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Project FireEye 2011 - ARDi Flies Wildfire - Full Version (~30 Minutes)

Pilot notes:
Timecode is mission time.
~5:30 into the mission: a strong downdraft turns my low battery decent into a powerful quadcopter trampoline jump. Thank godness for the landing gear/ pontoon rig. my first indicator of the chaotic nature of the winds near a wildfire, even in its infancy.

~15:20 into the mission: Downdrafting, updrafting, and winds in all directions impede shooting, the quad is thrown around like a plastic bag in the wind.

~16:30 into the mission: A flare up, begins intensifying the fire on the east (Right) side of the area.

~20:48 into the mission: The left side nears full intensity.
~21:20 into the mission: Last battery change before things go full tilt.
~22:00 into the mission: Both sides of the fire, begin to come together and the blaze intensifies into a wall of fire.
~22:25 into the mission: I fly ARDi into the smoke column of the fire, and a wild ride into flying debris begins
~23:00 into the mission: wind shifts, and smoke column and firey debris rains down on the crew and ARDi - hot debris, sticks to the lens
~23:20 into the mission: both fires join, and ARDi is pummeled with debirs, I bring it down to about 10 feet and fly under the smoke and get a peek at the main fire.
~25:30 into the mission: A small rabbit, escapes the blaze to safety, I follow its path with ARDi


For more information about ARDi, its missions or other MUAVS visit uavlab.spyd.com 
For more on Project FireEye or Wildfire information for the Northwest Territories in Canada, visit nwtfire.com

Test Flight: RD5 - Aeroquad 1.9 /2.5beta quadcopter.

RD5 Gobbles like a thanksgiving Turkey :) 

North Nahanni Wilderness Adventure - Episode 1

In the spring of 2011, I had the rare opportunity to venture deep in the heart of the Canadian subarctic wilderness, into the wilds of the North Nahanni. I took my faithful flying robot ARDi along, and this video is the result of the first day of the adventure. For more info about this trip, the video or the robot, visit uavlab.spyd.com. 

We would like to thank the "Tragically Hip", Peermusic Canada and Universal Music for permission to use the songs! 
To The Hip, You guys define Canadian - Thank you!!!

Music:
Giftshop from TROUBLE AT THE HENHOUSE
At the Hundredth Meridian from FULLY COMPLETELY
New Orleans is Sinking from UP TO HERE
Ahead by a Century from TROUBLE AT THE HENHOUSE

RD4 - Bams X - Test Flight - Octocopter X8 Config

The Story of ARDi and Project FireEye

The aim of project FireEye is the application of WWVi's Aerial Research Drone 1 (ARDi) to the tasks of detection, observation and monitoring of wildfire. WWVi and ARDi join the scientists at the Canadian Boreal Research Community FireSmart Project in Fort Providence, NT to explore the potential applications that the Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Micro-UAV) and Unmanned Aerial Robot (Micro-AUR) platforms can play in the areas that are high risk to human life and high cost due to aircraft availability and fuel costs

Building the Ardupilot Mega (APM)

Another timelapse build video - This one while I build the APM FLight controller from parts purchased from DIY Drones.

Building the Aeroquad V2 Flight Controller

RD4 - Bams X - Test Flights

RD26 - Spear - Test flight -20C no wind

Air Frame: Modified VC-450 (450mm motor to motor)
Motor to Motor Distance: 41.00 cm
All Up Weight: 1685 grams
Platform Format: Quadcopter X
Flight Controller: TMF AQ50 Pro Flight Control
Lipo Power: Turnigy Nano 3S 45~90C 2200 mAh Lipo
Motor Controller: Hobby King 30A ESC 3A UBEC
Brushless Motors: KA20-22L 924KV Hacker Style Outrunner
Propellers: EPP 10x45 Counter Rotating Sets
Radio System: Spektrum DX8
Receiver Module: Spektrum AR8000 RX + TM1000
Camera: HK HD Wingcam 720p/30f
Flight time: 4:10
Build log and More info :

RD9 - Kezia doing pilot training

This is my 10 year old daughter flying a Gaui 330x-s with a futaba 9C radio. She is learning to hover and has about 15 minutes total on RD9 learning.

RoboCam Captures Onboard Video from Ninja (RD27)

I built an antenna tracker to improve my inflight camera transmissions and this was a test of my new system, it is tracking my flight of Ninja.

Maiden test flight of RD35 Codename HighCam500X

Some things are not obvious in this video, the construction of both the frame and the landing skids is very very light. The mount point of the legs are offset to accommodate an odd mounting gimbal contraption. so even with moving the lipo back on the frame to compensate, this frame wants to fall over forward unless you pull back on the pitch at take off, so it wants to lean forward at all times and you have to ride negative pitch to fly. 

Next we have the motor mounts, they seem to have a hit and miss key in them so that they lock in place and do not rotate on the arm, 3 out of 4 of the arms, locked in, and the fourth had no such lock. lastly, all of the motor mounts are somewhat off, so every prop run on a different plane. this makes this really tough to tune.

RD-16 Test flight - LOS Config

I removed the FPV equipment to prepare for a cold weather filming session of the local 4 x 4 club, first did a turnigy nano 2200 3S - flight was 5 minutes of indoor 22c hovering and intentionally bobbing up and down. This flight was on a turnigy nano 5000 4s - same config, same flight style, 10 minutes. I needed to know rough flight times with these batteries when setup for LOS filming..

RD8 Test Flights - APM running Aeroquad 2.4

Early indoor test flights of the Daedalus Kinjal Carbon Fiber Frame.

RD35 Payload Test - On-board video

RD35 Maiden with DX8 radio system

RD35 test flight with onboard Gopro R5 )With Jacob from CBC News

RD10 - Testing TMF AQ50 Pro

zero config, fresh out of the package, did not even calibrate it. did not balance it or align it, just connected it to esc and rx and flew it.

Robo-Dolly Test on Ramirez aka RD40

Just a quick and dirty test of the robo-dolly, I hacked together 9 different dolly shots of the hex. and uploaded a 4 minute 45 meg (Sorry for the quality) video.

RD22 aka Yin Maiden Test Flight

Air Frame: Quadrixette Nano
Motor to Motor Distance: 19.50 cm
All Up Weight: 233 grams
Platform Format: Quadcopter X
Flight Controller: OpenPilot Copter Control
Gyros: IDG-500 and ISZ-500 OPCC
Accelerometer: Analog Devices ADXL345 - AQ Mini and OPCC
Lipo Power: Flightmax 2S 800mAh
Motor Controller: TURNIGY Plush 6A /.8bec/6g Speed Controller
Brushless Motors: A1510 2200KV Outrunner Brushless Motor
Propellers: GWS 3 Blade 5x3 counter rotating sets
Radio System: Futaba 9C Super - DFT (FrSky)
Receiver Module: FrSky DR8 II (no PPM, No telem)

RD22 - FPV gear test flight

using 5.8g 200mw FPV Wireless AV Tx & Rx Set from HK
This flight is just to test cameras etc.

RD3 - UAVX Ocotocopter doing a first flight test

RD13 - 4S 5000mAh flght test

Testing with new MAS 3 blade props and a very large 4S Lipo

RD-8 Test FLight 3S 2200mAh full AV with Telem Payload 8:30s

Just testing the flight time with new payload config.

RD13 - Icarus - Test flight w/ new landing gear and props. 1st pinch flight

9 minute test flight indoors crappy camera. This was my first time flying anything using the pinch technique. should have used a strap, hands cramped up pretty bad with the big old futaba 9c.