Estimating Altitude?
01-24-2006, 09:54 PM
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Dallas/Garland,
TX
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: whogdriver
You have to keep it almost directly overhead when that high, and it looks real small.
ORIGINAL: sxates
How do you even SEE your plane at 1500 ft? I hope its large!
How do you even SEE your plane at 1500 ft? I hope its large!
01-24-2006, 10:23 PM
#52
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: whogdriver
OK guys, here are the altitudes, A10FLYER, not too bad on the guesses!
TWINTUROSTANG, you're right on pics 5 and 8, real close.
OK guys, here are the altitudes, A10FLYER, not too bad on the guesses!
TWINTUROSTANG, you're right on pics 5 and 8, real close.
01-24-2006, 11:17 PM
#53
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sunny,
FL
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: sxates
So how do you know if it's flying level, or even that it's flying properly at all? Seems pretty risky... Are you monitoring the video from the ground to keep bearings?
ORIGINAL: whogdriver
You have to keep it almost directly overhead when that high, and it looks real small.
ORIGINAL: sxates
How do you even SEE your plane at 1500 ft? I hope its large!
How do you even SEE your plane at 1500 ft? I hope its large!
01-24-2006, 11:20 PM
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sunny,
FL
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: A10FLYR
Thanks....that was fun......and luck! I think I'll go play the powerball tomorrow!!!
ORIGINAL: whogdriver
OK guys, here are the altitudes, A10FLYER, not too bad on the guesses!
TWINTUROSTANG, you're right on pics 5 and 8, real close.
OK guys, here are the altitudes, A10FLYER, not too bad on the guesses!
TWINTUROSTANG, you're right on pics 5 and 8, real close.
01-25-2006, 12:47 PM
#60
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Germantown,
MD
Posts: 805
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
The plane is a Multiplex Twinstar II and is a very stable platform IMO.
BTW, I've got a Twinstar II on order with Tower. For now, I'm going to use that as my AP platform. Later on, I may make a custom fuselage and mate it to the twinstar's wing.
01-25-2006, 06:03 PM
#61
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sunny,
FL
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
It should be able to lift 6 oz. The camera, transmitter, pan & tilt servos (one micro, one std), the osd board, wind speed turbine, and all the extra wiring should add up to about 6 oz.
01-26-2006, 12:21 AM
#63
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: 5000 ft ASL,
CO, US MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
No- I think it was more like 7000. There's virtually no air traffic at that site and altitude. The heavies coming into DEN are quite a ways off, and the light planes stay east of the lake or have quite a bit more height to clear the hills.
02-14-2006, 08:14 AM
#66
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Atlanta,
GA
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
Here is a great video of a helo hovering with GPS positioning and real time OSD showing altitude and a whole lot more. Assuming this altitude display is dead on, my past estimations of my flight altitudes were way off.
hovering helo with real time OSD
http://www.carvecsystem.co.uk/Kestre...vationDemo.wmv
hovering helo with real time OSD
http://www.carvecsystem.co.uk/Kestre...vationDemo.wmv
02-14-2006, 08:41 PM
#68
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Atlanta,
GA
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: A10FLYR
Which way were your estimates off? High, low, or both?
Which way were your estimates off? High, low, or both?
02-22-2006, 11:32 AM
#70
Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Smyrna,
GA
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
This may have been covered somewhere else, but wouldn't it make sense for the "budget conscious" to use the Estes Altitude Tracker (typcially used for model rockets) to give an estimate of rotorcraft altitude?
I'd prefer the electronics, but someone's got to have a reason to put their trigonometry to use.
I'd prefer the electronics, but someone's got to have a reason to put their trigonometry to use.
03-11-2007, 08:48 AM
#73
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Cary,
NC
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: Sky High
Well, I have been estimating since I've been flying and finally used the trick with the football field described above. I had a conversation with someone in another forum that seemed to think that I was not nearly as high as I thought so I explained to them that I have always estimated, like most do, since I don't have an altimeter until I discovered and used the stadium method with the scale of the helo to the known 300 ft distance. So, I wanted to hear other more experienced pilots' opinions to see how far off I was. I think at the highest point I was at least at 200 ft. I'm going to find out how tall the stadium lights are at our other baseball stadium because they are tall as hell and I have easily cleared them before.
Well, I have been estimating since I've been flying and finally used the trick with the football field described above. I had a conversation with someone in another forum that seemed to think that I was not nearly as high as I thought so I explained to them that I have always estimated, like most do, since I don't have an altimeter until I discovered and used the stadium method with the scale of the helo to the known 300 ft distance. So, I wanted to hear other more experienced pilots' opinions to see how far off I was. I think at the highest point I was at least at 200 ft. I'm going to find out how tall the stadium lights are at our other baseball stadium because they are tall as hell and I have easily cleared them before.
03-11-2007, 06:13 PM
#74
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Atlanta,
GA
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: SAVS
Most stadium light poles are 80'. WOW it feels good to be able to have some input once in a while!
Most stadium light poles are 80'. WOW it feels good to be able to have some input once in a while!
03-12-2007, 07:46 AM
#75
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Cary,
NC
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Estimating Altitude?
ORIGINAL: Sky High
Is that for high school stadiums or professional sports stadiums because the ones I referred to have got to be more than 80ft.
ORIGINAL: SAVS
Most stadium light poles are 80'. WOW it feels good to be able to have some input once in a while!
Most stadium light poles are 80'. WOW it feels good to be able to have some input once in a while!
There are 2 pictures. One is with 2 80' light poles at a football practice facility. The other is a 60' observation tower next to an 80' pole. Sorry you can not see the top of the pole but take my word for it, it is there.
We flew at this location yesterday evening and got some great video. The turf is great for landing as it is nice and soft
I will post some editing video later as you can see where we are over the light poles at what I would expect to be about 125'-150'...Denny