Experimental Drone Flyover

[Mark W]

This past weekend was the Lincoln Model Train Show.  Before the doors opened Sunday morning, I wanted to try an experiment with my DJI Spark and follow a short Nebraska Central grain cut around the Free-moNebraska layout. 
With the drone being built for outdoor 'life-sized' use, I found that with the scaled down focal area of N Scale, you reeeally have to feather the controls.  One twitch and the drone is suddenly half scale mile off target.
Other than that, I think this offers a unique view of both model trains and Free-moN that we rarely see! 

[John]

The guy running the train looks very apprehensive of you and your toy surverilance drone

[OldEastRR]

too bad the drone couldn't get closer to the train.

[Mark W]

too bad the drone couldn't get closer to the train.

[peteski]

Nice video!  The first part could have been done by a person on the ground walking around with the camera, but the drone video is much smoother.  The second part with the overhead view was cool. Too bad that you couldn't follow the train closer overhead, but I'm sure the owner would not have appreciated that.

It was interesting to see  the layout curtains moving from the drone's rotor down-wash, even though you were flying pretty high.

Did I also catch a glimpse of your Boeing train there?

[tehachapifan]

Cool!

That's one way to dust the layout and to check for loose foliage!

[sirenwerks]

Nic video, Mark. That return loop still has me mulling over ideas for my future layout, and it's really neat for the modular layout too. I know this doesn't apply to Nebraska but...

[ryan_wilkerson]

Cool idea Mark. A couple years ago I asked my friend with a drone to do the same at a show but he had a run-in with the venue's security force a couple weeks earlier and they weren't happy so he didn't want to push his luck.

What I've done for layout video is to use my drone by hand...no flying. Just a nice level stabilized camera view as I walked around the layout following a train. Since it already has a wide angle camera, the view gets a lot of landscape in the shot. And since it's in my hand, I can get really close to the train without any danger of crashing or blowing the scenery around! I need to dig up that video.

[Mark W]

Thanks for the comments everyone.  I've been wanting to try this out for a while now with the main goal of getting smooth follow shots.  Previously I've tried a rolling tripod and even a handheld gimbal cam.  Neither of those were as successful as the drone.  I thought the gimbal would have the best results, but in testing realized that by function gimbals mainly stabilize the horizon so with the focal point in the foreground the result looked no different than a hand held DSLR.

I shot this with the DJI Spark, which is a small palm sized drone, though it still weighs over a half a pound (300g), so its still produces a considerable rotor wash; comparable to the exhaust of a standard shop-vac.   At around 1:50 in the video when I cross over the layout, you can see a dust cloud from some loosely glued dirt/grout on the unfinished side of Rosa Parks Way.  With all scenery, buildings, and details/vehicles properly secured they can easily withstand the rotor wash.

In early tests I was able to hover about 5' directly above an N scale train without blowing it over, but cars would still wobble in the wind. 10' is much more safe.  (BTW, the layout and equipment here are almost entirely my own, so rest assured the risk was entirely my own as well.)

For side shots, as long as the edge of the rotors stay outside the module edge, I can get really close.  But since this drone is designed for outside use, the controls are way too sensitive for scaled down focal points.  Closer/smoother follow shots will come with more practice.  Also, for now the Spark only shoots in 1080p.  Perhaps a future model will allow shooting in 4K, which means I can digital zoom and get even closer.


@peteski Yep, that's the Boeing train.  I spent all weekend ensuring I only park it facing Westbound.  Then record video the one time it sits in the yard pointing East. 

Here's the video the Fuselages heading West with my girlfriend at the controls. 

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[peteski]

Very nice Mark!

[John]

Put a ring on that girls finger .. she likes trains   and is a pretty good throttle operator to boot

[Mark W]

Put a ring on that girls finger .. she likes trains   and is a pretty good throttle operator to boot

That's coming quite soon.   

Did I mention she's a PhD in animal genetics, specifically swine fertility and reproduction?  Aka, MOAR BACON!!

[peteski]

That's coming quite soon.   

Did I mention she's a PhD in animal genetics, specifically swine fertility and reproduction?  Aka, MOAR BACON!!

Gene modification seems to be a very touchy subject nowadays. Not everybody will be in for genetically-modified bacon.  Regardless, your lady seems like a keeper to me.

[Mark W]

Gene modification seems to be a very touchy subject nowadays...

Ignorance plays the biggest role there.  Humans have been genetically modifying things for thousands of years through cosmetic and behavioral selection for breeding.  Like it or not, all bacon/food is genetically modified in some way over the past thousand years.  The only difference today is that we can identify positive traits at the DNA level. 


Model Trains > Drones >  GMOs...

Some potential thread drift records could be discovered here.. :p

[Jbub]

That's coming quite soon.   

Did I mention she's a PhD in animal genetics, specifically swine fertility and reproduction?  Aka, MOAR BACON!!

I envy you! Lol