyer, but people are way too scared of even the most pedestrian 's [sic.] these days, and you really need some kind of air field to fly in, whether a formal one, or just a literal field out in the boonies.

...

voyager,

@RL_Dane What's the physical size of the UAV you want to fly?

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@voyager

Oh, no bigger than about a meter span. Light and floaty, not a speed demon.

Larger planes are more fun to me because you can see them from further away and enjoy that feeling of majestic flight.

This was my favorite plane of the two that I had roughly a decade ago:
https://www.nitroplanes.com/60a-dy8925-hawksky-rtf-24g.html

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Oh! You fly? We fly in a pair of adjacent baseball diamonds. It's plenty of space for smaller planes, especially the sub 250g ones. Honestly you can't fly them much further and still see them anyway. Plenty of the FliteTest mini planes are the right size for small fields or large backyards. The "UMX" planes Horizon Hobby makes are plenty suitable too.

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

I haven't flown in a while, but yes, I really miss it.

I was thinking of getting this guy, but he's definitely over 250g: https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/aeroscout-s-2-1.1m-rtf-basic-with-safe/HBZ380001.html

In the U.S. at least, you can still fly larger UAVs if you pass a safety test, which I think is pretty easy.

I love flying larger planes -- my first one was a Dynam Hawk Sky (clone of the EasyStar and very similar to the original Bixler plane). It was a large, glidey beauty, and lots of fun to fly, even w/o gyros

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane That Scout does look like a nice relaxing plane to fly though. I nearly bought the one at the local shop. :) Weather has been awful for flying here so far sadly. Pick two of: windy, rainy, muddy, > 90F, < 40F, etc. :( I did get to fly my seaplanes last weekend though. :D

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

I relate, at least a little. When I was in Oklahoma, it was too windy 90% of the time to fly anything but a stone or rocket, lol.

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane I'm in Minnesota, and yeah... the US rules are turning into a bit of a mess. Remote ID is coming in September to spoil all the fun, though I can't say I've talked to anyone that intends to follow the rules. Heck, even Horizon Hobby has just been ignoring them. Manufacturers have been required to integrate RID since last September, and yet not a single one of their products do...

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Ah, ok. I figured you were in Europe because you used grams XD

Yeah, although I love their videos, folks like Team Black Sheep really ruin it for everyone, although they were quite safe and restrained compared to some of the bonehead drone antics out there.

I really wish the FAA would distinguish between hovering and non-hovering UAVs. At least they're not as draconian as Canada or especially NZ (poor xjet).

...

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

...

I saw the writing on the wall about a decade ago. I knew that drones were going to ruin the hobby for "the rest of us," and they honestly kinda have. :P

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Oh, hehe. I've never measured anything in ounces in my life and have no intuition for how much it is. >_<

Yeah... I mean I kinda cringe when people do "risky" things with planes/drones too, but there's this thing in the back of my head that I should be 10x more worried that they probably drove a giant metal machine within feet (or meters!) of other people to get to their flight location. 😬

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Yeah, I know. It's all perception. We can do everything BUT pay attention while driving two tons of steel down the road at 70mph, but ONE guy pulls something stupid with a drone and we gotta regulate the hobby to death.

Meanwhile that one little hobby enjoyed by a vocal few is killing thousands of people (and children) every year... eh, let's not go there. XD

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane 😬

Also, have you ever FPVed? Closest thing you can get to being a bird! I have a few (terrible quality) videos on the tubesite, but this is probably my favorite. It was the perfect evening for FPV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoVFcrFMHvo

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Nice! I've flown with a little 808 camera before, but never FPV. That equipment was always pretty pricey, although I haven't looked into it in some time.

Honestly, I always just enjoyed the third person view in this case, although looking at the footage after the fact was kinda fun, too.

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Probably only 25% of my flying is FPV because it's more effort/setup, but it's very satisfying. You can weave between trees, follow other planes, or my favorite: bird's eye view from a float plane. :D

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

P.S. Ever thought of throwing some stuff up on ? https://diode.zone/ would be a great place for random non-formal videos.

PeerTube really has some of that 2006-era Youtube feels (but with 1080p, of course ;)

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Yet another thing I’ve “been meaning to check out”, but haven’t gotten around to. I’m one of those dirty ad blockers, but I suppose my videos have ads on them. >_<

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

can also automatically scrape new YT videos you post and post them there. It's pretty convenient.

utopify_org,
@utopify_org@veganism.social avatar

@RL_Dane @slembcke Is there a way to figure out which instance has this feature, because there are admins, who disabled this feature and you have to download it manually from youtube.

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@utopify_org @slembcke

Aw, that stinks. I'm afraid I don't know. :/

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane @utopify_org The tubesite has been getting pretty litigious about video downloading lately. I wouldn't be surprised if the peertube instances are just trying to cover their butts. "Stealing" content is one thing, but hosting it afterwards is certainly much riskier.

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke @utopify_org

Ah, the rapid onward march of progress.

s/progress/enshittification/

utopify_org,
@utopify_org@veganism.social avatar

@slembcke @RL_Dane You're right! But why aren't there indicators for authentication, like links on Mastodon.

Something like: "Add this unique string on your about page on Youtube to show us it's your channel: dpBgHVz9ZbksdUmB"

This would solve a lot of problems imho.

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@utopify_org @RL_Dane Oh I don't mean mirroring someone else's channel even. Downloading your own videos is forbidden by the TOS too I suspect.

utopify_org,
@utopify_org@veganism.social avatar

@slembcke @RL_Dane I thought there was a loop hole, that if you don't agree to the term of youtube, you can download videos. So a peertube instances technically can't agree to those terms.

In general, if another person downloads your video, who isn't a youtube member (did not agree to the terms), it is legal to download.

Publishing those again is another thing, but like I said, if there is a factor, which can identify the creator (the owner of the videos and who has the rights), it is not a problem anymore.

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@utopify_org @slembcke

Not signing the TOS in the first place won't protect you from litigation, though. People can sue for just about any reason imaginable.

I wonder if/when GOOG will finally get properly heavy-handed and lock down YT altogether. :(

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@utopify_org @RL_Dane TOSs and EULAs are often not legally enforceable, but that doesn’t stop armies of lawyers from making them though. “By using this service you agree to the terms” sound familiar?It also doesn’t stop google from deleting your account if they don’t like you. If you store your whole life on their servers that could be catastrophic. (Though that’s a mistake for another discussion…)

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke @utopify_org

Yeah. Too often, all they have to do is drag you to court indefinitely and they can do whatever they want, even if they have zero legal authority to do so.

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Excellent shoulder cat, btw. I keep meaning to complement you on that :D

My furson will tolerate being a shoulder cat (bazooka-style), but he doesn't do it voluntarily. And he definitely hates the lamb-carry around-the-neck style, so I don't even try it anymore.

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Funny you mention that. There was gamedevs-talking-about-cats thread just a couple hours ago: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@slembcke/110543586511734900

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Ha, that's great! Wow, Tigger is 19!! That's a very senior Tigger!

Hobbes is 16. He doesn't jump up onto the bed as effortlessly as before, and he definitely looks like an old man when coming down the stairs, but he's still my little furry guy. 😻

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Yeah, I'd say he's still doing great except for the past 2 weeks. :( Got a follow up appointment in a couple hours actually. I think he just needs his insulin increased, but the vet wanted to take things slow. It's hard to see him look so old. :(

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Aw man, I'm so sorry.
I had a big health scare with my guy last October, but he pulled through, to the surprise of the vet.

He's got these big, lumpy sebaceous cysts on his side, but they're not bothering him.

Love really keeps these old fellas going.

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane He’s doing a bit better today on a higher insulin dose and some antibiotics. Got a bit of outside time while I take a work break.

image/jpeg

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Awww, sweet! Ginger bois are the bestest. :D

slembcke,
@slembcke@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

@RL_Dane Oh! As an alternate suggestion, a couple people in my circle have the Ultrix and love it. It can be fast or slow, easy to fly, but also very acrobatic. You could probably fly it in something as small as a tennis court with a little practice. :) https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/umx-ultrix-bnf-basic-with-as3x-and-safe-select-342mm/EFLU6450.html

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@slembcke

Ooh, that looks like it'll really zip. Differential thrust? NIIICE!!

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

...

I haven't flown an in eight years, and I miss it. I have a little , but that does NOT count. RC Planes are majestic and elegant. Drones are just Space Invaders in the air. ZERO feeling of flight. :P

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

Just joined the AMA earlier this year.

Currently working into DLG.

Whereabouts are you, roughly?

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@nlarson830

What's DLG?

DFW: North of north dallas.

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

Discus Launch Glider

Here's a half launch, standard method has a full spin and goes up a lot higher.

https://youtu.be/ZQhJuU26wrM

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

Thats a 1m plane, 1.5m is contest size and a skilled pilot can catch thermals and fly nearly as long as they want!

DFW-ish prime thermals!

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@nlarson830

Those DLG's are crazy cool. I remember seeing the Windestål showing them off on FliteTest years ago.

If I had the shoulders & arms for that, I'd be tempted to try one out.

Whereabouts do you fly in DFW?

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

Dont have to throw, same sort of planes available with electric assist to go up and find thermals.

Here's an RC forum I'm on, this is the DLG specific part:
https://www.rcgroups.com/dlg-hand-launch-gliders-and-f3k-96/

I'm in Southern California, dunno where is good specifically in DFW area but you've got lots of active air for sure!

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@nlarson830

Ah, cool. I think a motorglider would be crazy fun. My old Hawk Sky really straddled the line between motorglider and trainer. It did not want to come down. XD

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar
RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@nlarson830

Oh, sweet! DEFINITELY motorglider territory.

BNF means I need to supply TX, BATT & Charger, right?

Is there a solid cheapo TX I can get that's Spektrum compatible?
Even the DXS is > $100, yowza! I can get an OrangeRX transmitter for that much!

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

Mine came with a DXS and was ~$200 but that was almost 3 years ago.

You'll be in for $250

Its a great plane.
Can't handle a lot of wind its small.

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

You can get a Zorro transmitter for a bit more than the DXS and its WAY better.

RL_Dane,
@RL_Dane@fosstodon.org avatar

@nlarson830

Ooo, the Zorro looks pretty dang cool!
Is it Spektrum-compatible?

nlarson830,
@nlarson830@techhub.social avatar

@RL_Dane

There is a 4n1 style that handles most receivers.

Need to make sure it can talk to the Rx brick in the UMX Radian an they recently updated the plane a bit.

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