Conference vmszoo::rc

    Has radio control airplanes ever been fitted with a video camera
    on the nose, so that an operator could still fly the plane by
    looking at a monitor when the plane is out of visual sight and
    even land it?
    
    
    I just asked cause I was curious?
    
    -Arthur
                 

    Arthur,
    
    I don't know of this being done to the extent you mention with an
    everyday model.  However, anything's possible...I _do_ know TV cameras
    have been mounted in R/C aircraft with a down-link to a monitor as we
    had one demonstrated at a 1/8 Air Force Scale Fly-In a coupla' year's
    back.  Whether or not the model could've been taken off and landed
    strictly by watching the monitor, I don't honestly know.  I seem to
    remember that the camera was mounted to shoot out the side or bottom
    of the plane such as to provide an aerial view of the flying field so 
    it probably wasn't suited to flying by monitor.
    
    More recently, we saw a videotape made from a video-cam mounted in the 
    nose of a 9' B-17 model though this setup had no down-link to a
    live-action monitor...it merely recorded the flight (and, subsequently,
    the crash) on videotape.
    
    The Military and aerospace industry has done just what you describe
    with a number of RPVs (Remotely Piloted Vehicles) where the drones were
    taken off, flown on a mission, returned and landed by a pilot in a
    trailer whose only visual reference is provided by a TV camera mounted
    in the nose.  I'm sure the sophistication (i.e. cost) of these drone 
    systems is beyond the current reach of we modelers byt who knows what
    the future may have in store?!
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I just read very recently where an RC modeler had done just that.
    It may have been in RC Scale Modler. It was an average size plane
    with a camera mounted in the nose. The pilot was sitting in a tent
    looking at a monitor and was able to take off, fly, and land the
    plane strictly via the monitor/camera setup. I think the setup was
    somewhere in the $2,000 dollar range.
    
    Steve

    RE: Last few,
    
    I don't fly RC planes or anything, but I do appreciate what they
    can do and all the tech knowhow involved with maintaining them,
    pretty impressive, plus I use to build balsa wood gliders and all. 
    
    Why I asked about the monitors in RC planes, is the potential for
    misuse of an RC model and the possibility of them also carrying a
    bomb, or poison chemical, and for $2,000 a terrorist potential
    for some wierdo out there that could cause some bad destruction,
    while being relatively safe from detection.
    
    -Arthur

    The article was in RCM (R/C Modeller) either Aug., Sept., or Oct. 
    issue.  (I think it was Sept...)

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    Re: .3, Arthur,
    
    Unfortunately, the potential for misuse of RC aircraft and/or the
    associated RC hardware already exists and _has_ been used to carry out
    smuggling operations, "hits," etc.  15 years ago, her in Phoenix, we
    had an investigative reporter for the major local newspaper who was
    [apparently] gettine too close to a criminal activity he was
    investigating/reporting.  His name was Don Bowles(sp?) and one day, he
    was called by an informant to come to a loval hotel for some
    "information."  Bowles arrived and, while inside, a car-bomb was
    attached under the chassis of his car.  When he returned and got into
    his car, the bomb was triggered; Bowles was mortally injured but lived
    long enough to finger the culprits.  As it turned out, the bomb had
    been triggered remotely from a high-rise apartment building using a
    Kraft RC unit, purchased over-the-counter from a local hobby shop.
    
    RC aircraft have been commonly used to smuggle drugs and other illegal
    contraband into the country from Mexico for more than 20-years that I
    know of but it is not that common anymore.  I even read once about a
    bunch of stolen jewels being smuggled across the English channel into
    England using an RC airplane.
    
    The most innocent of items can be perverted to illegal use by the
    clever criminal but we'd do ourselves a terrible disservice were we to
    deprive ourselves of anything which _might_ have some potential for 
    criminal application.
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				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Back to the original question:  One of the RC Video Magazine videos
    in the care of Kay Fisher has a section on just what you ask about. 
    Some guy out west put a camera in the nose of a 1/4 scale-sized plane
    and lots of instrumentation to go with it.  He flew and landed the
    plane from inside a trailer or other structure.  The clip showed the
    view above a cloud cover, if I remember correctly.  Neat.
    
    Alton, who wonders how to keyword this properly?

The Australian Armed Forces use such a device in the RPV's (Remote Piloted 
Vehicles). I think other NATO countries also have them. In Australia they are 
called the Jindivig (sp), they are about 10' long and 8' span, the early models 
were IC engines, latter models were jet.

John.

A a month or two ago 73 magazine (an amateur radio magazine) ran a few articles
on amateur TV. One of the articles was on an RC chopper which was being used
as a camera platform.  The RC chopper article was
pretty good and they went into a good bit of detail on what they did to keep
the TV camera/transmitter from screwing up the RC reciever. Interesting reading.

Glenn Schrader

>                 -< see it yourself from the eye in the nose >-
>
>    Back to the original question:  One of the RC Video Magazine videos
>    in the care of Kay Fisher has a section on just what you ask about. 

Yes indeed.  See the review in note 1204.3 and if you want the tapes
just join DECRCM - see note 1204.1 and after send me mail on Tallis::fisher
and tell me you would like to see V5 and V8.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
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    re: .0
    
    What you saw is the Israeli MAZLAT PIONEER which have been deployed
    on all US BBs since 1987.  The USMC has one PIONEER RPV platoon.
    
    The complete PIONEER system consists of a few basic elements, plus
    additional sub-systems that may be used to upgrade the basic system
    to the specific mission  requirements.
    
    The PIONEER has a range of about 100 miles.
    
    SPECS:
    
    Power Plant: One 26hp Sachs two-cylinder two-stroke engine, driving a
                 two-blade pusher prop.  Fuel capacity is 12 gallons.
    
    Wing Span:   16'10.75" 
    Length:      13'11.34"
    Weight:      330lb. + 100lb. payload
    
    Speed:       115mph
    Ceiling:     15K ft.
    
    Can be launched with RATO, hydraulic catapault, or under its own power
    from a level surface.  Wheeled trolley then falls off.  It can be
    recovered by a net or parachute.
    
    Marc

      Geeze,I had no idea they were that big!
    
    Thanks for the info,Marc!
    
    KC

    My good friend, Garland Hamilton, a career Marine and top scale
    competitor was one of the first U.S. personnel to be trained on this
    drone.  He went to Israel to be trained then did a tour of 2+ years
    training Marine personnel at Camp LeJune, S.C.  Gar's been in Saudi
    since 9 August '90 but has transferred back to his original specialty,
    i.e. graphics and aerial intelligence.  Oddly, Gar was disappointed in
    the duty flying drones and got out of it at his first opportunity.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)