Anyone use drone in conjunction with motorbike either off or on road??

chingo

Well-known member
Interested in anyone that has used a drone to film rides on or off road.
How you setup rig on motorbike?
Did you charge batteries while on ride if so how did you do hookup?
Any other info that is relevant. (legalities, drain on bike battery etc...)
Just got an early Xmas present of a DJI mini 2.
 
Paging @PrivatePilot . He has definitely done static shots. Not sure how much he has played with following.

Legality will probably not be good in ontario. Hard no for on-road and off-road is only ok as long as you dont come anywhere near another person.

Edit:
From transport canada, here are the sections most likely violated with this plan:

"where you can always see it

away from bystanders, at a minimum horizontal distance of 30 metres for basic operations"
 
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Drones are highly regulated. Read the manual that came with it.
 
Interested in anyone that has used a drone to film rides on or off road.
Just got an early Xmas present of a DJI mini 2.

We were asked to be in a mini-documentary about our travels, and when we showed up for filming, the crew brought a drone to capture us on the road.

dji2-XL.jpg


How you setup rig on motorbike?

The drone was operated manually by the camera crew, and they were able to monitor what was filming remotely on their smartphone. If you're trying to film yourself with nobody around to help you, then most of the newer models have a Follow-Me mode, but it's not 100% foolproof. Sometimes the flight path of the drone is erratic, and if it loses you due to foliage or if you ride out of the range of the drone's sensors, then it just stops in its tracks until you double-back and the drone finds you again.

Also, if you're filming a lot in follow-me mode try to get a drone with as many obstacle/collision avoidance sensors as possible. Some cheaper drones only have forward sensors, which means your drone might hit something it can't sense if you're not actively piloting it. The most expensive models have 6-way sensors - up, down, left, right, forward and backwards.

Did you charge batteries while on ride if so how did you do hookup?

You can charge them via USB, but it takes a long time per battery. The camera crew brought lots of extra batteries. With flight time measured in minutes (anywhere between 15-45 minutes per charge), you'll be swapping out the batteries quite frequently.

Any other info that is relevant. (legalities, drain on bike battery etc...)

The Mini 2 is under 249g so you don't need a license to operate it. Here are Transport Canada's regulations on where you *cannot* fly a drone:


- within 5.6 kms of certified airports
- within 1.9 kms of cerified heliports
- over restricted airspace
- over forest fires

dji-XL.jpg
 
Some racetracks are no-drone zones. (Notably, Grand Bend Motorplex is an airport.) Some organising bodies prohibit their use.

I would not want to hit a drone, even a small one, at 200 km/h.

I would not put much faith in non-professional drone operators, to take appropriate measures to prevent that situation from happening.

There have been close calls.
 
Also prohibited at Calabogie anywhere on the grounds, although you can find YouTube drone footage of on-track action at both Calabogie and Grand Bend. Not sure if they got special permission for that, or if they just got away with it.

I've also lost half a session at Mosport DDT being held in pit lane while someone buzzed one around.
 
It seems reasonable for them to keep a shotgun in the office to deal with nuisances like that. I would have no problem blowing up some asshats four figure drone.
Haha, yes, the pit lane marshal actually made the "shotgun" motion while we were waiting.
 
Haha, yes, the pit lane marshal actually made the "shotgun" motion while we were waiting.
Hell, if it was low enough, even a volley of rounds from a paintball gun may be enough to ruin propellers and get it to crash. Avoids the annoying conversations with the cops too.
 
Thanks for info, key take away's seem to be, use only in private, in open spaces, better for off road use or deserted on road use. Moto vibes was a great youtube channel. Bought extra batteries so that i don't need to charge on bike. Just got to come up with a mount for unit on bike and i'll be set to go.
Can't wait for next year, meantime lots of practice in my backyard, 10 acres surrounded by farmers field's. Met someone who has their licence and is going to teach me my device. :D
Thanks again for all the info.
Cheers!
 
Looking at consumer grade available stuff and their reviews (with someone like DCRainmaker) even follow me is okay at best.

The moneys with FPV drones that have an operator that can "follow you" with the drone.

But airspace restrictions still apply.
 
I can't cite where I read / heard it but someone said they saw a drone in the air at the Dallas air show crash. Six dead.

It seems to be an isolated report but more power to it if it results in more stringent rules / enforcement.

The unregulated ones would be like getting hit in the head with a drinking box. A lot depends on how fast the target was moving.

If a person buys a heavier regulated one is there anything to stop him / her from flying dirty?

I'd like to use a drone to check roof / eaves but I'm under a flight path. Does it count if the drone is tethered?

They fly control line model airplanes at Centennial Park, right under the flight path.

 
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Interested in anyone that has used a drone to film rides on or off road.
How you setup rig on motorbike?
Did you charge batteries while on ride if so how did you do hookup?
Any other info that is relevant. (legalities, drain on bike battery etc...)
Just got an early Xmas present of a DJI mini 2.

I was recently doing a bit of reading about (trying to see if there was anything reasonably economical)

I dont think DJ Mini 2 does "active tracking/follow me" effectively. i think you might need a DJ Mini 3 for that. (which i believe costs 2x)
 
Yeah, i was watching moto vibes and he said that was one of the reasons he went to his latest drone, because of more accurate following capability, however, he still had issues, so i guess to get a true drone to follow and avoid, as well as good range etc.. is going to be big bucks.
Anyway, for now i need to learn basics of drone operation and progress from there.
Just happy to have a new hobby, even though what i bought has limitations, i will get good on this (if i crash it, at least it wont be too expensive a mistake) and then when i am more confident with the whole thing of drone operation, (software, hardware, interface etc...) i will start to put more money toward better drones.:D
 
check this out ... it's cycling mind you, but for moto it would be worse I'd guess due to higher speeds?




these are the most recent, Ray has more tracking testing prior to this - so check his Tube as well :)
 
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