Flying over Navy Ships and Offshore rigs.

[fr3style]

Our company has been asked to do some aerial footage in two places that I have not done before.

Safety First is my number one rule!!!

1st Job.
The Navy in the town where I live have asked for aerial shots of their boats docked in the port. The production company who has been hired to run the operation said that last week when they went to start the work and get some interviews done, that the wirels microphones they were using got so much interferance that they had to use a wired mike.
I will use two different Multirotors for the job. A bigger machine with a FUTABA 2.5GHZ TX and RX. And for the real close fly by with a GoPro I will use a customized DJI Phantom. Stock TX/RX.
My Video Downlink is a ImmersionRC 600mW 5.8GHZ and the Fatshark googles to a LCD screen.
Does any one have any tips on how to find out if any of the signals sent from the navys equipment could interfere? and How can I counter that if so? I 1. Dont want to loose controll and crash into something and cause damage 2. Loose my gear.

2nd Job
A huge boat in the middle of the sea. Has a high up flare tip and they want some close up pictures. I will fly a Hexa with a good camera on it. Now my question is. Its a boat so it moves. But its a HUUUUUGE boat so they told me it does minimum moves and you can hardly feel it. Will my NAZA or Wookong be a bit bitchy since you have to let her sit min 5 min still before takeoff. Also any one done this before and know what kind of other signal problems I could run into? I will use 2.4GHZ and 5.8 for video here again. I am going to buy the EzUHF later when these jobs pay!



Happy flying
Fr3style

 

[Stacky]

This guy has been doing it for a year or so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvmOEmbyco

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Only tip I can give you is to not be in GPS mode when taking off from a moving ship/vehicle. Your MR will just flip itself to try and arrest the movement, however small it may be.

 

[boranup]

The rig wont be moving - it will only be weather veining (spelling???) if its online (flare stack is alight) - as its an operational facility there are requirements for intrinsic safety which a drone will not be so I assume as a minimum you wont be able to fly directly over the vessel at any time apart from take off and landing and you will have to work under the control of a permit system - be very interested how it goes for you!

 

[fr3style]

This would be my first offshore job! Been trying to get offshore for two years! Hope we get the contract!
They have briefed me on the rules and permit system! My only worried realy are the signaling! If 2.4ghz and 5.8ghz will be fine! I wont be flying so far so distance wise i feel it will be fine! My backup quad is a kk2.0 board operated machine so no gos trouble there havaha

 

[DennyR]

Interesting mix of ideas. I have spent the last few weeks shooting from boats and all I can say is that I take off in GPS and no matter how much tilt the boat has and how much swell takes me up and down, when it lifts off it always rises straight up. Most of my work is over water and the only daily thing that I do is calibrate the compass. FWIW.

I think trying to win a contract when you have no experience with marine shooting is a bad idea. If your machines don't float on water forget it.
2 seconds in sea water and the whole thing is scrap.

 

[ghaynes]

I think the first one really depends on whether any of the ships are emitting signals. You can ask but may only find out the real answer by doing a test flight. Unless you know someone who has a portable spectrum analyzer to help you out.

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Interesting mix of ideas. I have spent the last few weeks shooting from boats and all I can say is that I take off in GPS and no matter how much tilt the boat has and how much swell takes me up and down, when it lifts off it always rises straight up. Most of my work is over water and the only daily thing that I do is calibrate the compass. FWIW.

Denny, out of curiousity, were the boats moving laterally? Up and down and tilted, I don't see a problem. My one time launching from a boat was with it moving forward at about 3kts, and upon takeoff the Naza flipped the quad backwards... the only flip I've had on my MRs, and I attributed it to the forward motion which I thought the Naza would try to arrest because I was in GPS mode and it's trying to hold position.