Drones

Has anyone done any research on drones? I’ve just started looking into them & there is a large variety from cheap to very expensive.

I plan on buying one soon & moving in that direction. I think it will be a really good tool for roof inspections.

What does one look for when purchasing a drone to inspect roofs?

  1. Battery life
  2. GPS for hands free hover capabilities
  3. A decent camera

Any other ideas?

Check is there any regulations on them in your area.

In Canada there are many regulations restricting there use and some places they are forbidden.

Thanks Roy, but the rules for these tools will be changing soon, at least in the states.

As deadline for drone rules nears, FAA issues roadmap for inclusion in the skies

i have a one Kevin but battery life goes fast. i am just playing right now .

Best Idea for Roof climbing is performed when your weight is 150 LBS or less:p:p

Thanks for your valuable input Charlie. :blank:

I’m 6’4" and the day I weigh in at 150 I will either be dead or near death.

On another note, be careful climbing those roofs Charlie, it’d be a damn shame if a medium to strong breeze picked you up & carried your tiny azz away. :stuck_out_tongue:

he has a rope tied to his bumper

DJI Phantom with a GoPro is the way to go. Its a very smooth flier and stable even in a good wind and has GPS stability. I bought the AR Drone2, and while it works decently, if I had to do it over I’d go with the phantom. Bit pricier though as the Phantom is around $400 I think and a GoPro will set you back $200. Battery life us decent on them around 10-12 minutes. My friend who is a realtor has this setup and I know Michael Merrino who is an inspector down in the south and posts occasionally uses it as well.

Actually Mike is near me in the south suburbs and has never mentioned owning one to me.
Will stick with my trusty pole cam.
Much faster and easier to operate.

Michael Paris, sorry. On my phone and autocorrect got me

Kevin,
I ordered the DJI Phantom 2 and should have it in a couple days. Also got a carry case and extra battery and some accessories. Spent around $1600.

25 minutes of battery life is a good thing. This looks like a sweet machine, let us know what you think Linas.

Nice Linas. You won’t be disappointed with that rig

We are also looking at the Phantom II. I flew one the other day and the photos/video are beautiful.

Make sure this will be powerful enough to attach your IR camera. Then you can do roof scans from above. :wink:

FLIR has one for that.

Wow. Slick.

Excellent share, did not know about that one !

The S800 (8 arm UAV) is a great photo platform, but can get pricey and is heavy. There is a Hexacopter (6-arm) copy on Ebay similar to the one Flir recommends http://www.ebay.com/itm/201020037443?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 , you will want a bigger gimbal if your using your Thermal Imager - and plan on buying extra batteries and a quick charger. If anyone is interested, contact Todd and tell him Mark @ Allsite sent you. :slight_smile:
The DJI Phantom II is better than its predecessor, but will still require video editing to remove Jello effect or vibration. Accessories and parts are expensive for what your actually getting - but it does look cool if you customize it a bit.
In my experience Quadcopters are not as stable. Your better off getting a custom made Tricopter Y6 - dual motors per arm. The coaxial design increases the gyroscopic forces exerted on the frame, thus resisting outside forces better than if all the props were spinning on the same plane, it allows for a much more stable platform than a quad setup, and if a motor fries, your still able to limp the guy down instead of experiencing a free fall landing. With 3 arms instead of 4, your using less parts = less weight = more flytime.

I should get around 15min + with camera and Im at 7000ft, which requires around 20% more power consumption.
If your using a GoPro setup, spend the extra $ and Get the Hero3+ Black edition - its smaller and has faster Wifi. I had to adjust the focus on mine, its pretty easy and there are plenty of You tube videos on how to do it.

I have the same guy building a Y6 Tricopter and Crawler setup for me right now. Should have them next week. Ill post more pics once I get everything.

Here it is in progress:

Oh, and if you have never flown one of these bad boys, I would highly suggest buying a cheap model and practicing. Something like http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Hubsan-X4-H107-Improved-Version-/290938299467?pt=Radio_Control_Vehicles&hash=item43bd46244b
It runs around $50, repair kits are $25 and extra batteries are around $15 for 5. They are a blast to fly, and if you crash - and you will, it doesn’t hurt quite so bad. Trust me on this one, I learned the hard/expensive way.