FPV Demonstrations
Patrick Sherman [email protected]
Although nearly all aeromodelers are familiar with First-Person View (FPV) flying at this point — and a surprising proportion of them have actually tried it themselves and even do it regularly — the concept is still largely unknown outside the hobby.
In the public imagination, FPV-capable small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) are easily conflated with sinister drones orbiting over distant battlefields, capable of providing omniscient surveillance and delivering fiery death from above.
As a member of AMA, you’re in a position to help dispel those fears and maybe bring some new people into the hobby by putting on an effective FPV demonstration in your community.
Here at the Roswell Flight Test Crew, helping to educate the public about FPV flying and its potentially beneficial applications is a critical component of our mission. We’ve conducted quite a few public demonstrations during the past several years, and we’d like to share what we’ve learned with you.
Every Day Is an Air Show
Unless you fly exclusively in your own backyard or at an isolated AMA field, every day you fly has the potential to become a public demonstration. In fact, that’s how we got started as the Roswell Flight Test Crew.
We were flying our FPV quadcopters around a local park one day, and when it was time to bring the machines in for a landing, a crowd of people followed us back to our ground station. We spent the next 45 minutes answering questions and showing how these systems work.
Afterward, Techinstein turned to me and said, “We should put up a website with the answers to all of these questions, then get some business cards printed, so that we could just hand them out to people.” The rest, as they say, is history.
Be aware that if you’re flying in a public location — especially with a unique-looking aircraft type such as an FPV multirotor — people may come by to ask about it. If you want to make a lasting impression, put your goggles on them and fly your aircraft eyes-on so they can see the aerial perspective for themselves. It’s pure magic.
In addition to answering questions, have something to give people who want to learn more: a business card from your local hobby shop, a brochure for your AMA field, or a handout with information about FPV. We developed a simple, four-page document to use at public demonstrations, which you can download from AMA’s website.
If you don’t want people pestering you — such as when you’re testing a new aircraft — be sure to choose a remote location where you’re less likely to run into anyone. Otherwise you might spend the whole time answering questions, which can be frustrating when you’re trying to test a project.
Go Where People Are
If your goal is to actively seek out people and introduce them to FPV flying, find large groups who are likely to be interested. Don’t limit yourself to AMA fields; there are many venues that will bring you into contact with people who aren’t currently involved in the hobby.
We’ve put on our most effective demonstrations at science and technology events that have no direct connection to model aviation, such as local Maker Faires and community events organized by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Participating in large public events raises a number of issues — safety foremost among them. OMSI is located in the heart of downtown Portland, directly beneath a major interstate bridge and across the street from an electrical substation. Finding a safe place to fly while surrounded by hundreds of people and critical infrastructure is not something to be taken for granted.
Doing a public FPV demonstration is not only a lot of fun, but it may give you the chance to be a hero. During a demonstration at the Fly-A-Ways RC Club in Oregon, Ivan Castellanos lost his P-51 model in tall grass. Using an FPV multirotor, the Roswell Flight Test Crew located it and guided him to the crash site.
For us, the solution at OMSI was simple, although it entailed some additional risk to our aircraft. The Willamette River flows a couple dozen feet from OMSI’s back door. We set up our tent on its bank and flew over the river while doing our demonstrations. In the event of a critical failure, our aircraft would plunge harmlessly into the Willamette. That would be painful for us, but we wouldn’t be responsible for injuring a bystander or knocking out power to 100,000 homes.
You can gain additional peace of mind by working with an AMA Contest Director (CD) to get your event sanctioned as an official Class D demonstration. This brings with it an additional $2.5 million in liability protection, on top of the $2.5 million of coverage provided to AMA members.
Make the Most of It
After you've arranged to safely conduct your demonstration, take these steps to make it more effective:
- Have literature available to hand out to people.
- Bring some spare aircraft in addition to the ones you’re flying so you can point out components and systems without taking your demonstration aircraft out of service.
- Keep hot motors and batteries off models that kids might be allowed to handle; kids love spinning propellers.
- Bring a spare set of video goggles so people can enjoy the immersive FPV experience.
- Use a flat-screen television plugged into your video receiver so viewers can see the live FPV feed without waiting to try on goggles.
- A television makes it easier to point out elements of your On-Screen Display (OSD).
- Video goggles give some people vertigo, so having an alternate viewing option helps include more people.
Perhaps the most important resource to bring to a public demonstration is friends. The pilot and the spotter should be completely focused on safely operating the aircraft, which means not dividing their attention by answering questions or helping people try on goggles. A safe and efficient public FPV demonstration requires at least three people:
- Pilot
- Spotter
- Public relations specialist (to answer questions, manage the audience, and hand out literature)
Recruiting helpers shouldn't be difficult — putting on a public FPV demonstration is fun. The more people who experience it for themselves and see that it can be done safely and responsibly, the more support the hobby will have going forward.
Sources
Model Aviation online www.ModelAviation.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
