My name is Tim and this is my personal blog. Here you are likely to find DIY projects, stories about my adventures and pretty much anything else I am interested in.
I can honestly say, sitting on the Corniche in Doha, Qatar with my back to its impressive skyline as I gaze out over the Persian Gulf, a light breeze rustling my hair, is not somewhere I could have seen myself at any point in the past. As such, my reasons for being here are unimpressive. The journey to my final destination would have had an 11 hour layover at the Doha airport, followed by a 5 hour connecting flight. After already going through a connection and intercontinental flight, the idea of spending the next 16 hours anywhere other than a comfortable hotel room seemed appalling. So, I adjusted my plans to allow for a couple days here, before bravely continuing onward.
My first day here was spent mostly just walking around. Qatar is a very oil rich country, and the city of Doha is a blatant expression of this wealth. Despite not having any fresh water reserves, (the country gets its water from desalinization - an expensive and inefficient process) there are huge green lawns and gardens in front of any government or Islamic funded buildings, which have to be watered 24/7. The skyline is made up of large skyscrapers with awe-inspiring architecture and intricate detail, however most of them are empty. Shopping malls are pretty much the only recreational facilities in the city, and offer a range of luxury shopping.
After getting bored of walking around, I decided to visit the Museum of Islamic Art. It is located across the harbour from the city centre, and has a great view of the skyline. It is a very aesthetic building, designed with the symmetry and styling classical to Islam. The museum grounds are also quite impressive, featuring a meandering footpath through green gardens. No admission is required, and the museum boasts a wide range of artifacts. I really enjoyed passing through; the museum has done a fantastic job of creating interesting displays and exhibits.
Unlike many museums or art galleries, I was surprised to find that all except the featured exhibit didn't prohibit photography of the artifacts. Many people were taking photos with pocket cameras or phones, however when I pulled out my DSLR and spent a couple minutes changing my lens and setting up a shot of the artifact below, the light above the display began flashing, before turning off completely. I noticed a security camera in the corner of the room, and got a strong sense big brother was watching.
I decided on my last day to do a tour of the desert, and my hotel helped me organize a half day desert safari with a local tour company. It was pretty expensive, as I had no one to share the costs with, but it was the only way I could get to see the desert, as it's almost impossible to rent a car anywhere when you're under 25. I was picked up from my hotel in a SUV, then taken to Sealine Beach Resort, where we entered the desert and drove over the sand dunes to an inland sea on the border with Saudi Arabia.
It's only been a couple days, but I've had a chance to recover from the first leg of my journey, and am ready to continue on to my final destination. I can't say I particularly like it here, but it really has been something to see. Up next - Nepal!
You can also see more about my trip by following my Vlogs:
I've been experimenting a bit with my GoPro 3 Black Edition mounted upside down to the bottom of my scratchbuilt trainer. So far, I have been extremely pleased with the results. I have been shooting at 720p @ 120fps with protune on, and am finding that the footage is incredibly versatile. By slowing it down, I can find useable clips even from an unsteady flight. Protune allows for creative colour grading and effects such as tilt-shift, or miniaturizing. Here are a couple quick videos I've made with this setup:
As you can see, the quality of the GoPro footage is very good. There is no jello effect, or rolling shutter, to speak of, and the plane is very stable and can easily accommodate the extra payload. For the next tests, I am planning on flying somewhere more interesting and also ripping off the landing gear to get a clear field of view. So far, these preliminary tests are quite promising!
I decided to jump on the GoPro bandwagon following my hearing about the new Black Edition. I've read the reviews, positive and negative, but truthfully the selling point for me wasn't the 4k recording capabilities, wifi remote and smartphone compatibility or any of the other frills that GoPro probably just added as an afterthought for additional publicity without much practicality.
I'll be eventually strapping this baby to an RC plane, and once I get the hang of it, a quadcopter. The selling points were the size, protune and 150fps continuous recording capabilities. While the primary use of this will be work related, it'll be great for trips and travel as well. The size, quality and waterproof case make it an ideal camera to keep in my pocket, knowing I can get useable footage without any setup for run and gun situations. Since I'm unlikely to record continuously, the problems with battery life aren't an issue. I also have no use for the wifi features, thus far my wifi remote has remained in the box. My only real concern was reading about problems with the camera freezing up, however I have not experienced that as of yet.
My friend points out the ridge we snowshoed up.
To test this out camera out, I decided to bring it along on a snowshoeing trip I made with a friend on the weekend. I mostly kept it in my pocket, and brought it out occasionally while waiting for my friend to catch up. This is my first time using a GoPro, so I really didn't have much to go off of when setting up shots. The settings were 720 @ 150fps, protune on. When I got home to take a look at the footage, I was very impressed with it's quality, and also the results with the wide angle lens on the GoPro.
This edit was done very quickly just to put something together with the footage. I also didn't spend much time working on colour correction, although protune seems to have a lot of dynamic range. I have never used a fisheye lens at all before, however I found that, set up properly, the results could be quite cinematic. On the other hand, certain frames seemed depressingly plain. It will take a bit of practise to get used to this setup, especially without being able to see whats on the camera.
Cinematic look - slight flare added (top left)
Boring shot, tricky to get good composition without a viewfinder.
Even though it's my first time using a GoPro, I'm immensely pleased with it. It will take some getting used to to get proper composition without a screen, however it is a fantastic camera. The quality is superb; plenty of dynamic range, even when shooting directly into the sun. The focal length, combined with the high frame rate, allows for very stable shots and handheld shooting. I also like the ability to hold the camera at arms length to get a cool SnorriCam effect. This camera is a winner in my books and it has really open the door for me in terms of getting decent shots in adverse conditions where I wouldn't dream of bringing my FS100. I can't wait to get this in the air!
Hello everyone. As some of you probably know I am interested in building and flying RC planes. Or I was. It's been a few years, but I am starting to get back into the hobby, mostly because I want to take on some advanced projects that involve aerial videography and FPV flying.
My first scratchbuilt plane; crashed immediately after launch. (2008)
To get the ball rolling, one of my projects over the past couple weeks has been to develop a scratchbuilt trainer that I can use right away to get flying again, and also as a platform to do some experimentation on down the road.
4 years later my most recent build is significantly more flight worthy.
The plane turned out so well I put together a very detailed video tutorial about how to build one, and even a few general tips on how to fly it. In this blog entry, I'll be posting the video along with some detailed plans for the plane itself. I will also post a shopping list, and include some key details about locating and purchasing components. First; The Video.
As you can see, the video will give you a good general description of how to build the plane, however it might get a bit confusing with all the measurements. So, here are detailed plans of the plane that you can print out to refer to while you build it.
(Right-click and select 'save image as' or 'download linked file.' You should be able to print it once saved to your computer.)
You can build the plane from 1 sheet of home insulation foam, which is available from a store like Home Depot or Lowes very inexpensively. I used 1/2" foam for this, however you could probably make it from other sizes too. This foam is used for siding on houses being constructed, and I'm sure it comes in many varieties. The truth is, there is no specific right type of foam for this. Some varieties will be heavier, and some might be more durable, but in the end the plane really doesn't care. You could even make it from Walmart foamboard or just plain cardboard.
Next is the electronics. I always order my electronics from www.hobbyking.com, a cheap but popular hobby store with a good variety of parts and very slow shipping. Your local hobby store will also have everything you'll need for this, at a premium.
You will need a good brushless motor, rated for about 20 amps. Brushless motors are part and parcel of the electric rc world, as they are far superior to traditional brushed setups. These motors, combined with high capacity and lightweight lithium polymer batteries are really what enabled electric planes to become a realistic alternative to nitro gas aircraft. I recommend the brushless motor, speed controller, prop and prop saver in the links below for this trainer.
To move the rudder and elevator of your plane, you will need 2 servos. You can buy very cheap ones, however I suggest you upgrade and get the metal geared ones below, as they last longer. You will also need control horns and servo pushrods. I have posted links for those as well, however you can make them easily out of wire and popsicle sticks if you want to save a few bucks.
In terms of a radio, you have several options. I would suggest something like this if you are looking for your cheapest option, however if you plan to get heavily involved in the RC hobby, and want to be able to fly larger and more complex aircraft than this trainer, I would highly recommend you purchase a more advanced system. I use the Spektrum DX6i, but you might want to do some more research or possibly check local classifieds for a used system. You will also need a battery and charger. Check the links below for my recommendations. A smaller battery will give you a larger payload, while a larger batter will give you better flight times.
The RC hobby is exciting, expensive and potentially frustrating. With perseverance it is always ultimately rewarding. I hope this post has helped you build your first plane, successfully. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or suggestions leave a comment!
