OAT Viayaboon doesn’t like the name drones.
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The Port Fairy man thinks it gives the remotely controlled airborne video cameras he flies as a hobby negative connations, such as spying and military uses.
Mr Viayaboon prefers to use the name quad-copter and has had a lot of fun taking stunning landscape footage since taking control of his first one about a year ago.
He said people shouldn’t worried that the quad-copters would be used for spying — their loud noise and the need to get up close to get reasonable quality images meant people were aware of their presence.
Mr Viayaboon was a keen still image photographer, but said aerial videos had become his passion because the quad-copter had given him what photographers strive for — a new perspective.
He has filmed numerous vision over picturesque south-west locations such as The Twelve Apostles and Tower Hill, as well as in Melbourne and Sydney, and posted it online at his facebook.com/hangingpixels page.
He said good stability control technology on the quad-copter’s camera allowed it to provide high-quality vision. Video taken by the camera on the quad-copter is transmitted to a monitor above the controls held by Mr Viayaboon.
He said getting the quad-copter to fly did not require much skill “but it takes a lot more not to crash into things”.
It took about six months, and a number of repairs, before he developed a high level of competency on the joysticks that direct the quad-copter’s flight. But, he said, “Gravity still sucks.”
One crash left the aircraft stuck about 20 metres up a tree, forcing him to construct a big pole to knock it down.
He has flown the quad-copter up to 2½ kilometres out to sea but usually likes to keep it within his field of vision so he can target areas he wants to film.
Mr Viayaboon usually flies it at a height of about 120 metres.
The quad-copter’s batteries give it a flight time of about 10 minutes.
If it loses the signal from the remote controls, it returns to whatever point was locked in before take-off.
Mr Viayaboon said regulations governing use of the new technology were still being developed. Presently they cannot be flown within 30 metres of people, cars and buildings.