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RED - RC Helicopters

Dominik Muench

Dominik Muench

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Hi guys


I know there has been a thread on this before but i cant find it anymore :/

I am looking for as much forum internal & external information as possible on
radio controlled helicopter systems that are capable to be used with the RED ONE.

Is there maybe even someone here on the forum who does RC helicopter filming and could help me with a few questions ?

any help appreciated, thank you.
 
Dominik Muench said:
Hi guys


I know there has been a thread on this before but i cant find it anymore :/

I am looking for as much forum internal & external information as possible on
radio controlled helicopter systems that are capable to be used with the RED ONE.

Is there maybe even someone here on the forum who does RC helicopter filming and could help me with a few questions ?

any help appreciated, thank you.
Click to expand...

Here is one...

http://www.skyreel.com/

Jim
 
thank you sir :)

skyreel are actually using the same chopper system I am currently looking at buying for my business. I wish they would show more footage from the camera itself than just the chopper in flight.
 
Didn't I see one of these in the Red booth at NAB last year?
SkyReel_UAV_4.jpg
 
They did a demo at RED and we were very impressed. They have a pilot-God that goes with the rig. I forgot his name but he was incredible. Footage looked great although all we shot was stuff around the building.

Jim
 
brook: what story ? u trying to scare me ? :)

Jim: you wouldn't have access to any of that footage by any chance ? or should i try the skyreel guys directly ?
with their demo system one person did both jobs ? flying the chopper AND operating the camera ?? wow :ohmy:

I know the basic chopper system is done by some guys back home in germany, they call it MovieCat.
Problem is that here on this end of the world (australia) i have hardly any contacts to people who are doing that sort of thing, which is why the skyreel people are probably the best to talk to atm.
 
They had three people... I think you have to have at least two (one spotter).

Jim
 
oh ok, thanks for that.

Im currently thinking of incorporating the whole RC helicopter system in my PhD, just applied to do a doctor of creative arts and I chose the RED and its camera systems as my research topic. but I found the whole RC helicopter cinematography idea so interesting that I decided to set it up as part of my business, but a lot of research has to be done before I hang my lovely Lucy from one of those choppers :/
 
Skyreel has retooled the helicopters for Scarlet/Epic which explains why there is no footage from the RED ONE yet...
 
I saw the RC chopper at RED booth two Nabs ago. As one who has been flying and building RC fixed wing and rotary aircraft for several decades, I could not see how the center of gravity on that beast could work but hey, maybe I missed something. I don't mind being corrected of course......

In the meantime, I am experimenting with a dirigible design to sling the RED underneath.

May be a while before I can get enough time to play with it but we have it on the drawing boards and it would be silky smooth! Wind is a problem but still days are great for this type of thing and ask any RC chopper pilot, wind is bad for rotary too.
 
oh dont worry Alan.. it works, we took it out for a demo and it was pretty impressive... but some of the movements were restrictive just because of the weight alone.. something the Epic and Scarlet will solve.
 
Sounds awesome!

Guess the lighter weight options coming up will give us more choices. Floating a dirigable is still a lot less stressful than a whirlybird! :)

When they come down, they tend to crack like eggs!

I probably have more money invested in carbon fiber and fiber glass than in my RED!
 
RC Chopper

RC Chopper

Give Philip or Joseph a call on (Australia) 0420-946 783 and 0406-368 469. They have a company here in Sydney called RC Aerial Images (www.rcaerialimages.com).

They came in to Panavision last year to have a chat with me and they also brought in their machine which was very impressive.

Really nice guys too, which is always good!

Good luck with it!


Rgd's


Andrew
 
You're going to want to look at the Maxi Joker RC's. They are gas and have electric versions as well that are capable of lifting a RED ONE. If you've never flown an RC Heli before, get a simulator with a USB control that you can use to fly the real thing later. Then play in the sim for a few months until you're ready to graduate to a little 400 or 450 size. I've been flying a Trex 450 for awhile with a little Aiptek HD camera with good results. I'm looking at picking up a Joker for when the Scarlet comes out for the perfect little camera ship :D

Other bits of advice, ummmm, practice practice practice! You WILL crash. Better to do it in a simulator or with a small, easily fixable heli then when your on location with a RED in the air. You might want to join a club for RC planes/helis around you to have someone help you set-up your heli. Even the "RTF" ready-to-fly setups need a LOT of tweeking which can be a pain if you don't know your swashplate from your rotors.

1 person can fly AND operate the camera but it's very hard and quite a bit more expensive getting the servos nice and smooth and controlling the heli at the same time. There are auto pilot and auto hover systems that will keep it at a stable hover with a heading which should let you then operate the camera. 2 people is ideal, 3 is even better.

If you have any questions feel free to ask! I've got loads of links on areial photography/video if you want to get started...
 
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