chasing a 100" B29

4bangen

Member
I've been working on my air to air filming. I'm using a 250 size race quad I got from a friend getting out of the hobby, and a gopro session. I am fairly capable at keeping the airplane framed but am trying to improve on dynamic pans, backward and sideways flight, oh and NOT running into the plane I'm filming! A lot of my planes now have prop strike scars. lol
anyway here's my latest attempt at filming my 100" B-29. I only nicked it once. Any pointers on flying the camera quad are greatly appreciated.
 

4bangen

Member
Thanks, like I said, I battle between not getting close enough and crashing into the aircraft. Here soon I may have enough mid air quad on plane content to post a compilation. lol
 

Captain Video

Well-known member
I have been shooting for a number of years and I found this video interesting but way to much motion. The movement is good but it is way to fast. Watch your framing. Try to use the rule of thirds. This can be a challenge when doing air to air filming.
 

4bangen

Member
I have been shooting for a number of years and I found this video interesting but way to much motion. The movement is good but it is way to fast. Watch your framing. Try to use the rule of thirds. This can be a challenge when doing air to air filming.
thanks a lot, I'll try that next time.
 

Userofmuchtape&glue

Posted a thousand or more times
I think you did a good job of keeping the plane in frame. If I may hazard a guess, that is a old quad with old components. It might be all you have to hand which is fine, but upgrading your gear and spending time getting comfortable with it will greatly improve your smoothness.
 

4bangen

Member
I think you did a good job of keeping the plane in frame. If I may hazard a guess, that is a old quad with old components. It might be all you have to hand which is fine, but upgrading your gear and spending time getting comfortable with it will greatly improve your smoothness.
nope, its a fairly up to date rig, tons of power and locked in. I'm just not the best quad guy.
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
Looking good, I agree with what others have said, a bit on the jerky side... I wonder if those guys are filming with a gopro at a high rate and slowing it down?... smoothness is the key I think, don't want another transformer fight scene! :LOL:

Keep practicing though! I wish my daughter had taken to the small pepper she got for Christmas... I'd love to have her film my planes in flight!!
 

ElectriSean

Eternal Student
Mentor
Great video. Getting smooth is probably the biggest challenge in flying a multirotor, aside from mastering basic control. I live in hope that all it takes is practice, but the realist in me says that not everyone can be Le Drib ;) The only tip I can offer is to always be talking to the guy you're chasing, and work together.
 

Headbang

Master member
Great video. Getting smooth is probably the biggest challenge in flying a multirotor, aside from mastering basic control. I live in hope that all it takes is practice, but the realist in me says that not everyone can be Le Drib ;) The only tip I can offer is to always be talking to the guy you're chasing, and work together.
I know you and Andy have chased me a lot! I have yet to see a single frame of footage from it tho! I am guessing that is because even tho you guys are the best (only) fpv quad guys in the club, there might not be any usable footage? ;)
 

ElectriSean

Eternal Student
Mentor
I know you and Andy have chased me a lot! I have yet to see a single frame of footage from it tho! I am guessing that is because even tho you guys are the best (only) fpv quad guys in the club, there might not be any usable footage? ;)

Andy has some decent footage up on YouTube. I haven't run with a HD cam very often, and haven't gotten enough decent footage to come up with a 3 minute edit yet ;) I did get a GoPro for my birthday though, should be able to get at least 1 edit this year lol.

 

Headbang

Master member
Andy has some decent footage up on YouTube. I haven't run with a HD cam very often, and haven't gotten enough decent footage to come up with a 3 minute edit yet ;) I did get a GoPro for my birthday though, should be able to get at least 1 edit this year lol.

That looks like Noels cub, I have never seen it land without disaster before! Somehow he makes it into a bunch of my vids too!
I'll have to look for Andy's channel.
 

Arcfyre

Elite member
I'd say you're well on your way.

If I had anything to add, I'd say that your airspeed relative to the bomber is too high. You seem to be flying twice as fast, if not faster. What happens in that case is that the B-29 is only in frame for a few seconds in each shot, and it makes for jerky video as you manuever to keep it in frame.

If never flown chase in a quad, but I have flown full-scale formation. The key was always good communication of direction and power settings. The subject aircraft would fly as straight and level as possible in a set pattern, while the camera plane would make small throttle and angle adjustments. Slow and gentle is key.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
One of the problems I see happening is not pilot bssed but set up based.

You are struggling with rushing up on or overshooting the subject.

I can almost garuntee this is due to too high fpv camera angle. To film chase foorage properly you will need to adjust that angle to compensate for the speed of your subject.

A slow lumbering warbird I will take an educated guess and say 20 degree camera tilt will get you in the ball park where you can adjust your chase speed more accurately.