On Complex Flight Computers and Legal Regulations

In the cold month of February, members of the NOS region attended a very exciting event on the topics of FPV and microcopters. At the Schluefweg Center in Kloten, numerous model builders gathered in a packed hall to follow the three very interesting presentations with great interest.

Raphael Pirker, from the world-renowned Team Blacksheep, presented his team’s guiding principles through a multimedia PowerPoint presentation. He began with a clip from the beautifully colorful video *Bosporus*, and then gradually introduced the audience to his team’s FPV technology. Through a presentation enriched with spectacular video sequences, he demonstrated the fantastic footage that can be captured with today’s video cameras mounted on a model aircraft.

For its aerial photography flights, Team Blacksheep uses a specially developed, powerful foam flying wing model. This serves as a camera platform. A small onboard camera transmits the aircraft’s view via a high-frequency video signal to the pilot’s video goggles. The pilot steers the aircraft via remote control using the field of view of a virtual cockpit. This allows him to fly much closer to objects such as houses or rock faces than would be possible with traditional ground-based controls. Special radio technology can significantly increase the transmission range of the flight controls and the flight video signal, thereby expanding the operational radius or ensuring that the signal strength remains sufficient for safe control even in unexpected situations. Incidentally, there is also a

A second, digital camera (GoPro technology) to record high-quality video of the flight onto an onboard memory card.

Raphael also brought along an original camera plane, which each participant got to fly once on their own

was able to touch and examine it up close. He also described the thorough preparations that are absolutely necessary before capturing these extraordinary video images in order to ensure a high level of safety. After the presentation, a group of interested attendees immediately formed, and they were able to ask him in-depth questions about the technology used.

Martin Wieckhorst provided an update on the latest developments in the field of multicopters. A new trend is emerging for these devices as well: just as with FPV flight, electronics dominate this sector. Microcopters have multiple rotors, each of which is individually controlled in terms of rotational speed by a complex flight computer. They, too, are ideal as camera platforms, though typically with a significantly smaller operating radius but a much higher payload capacity. This allows even high-quality SLR cameras to be carried. Microcopters feature various built-in electronic stabilization systems. While this makes them easier to fly, they are more difficult to set up than

Classic helicopters. To wrap up the official portion of the event, Martin capped off his presentation with an impressive indoor flight demonstration.

Peter Krüger worked for many years as a lawyer at the FOCA. Until his recent retirement, he also dealt extensively with the topic of drones. From the perspective of aviation law, both of the topics discussed above fall under this umbrella. He outlined the legal regulations using the clearly worded sections of the law. He also provided many useful examples of how these regulations are applied in practice. In his view, the operation of drones in

The regulations in Switzerland are still very liberal. To ensure that this remains the case in the future, operators of such drone-like flying objects are urged to operate them responsibly and with consideration for other people and animals.

Overall, all three presentations offered a wealth of fascinating information based on the latest real-world practices. So it was no surprise that there wasn’t enough room in the hall and additional chairs had to be brought in from the adjacent conference room. It was also wonderful to see an audience ranging in age from under 10 to over 75 years old come together to discuss such a complex topic. At the end of the official portion of the event, a separate discussion group formed around each of the speakers, allowing for the exchange of much more information. The last of these three groups left the hall just under 1.5 hours after the official end of the event.

As the name (translated: “black sheep”) suggests, this team has in the past drawn public attention with

spectacular FPV footage. A highly controversial discussion soon arose in model aviation circles regarding the purpose and legality of such activities. The team members take a rather aggressive approach, which has met with deep disapproval among many traditional model aviators in Europe. Opinions on this matter are divided. Based on the information provided, the team has, from a technical standpoint, worked very professionally thus far. The flights were carefully prepared using numerous complex radio measurements, thereby minimizing potential risks as much as possible. The equipment was developed by a highly knowledgeable team and systematically verified before use. To date, no one has been injured during these seemingly very daring flights. Whether it is reasonable to conduct this type of FPV flight in such a sensational manner is something each person must decide for themselves. However, it would be very regrettable if less responsible imitators were to jeopardize the good reputation of model aviation through high-profile accidents.

Text and photos: Hermann Mettler