FPV Many Articles in RC Magazines ?

bmsweb

Site Moderator
Just wondering in the US or other countries, if there is much in the way of FPV articles in your magazines?

The reason I ask the question! Every few months my sister brings Thomas my son a whole heap of RC Magazines from one of the companies she works at. We read through them and they end up in the recycling bin somewhere along the way. On Friday I was looking through them and to my surprise, one of the 15 magazines we had just received, had an article on FPV. It made me stop and think that I don't recall ever reading about FPV here locally in RC Mags.

I'm trying to figure out if this is due to lack of interest or Magazines and Model clubs don't want to have anything to do with FPV. I had a friend who said they think it's dangerous and that could be one reason why, but that doesn't make sense because all of them seem to have articles on Gas Turbine Jets which are a hell of a lot more dangerous than a foamie!
 

Brian fred carr

Site Moderator
Mentor
In my local hobby shop where the two guys look down there noses at me because they are nitro flyers I asked if they sold any type of video goggles, and they looked at me like I had grown a third arm . Every time I go in there they have there heads buried in a mag so I am presuming FPV is still only for us few that know
 

dezertdog

Senior Member
My observation is that all the major RC entities observe, and really can't ignore the fact that FPV exists as a growing force. The reality for them is that the general public seems to be terrified of it, thanks in part to news agencies who find in it a story to spin or make of an eccentric side story. There are very real legal precedent questions as far as the mass population flying around high def cameras. It boils down to those in the "know" get it, everyone is seemingly spooked to openly support it other than the handful of entities we already patronize.
 

bmsweb

Site Moderator
There are very real legal precedent questions as far as the mass population flying around high def cameras. It boils down to those in the "know" get it, everyone is seemingly spooked to openly support it other than the handful of entities we already patronize.

I actually don't think there is any question about privacy with High Def cameras on model aircraft for so many reasons and without going to detail, one can also put a Camera on a Kite . . oh that's right their is a Kite Camera mount currently available for the GoPro lol I'm just finding it interesting there doesn't appear to be any justifiable reason for this attitude and I don't understand how it seems be ignored by the Mags and Clubs.
 

Good Kebo

Junior Member
I think alot of traditional RC pilots are older, retired and married dads flying with their kids. Kids don't buy planes themselves. A lot of older folks seem to be consevative and don't want things to change, I think that is just a normal thing. FPVers seem to be "younger" and naturally a bit more free thinking and not part of old school RC/AMA society. They learn and get their RC information from online/youtube not a magazine. I think this make the traditional folks feel threatened some how. (Although I have been threatened by some of the old schoolers for even suggesting FPV was interesting)
Most RC mags seem to be mostly a marketing tool for what ever the big RC companies are trying to sell. There is some good info but it is limited.
Once someone can make alot of money off FPV there will be articles in the RC mags.
I hope I didn't piss anyone off by saying this.
 

Carbon

Elemental Madness
Well here's a scenario: my dad works for a company called Insitu that makes UAV's(which is basically a big FPV plane). They typacally sell to the military, but the idea for the plane design started as a scouting tool used to find fish. It can launch from a small boat and fly for almost 12 hours with an incredible camera on it. Anyway, they have been getting a lot of flak lately because there test sight is on the outskirts of a small town. Everyone in the town hates the idea of them being able to look into there back yard, which to me seems ridiculous considering in our day to day lives cameras are everywhere.
So anyway, I think that Good Kebo makes a good point about people basically being afraid of change and of things they don't understand. Also (more on topic) I like to go to my local book store and in no magazines have I ever seen an article on FPV flying. I really enjoy looking at the various heli magazines and have never even seen cameras on helis even mentioned.
 

bmsweb

Site Moderator
That's pretty interesting. I know the article I read seem would be the equivalent to what I would expect someone to write about FPV if they saw it for the first time 50 years ago. The person writing about it seemed to have no idea about it at all. I'm also yet to hear someone present a valid argument against FPV. I'm yet to hear anything that couldn't be dismissed in an instance.

Thanks for the feedback so I assume I am safe to conclude FPV doesn't exist in any major way in any RC Mags on this globe :)
 

Brian fred carr

Site Moderator
Mentor
I was discussing the FPV with a guy at my local field and he was using the privacy argument.....and i said i can look in your back garden with google earth with a lot better clarity than most FPV / Arial cameras...then he asked what google earth was
 

bmsweb

Site Moderator
. . i can look in your back garden with google earth

That's not the answer I use Brian. I tell them I can attach my GoPro to my Control Line Kite have it over your house! That's a lot easier way of doing it and as far as I know it's perfectly legal to fly a kites lol

But seriously you're 100% Brian :) to date I've only heard silly arguments.
 

sandblaster

Senior Member
Our privacy is already gone. Our local socialist police state, otherwise called county government, already uses spy satellite photos to check on what is in our back yard and if it they have collected all the money they can from you with there over burdensome permits system. Ask me how I now, from a law abiding citizen who did it by the book and they still wanted more blood money. Can you tell, I really do not like our local goverment. Sorry for the rant.

Anyone who thinks this FPV thing is anything to do with privacy is soooo out of date. Just show them Google Earth. By the way, the local crooks, called pot farmers, cover there growing with clear plastic. Wonder why?
 

Nonamerc

Arman
No FPV in our magazines since it's illegal in Holland. It's only legal if you stay under 40mw on 2.4GHz and 20mw on 5.8GHz.
 

jd7792

Senior Member
That's not the answer I use Brian. I tell them I can attach my GoPro to my Control Line Kite have it over your house! That's a lot easier way of doing it and as far as I know it's perfectly legal to fly a kites lol
But seriously you're 100% Brian :) to date I've only heard silly arguments.

Go one step further, and in this case I can see an argument.... I bought 2 keychain cameras to try out on my Surfer, Both of them delivered to my door was less than $15Aus. If breaching privacy was my thing I wouldn't hesitate at sitting these in a tree or even just on a wall pointing into a backyard. I was blown away with the quality that is available for such a small price. Look at each individual that puts forward an argument of "privacy concerns" and you find a person that will argue no matter what you say.
 

Burg

Never catch a multirotor
No FPV in our magazines since it's illegal in Holland. It's only legal if you stay under 40mw on 2.4GHz and 20mw on 5.8GHz.

It is funny to experience that the local police here in Holland (at least where I live) has absolutely NO knowledge about this.
They come and visit us on a regular bases when we fly and use our 5.8gHz FPV gear.
They like looking at the LCD screens so much that they ask us when the next flying event is scheduled.
They even let us borrow their speed guns :cool:
The only thing they say is "stay away from the motorway" which we do.
And they don't like us flying the screeming funjets late in the evening :)
 

Nonamerc

Arman
Thats why I am proud to be Dutch :cool:. Last winter I we were flying on a frozen lake to film ice skaters. There were about 20 people standing arround our groundstation the police also arrived and asked to do some fly-by's so they could se themselfs. As long as you don't cause trouble the police wont make any problems :applause: