Traveling with multirotors


Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
I forgot to mention that Kopterworx ships lipos throughout Europe. Might be worth giving them a call. Remember Europe is one big land mass so land based shipping is fine.

You could just drive down to Portugal via the Eurostar or ferry. It's only a 21 hour drive from my house in Gloucestershire!
 

I forgot to mention that Kopterworx ships lipos throughout Europe. Might be worth giving them a call. Remember Europe is one big land mass so land based shipping is fine.

You could just drive down to Portugal via the Eurostar or ferry. It's only a 21 hour drive from my house in Gloucestershire!

Cheers Ben I checked Kopterworx earlier looks like they have no 6s in stock. Drive sod that mate flights booked paid and I bloody hate traffic, maybe I should build a new aircraft that fit on me bike lol.
If I do get any work abroad I think driving would be the answer if the cost allow, traveling with airlines seem a pain or just Fedex the lot both ways.

Its only 21 hour from your house do me a favour mate old buddy old paw drop me some lipo's off lol.

Thanks for the reply dude
 

Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
I just managed to half the drive time by getting the ferry to Santander in Spain from either Portsmouth or Plymouth. £500ish for two people and a car. Just FYI.
 

Nice find thats a good price, plus fuel do you have the mileage to hand for your route, I wonder if a transporter van would be much more on the ferry.
 


Cool, ouch 24hrs up n down up n down…..er fedex lol.
Im not sure if you can stay in the car/van on lower deck of a ferry ?
 

SkyFalcon

Member
Hi, i'm from Portugal, and for now you should have no problem fly in here.
There are no spcific regulations for UAV in here.
So, if you don't do nothing that people may find an intrusion to their privacy, you shoud be ok.
Police can't do nothing regarding th UAV... but if you are doing someting wrong, they may say you where disturbing the law and apreend the UAV.
But i have a AP buisenesses since 3 years ago, and i only have 1 problem, and it was solve quickly.
I find that it help if you ask for permisson to fly or at least inform the police/people involve or someone that in any way as to give you permisson for ou take pictures of what you are doing.
If the place you will fly its yours or of friend and private... no problem
 

Hi Skyfalcon,

Thanks for the information.
I will be flying in Almancil Quinta do Lago, any rules on flying near Faro airport Im sure I will still be within Faro airspace thats why I'm asking.
I don't plan to film near the airport at anytime or in danger anyone ?
I will be flying the UK rules of 400ft Altitude, 500m VLOS. Do you have any governing board or organisation in Portugal ?
Thanks for you help mate.
 

SkyFalcon

Member
jimmygixxer

I already fly much closer of the airport with no problems, it was a special day (faro motorbike show), but there where a lot of policemen, and no problem as i said.
For now as i have said, there is no entity that can approve or disapprove the flight, it's all a matter of common sense.

One suggestion though ... you will fly in Almancil Quinta do Lago, which is very weel known for high profile tourism ... these people have sometimes their own security and they can be not so friendly.
But in Portugal, only Judges can tell you to clear the photos, even the police can't delete your photos ... but common sense once more...
If you're shooting near a hotel, ask them if it's okay. Just say you're taking pictures of other things and if they want you can show the pictures later. They usually say that there is no problem and you may shoot. And if anyone say something to you, you just say that the hotel give you permission to shoot.

A suggestion regarding the batteries.
If you know the address where you're going, just send your batteries by express mail, 4 each package.
I've had batteries that came from the UK and arrived in 24h
And you should have no problems

But do not be afraid, i think that you will have no problem flying UAVs in Portugal... just use your common sense
 

Skyfalcon,

Thank you. I will always use common sense when flying but just wanted to check before breaking a rule I did not know about.
Good point about the security I can contact them before hand if needed but should be fine on private land.

Motorcycle show sounds cool any footage to show ?
 

SkyFalcon

Member
jimmygixxer

It was really cool. But the footage was sold and i can't show to you. But if you like bikes, faro is the place to be between 17 and 20 of july of 2014.
Sometime next month i will have a 360º panorama of the 2013 motorbike show (someting like this http://www.skyphoto.pt/Panoramas/FMP/Portugal Les a Les 2013/1.html )

But you can see this - http://youtu.be/CThW42Cmo_U - it's a annual ride of 1000 motorbikes from north to south of Portugal in 3 days always away from main roads, just for the fun of ride and to see places that you usually don´t know
Or this, - http://youtu.be/g2ZHSvLcqqc - it was one of the first videos in the early days, with a Panasonic LX3, and it was an attempt to record the Guiness Book of Records to have the highest number of Honda's Blackbird in the same location.
 

HI Skyfalcon,

I like bikes for sure. That 360* looks awesome very nice.
Did the record happen with the blackbirds ?

You seem to be allowed to fly over people in Portugal ?
Have you seen the post from triathlon accident thats just happened ?
 

SkyFalcon

Member
As I said, there are not specific laws for UAVs in Portugal, and although I follow almost entirely the CAA rules, I must admit that fly over people is not one of them.

I really think it is dangerous and should only happen in specific situations .

But I also think that the European regulations that will emerge in 2016, should take into account the need by the media to have pictures like this.

I think there should be a class that would be allow this kind of flight, with some specific UAVs, and pilots.

We used a Asctec Falcon 8. And i am not in any means saying that the manufacturer indicates that this is a UAV that allows this type of flight ... but I have more than 1000h of flight ... and that gives us an additional confidence when fly. In addition, the total weight of the UAV with a Sony Nex5 and batterie is 1.7kg.

Regarding the accident that you mentioned, I will not comment without more information.
I only can say that it seems to me that it was a FlameWeel UAV, and for me that is a "Hobby" class, which is usually build at home and without proper testing and should continue to be a "hobby" UAV, and it can be a great "hobby", but its not to have professional use .

And you cannot compare to a professional UAV, which was produced by professionals to be specifically a image platform, which is tested and has constant upgrades, which is the preference due their reliability by inspections and land surveying specialists and has a record of thousands of hours without any problems ...

With this I am not saying that there will be no problems. Last month fell a plane that was surely tested to the limits... and in the UK, a helicopter crashed in the beginning of this year... and those devices were surly very tested too.

What happens is that there is always a risk, but it is calculated on the benefits and potential losses, and that's why airplanes fly. We do know that they can fall... sometimes they land in aeroports within the city limits and fly over buildings, but the risk is minimal.

I think the same should happen with the UAV when flying over people, should be evaluate the risk, and then give permission or not.

Fly with a octo with 12kg, is different from flying with a octo with 1.7kg ... fly with a hobby line UAV is different from flying with a professional one, and fly with a pilot who only have a few hours of flight is different from one with hundreds of hours.

At the end... fly over people is dangerous, but it can be done safely.
But ... this is just my opinion ...
 




SkyFalcon

Member
Well.. we are different countries, so for now it's all the same, still no rules here.
But eventually INAC authorities may go the same way.
I think that they don´t really know what to do, because even their definition of drones is laughable. For them, if is a military operation is a drone, and if it´s a civilian, it´s not a drone...
But they have since last month the first European test flight location for drones, so they must have something to show...
Plus, the European rules are going to be approved this year, and all the EU countries must have the same rules by the end of next year, so i don´t see the point of doing this...
And if i agree that not everyone should fly a UAV, i can't imagine how the new business with UAV (photographers, inspections.... etc) will survive.
 

Hi Mate,
I know your different countries but your next to each other so I didn't know if you had the same Aviation Authorities.
So INAC are the Portuguese Aviation Authorities ?
Have you heard of Eurousc or Resource Group doing anything in Portugal ?
They are the two companies that can give us the training and reference's in the UK to the CAA before we can operate commercially, I think Eurousc are trying to gain UAV power as a governing body in Portugal or as a training centre which I don't think its a bad thing because the rules will be issued.
Have you heard of any accident in Portugal with UAV's
 

SkyFalcon

Member
jimygixxer

Yes , I know those companies.

Although there is no specific law here in Portugal, I follow close the English rules ... except flying around people for the reasons i told you.

I keep the flight logs, distances and maximum heights, i always have safe landing zones... and so on.

As we diden't have rules, i start looking at the references of the CAA, as guide lines of how to fly safely.

Eurousc is going to have a training course in Spain, and I was thinking to attend. But i discard that idea because except for the part of the knowledge that they will teach (and this is very important ) it will not be recognized in Portugal.

So it was spending money almost for nothing.

Now, i don't know how they will do that training in Spain, because the EFSA statement earlier in the week said ... " ALL FLIGHTS OF UAVs ARE FORBIDDEN ". If they fly they are breaking the law.

Also, I do not know how the new european legislation that is being discuss will change the rules that even you at the UK have, and I don't know if the training of Eurousc will be recognized .

Of course that they will manage a way that people that have their training, have some kind of equivalence.

But if they come to Portugal and if the training is recognized ... I'll be one of the first to attend the training . :)

Regarding accidents , i diden't heard of any accident, not even in the media. How about in the UK?
 

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