Recent content by HAWK-i.us

DougJohn -- VERY nice work with the comparisons. That's a lot of work. Thanks for sharing. Regards.......... bob r.

Use the "Hi Res" option in ODM Lightning. Produces resolution and quality every bit as good as I can get from Pix4D and DD. WebODM is free version of LIghtning but has a steep learning curve and requires a strong PC with lots of memory. Well Pix4D also has a steep learning curve if you want...

Just a quick add on -- I've had good success buying used drones via local sellers in Facebook Marketplace. Used equipment can be a decent decision for a startup company or for backup. Helps if you're an experienced flyer though so you'll have a good idea what to look for and ask about. Good...

++ on what R Martin said.

Use Airmap for LAANC and Litchi for control. Works a treat

Agree with all above. Counterpoint: Under reduced throttle on the downwind leg with apparent-to-the-observer good speed, the plane is actually descending due to the reduced power, but with good speed that descent angle is deceptively shallow, especially with the plane moving away. The stall...

One final point from me on the OP's post- Fixed wing RC pilots become keenly aware of this ground speed/air speed deal early on. You'll normally have a throttle set for a nice cruising speed and don't have to mess with it much unless your doing 3D or pattern work. But when a wind comes along...

In my case it was a Litchi mission with programmed ground speed, so it was spending a little energy to slow down on the downwind side of the site. That particular example had a mission speed of 20 mph, so a 25 mph tail wind caused an equivalent energy burn from braking of around a 5mph flight...

Agree with all above. In my case, the air mass was moving at distinctly different speeds on different sides of the site . The constant mission speed is based on GPS, which is ground speed, so the speed of the bird through the air in my example was not the symmetrical opposite calculation on...

I keep two birds on old FW without geofencing and one on current FW. Only way I can live with it

+1 on Fred

Adding a piece of trivia -- I had a construction site where the air/ground speed became important to flying the photo and video missions. The geography was such that the site always had a wind tunnel blowing down the the west side of the property. If the wide area wind speed was 10mph, that...

One suggestion -- there is no substitute for being out in the field doing a job, even a non-paying job. Meet everyone you can and give/get cards, names, contact info, and remember their names the next time you're on that site. Copy selected ones with deliverables if it doesn't create...

My first year revenue was a little better than R.Perry described, but not much. Each year I've been in business has seen revenue roughly double from the prior year. But it was about 3 years before the bank account increased much beyond expenses. SkyFall-OD2, one more item for your list is the...

1. The $1100 Drone Deploy "Pro" level account doesn't let you do much that is useful for higher tech construction work. You can make an orthomosaic map, but you can't process GCP's. 2. Pix4D has a month-at-a-time plan. You don't have to subscribe until you have a paying customer, then you...