First tree'd plane..

[Carbon]

Well I finally lost my Bixler to a tree. It is stuck a good 80ft up in the tallest tree around. It has my FPV transmitter, GoPro hero 2, FPV camera and all my FPV time and effort on board. No way of getting it down, it's just too high up there. So it is my first and sadly I lost my only FPV gear. Damage estimated at around $300..
Hopefully the failsafe won't bake the battery land light a fire. It has been snowing/raining for a week now so if it does there is very little threat of fire.
At least I was doing some SAR research with it when I crashed it. I was testing the digital zoom capabilities of 1080p video to see myself from high up in the air...

If I can't get it down I think I will try and get a Tek Sumo to fly with the cheap hobbyking 900mhz video tx/rx/camera. Are there any proven Tek Sumo setups?

 

[RPS-13]

I feel the pain, having had to perform a plane-ectomy from the local trees several times now. Extreme tricks of the trade:

- Do you know a friendly climber and all his absailing gear? - I have done that one
- Lash together a pole and bash the foam plane till it fell apart. At least the electronics can be saved. - done that too using draining rods. Actually managed to piece together most of the plane too and the above climber still flies it.
- A bb shotgun is an even more entertaining approach for a similar effect - almost resorted to that but the pole worked and I didn't want to scare the locals.
- take an axe and teach the tree a lesson - not done that one (yet)

Good luck and don't give up!

 

[earthsciteach]

Where there's a will, there's a way! That is a lot of investment to be sitting in top of a tree. Got chainsaw?

 

[JonMackie]

This may sound a little far fetched, but you could try using a stable heli (perhaps a coaxial if there is no wind) with a hook and some rope to try and get it down? You can order a coax that is capable of at least 100ft off of Xheli.com for 55$ shipped.

 

[Carbon]

haha, not my land and it would take one man with a chainsaw a good day to get through this big ol' thing.

 

[robschonk]

Keep an eye on the weather forecast, and check the tree after the next windstorm.

 

[lonewolf7717]

SHOOT man that bixler is not lost, you can still see the thing can't you?lol Lost is crashing your first bixler somewhere within acres and acres of waist to chest high grass that all looks the same when you have no osd, no home arrow and no gps coordinates as I did. My first bixler and all the gear on board became nothing more than a "clunk clunk" under a brushhog later that summer . Your "Bix" will eventually come down, just keep checking on it.

 

[KKArioKA]

if this can serve you as inspiration


http://forum.flitetest.com/showthre...-(-found-later-D&p=29807&viewfull=1#post29807

 

[MrClean]

Wrist rocket, 1 oz fishing weights, kite string, heavier cord and a rope. 80 foot is nothing to once ounce and a wrist rocket. If it's deep in the tree consider looking for a cherry picker you can rent OR check for an arborist who spends his times in the trees anyways. You actually have quite a bit of money up there, probably should get it down.

 

[KKArioKA]

for 10 dollars i can hire a kid to fetch it for me

 

[colorex]

for 10 dollars i can hire a kid to fetch it for me

I could do it for $5, but it's a bit unethical...

 

[bicyclemonkey]

for 10 dollars i can hire a kid to fetch it for me

No joke! On the least liable side, though, Tree trimming services have climbers that can retrieve your plane.