Digital camera foibles...

[demar727]

that would be so cool if you could get live video feed.  like you fly the plane while your watching from the cockpit

i wouldnt mind having one of those mini fighter jets with live feed.. that would be insane!! 

[windrivermaiden]

Went out to the poppy fields west of town, hoping the very wet winter/spring would have decorated the area..
Nada!
There's more poppies in a planter up the street from me than out there!
Bummer!

Well you just saved me a trip!

[PJB]

I'm hoping -if- it warms up, they'll bloom..
I'll keep you posted.

[Bernardo Malfitano]

Due to the image saving sequence, which reads each line of information in the imager from left to right, and top to bottom, with the proper motions with the camera or subject, the end result can be intriguing...

...the vertical lines on the locomotive at a different angle due to the change of position of  the train during the scanning sequence. The shadows of the bike spokes.. wild.. yes, I do lace my own wheels, but not that badly...

This effect can be seen on old pictures of spinning propellers. The way the rectangular shutter opening slid in front of the film, one side got exposed a little before the other, making propeller blades look like your wheel spokes. I never thought this effect would survive the digital revolution.

I often daydream about getting one of these...

http://ggsmark.com/color.html

http://spyville.com/cmoswir900mg1.html

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1430977

http://www.spyarsenal.com/wireless-camera/

... and sticking it onto an RC plane, especially one of these (I used to have one):

http://www.hobbysetcohio.com/mtc9901.html

http://wondertrail.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?page=W/PROD/MTC9901

I'd say the live video feed would be cooler than the photography; It would be like having a flight sim except over real, real-time terrain! I just might do it once I feel my collection of camera equipment is acceptably complete.

[PJB]

Many of the guys seriously into live AP video use this..
http://www.blackwidowav.com/
And using off-the-shelf equipment do autonomous flights just like the Predator.. but at much lower prices.
The FAA gets interested in UAV activities.
The most extensive coverage of model-based AP is:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=128

[bcradio]

Very impressive PJB!  I had always wanted to mount a camera onto my RC glider when I had it... You've taken it so much further than that!

I was also impressed big time with these guys... University students decide to make a high altitude glider back in 2000.  How high?  Try 85,000 feet!

http://members.shaw.ca/sonde/index.htm

These guys are likely working at the Skunk Works now!

[PJB]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are definitely the future.
Lockheed Martin aggressively goes for the nerds that fly these toy airplanes.. Sponsoring 2 collegiate level competitions every year.
http://students.sae.org/competitions/aerodesign/west/
And the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics does the same...
http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/aiaadbf/
It's well worth the under-grads time and effort to get into these.
Real hands-on experience that duplicates the reality of the jobs they'll be doing, not the blue-sky "everything always work perfectly" of academic fantasies.
4 years of SAE competitions at Lancaster.
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/aerostuff/sae2000n1.htm