Quadcopter at the beach?

[hotbrass2005]

My wife and I are going on vacation next week to a quiet little beach in North Carolina. I'm planning on taking my mini quad and doing some flying around the beach where there aren't a lot of people.

What should I do to the quad or take with me to keep from ruining it while on vacation? I got some corrosion X and plan on spraying the electronics to help protect them, but what else should I do so I can fly all week as well as when we get back? Thanks!

 

[Snarls]

I just returned home from a quiet little beach in NC (OBX). Whereabouts are you staying? Your best bets for avoiding flying over people is to fly early in the morning or later near sunset. If you are in OBX the northernmost beaches and beaches past the Oregon inlet are usually quiet.

The beach is both a water hazard and sand hazard. Corrosion X is a good idea. Also bring along some compressed air/keyboard cleaner cans and toothpicks. They will help you get sand out of your motors and other electronics should you crash in the sand. The beach is full of salt air so also consider rinsing the motors with fresh water after a day of flying. Also make sure you have a beeper attached to your quad. It can be hard locating your quad if you crash somewhere on a long stretch of beach.

Hope this helps, and share some videos if you film some!

 

[PsyBorg]

HUGE bag o rice!!! Rinse the motors as Snarls said then put it to sleep in the rice over night to absorb any residual moisture not only in the motors but in the body as well. More then likely there will be condensation going from a hot humid beach back into your air-conditioned room. Don't need that to activate residual salt left on stuff.

 

[Snarls]

Great point PsyBorg. I forgot how much condensation forms going from AC to humid beach air. At night you will find things left outside will get wet and soggy because of the amount of condensation. On a related note, make sure you take your goggles out for a few minutes before you fly so they can acclimate to the temperature.

 

[hotbrass2005]

Thanks for the tips guys! I hadn't thought about condensation either. I'll definitely be rinsing the motors out when I get back in and put the quad in rice. Could I spray the motors with corrosion X to help prevent corrosion? Would it help to dry them out a bit quicker too? I'm not sure about how it would effect them or if it would do any good in there. If I'm flying, I'm almost always recording, so I'll be sure to share any video I get!!!

 

[Craftydan]

As far as "dry" goes . . . The motors don't have to be bone dry to protect everything from corrosion, they just have to be clear of corrosive liquids. Water is among those corrosive liquids, and salt water even more so. Since most everything is relatively open on a quad . . .

Why not use WD-40 to wash out the water? Nothing does so many things poorly as WD-40, but one thing it does well is it's designed purpose: Water Displacement.

Blow out the motors with air to remove grit, rinse out the motors with water to remove salt, blast it with WD-40 to drive the water out of the crevices. Your call if you want to flush the WD-40 out of the bearings with a drop or two of machine oil, but it won't take much.

 

[yurp]

have a big towel to take off and land on. take off and land directly on sand is a poor idea just throws sand around

 

[PsyBorg]

have a big towel to take off and land on. take off and land directly on sand is a poor idea just throws sand around

Isn't that what last nights pizza box is for?