Pete Pilot

What the heck? Was he coming or going? ?

Wow Geoff, cool reflection of your time here. Most of what you say still holds true, though I think booze is more acceptable now, beer is at grocery stores and most areas have a liquor/wine store. So cool about the hedgehogs, never even seen one… As I mentioned in a previous comment I built this drone specifically for mountain exploration, and so far I can get out 6-7km (4miles) no problem; this was after months of making and testing several antennas and batteries. It's an amazing thing to look off at a distant peak and then minutes later be looking back from the top. I do most my test flights later at night or very early morning because the light is so nice at this time, also there generally isn’t much wind.

Haha! Yes, Norwegian officials loves taxes and hate alcohol. I’m from the US originally and find it very hard to justify the cost of alcohol, I started making beer and wine a few years ago simply from a budget stand point. ? But the country itself is beautiful and has been great for flying RC planes and drones around. I got sucked into building FPV drones this year, and have been having an amazing time exploring those mountains you see in the background. Truly unbelievable experience to just fly up there…

Hi Geoff, Sound like a great trip, traveling cheap is often the most entertaining way honestly, and yes, it’s 100% a different country now, after they “invented oil” in the 70s everything changed, except the mountains of course. Isle of Man TT you’re talking about? If so, I’m dying to go to that event, hopefully I can attend next year. Two years ago rain ruined it, last year Corona, so fingers crossed for next year. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience. Cheers!

Just a 60 second clip highlighting the beautiful late evening sun, fresh rows of grass, forest treetops and distant mountains. (Sound On, and HD is best, but the embedded browser maybe doesn’t allow HD… hmm) Happy to have captured this footage, and wanted to share. Cheers!

Hey guys, last week I Range Tested some new FPV DIY Projects and couldn't be happier with the results, and surprisingly, the footage!1) A Helical Antenna literally made out of trash that works unbelievable.2) A 2500Mah Li-Ion battery really improved flight time and range capabilities. (Just built a 4200mAh I’ll be testing today)- Range Test Goal: Determine maximum video range and trip distance. (And for those curious) Here’s the How to DIY Li-ion battery video. Li-ion could be very useful for lowering weight and extending flight times in model airplanes as well, just need to figure out your Amp requirements. If you have any questions just let me know. Also if you enjoyed the videos please Like on YouTube, helpful for my channel. Cheers! -Pete

Thanks JD, appreciate the compliment. I’m just an innocent bystander at the moment, but have been discussing techniques and systems with the farmer recently as a result of this video.

Take a deep breath, cause it's mucking' season! Got some great/fun footage of the local farmers last week. Who here enjoys these smells every year? Cheers guys! -Pete

And 2 days later winter was back. Here’s some practice highlights, if you guys have any editing or flying tips they are welcome. Cheers!

So usually I fly (err, crash) planes, but secretly I've been building a few FPV drones with a goal of exploring the forest and mountain areas around us. After a lot of testing and tuning I finally achieved a confidence inspiring setup and decided to go for a test run up the mountain! The TX and VTX signal were both decent the whole time but could still use some further adjustment. If you have any questions about the setup let me know, and I hope everyone is holding up well during these awkward pandemic times... Cheers, -Pete

Thanks Graham, appreciate it. I’m constantly trying to improve my video editing skills (another hobby), so any critical feedback is welcome as well. Swimming? I know, who was I kidding... I don’t even swim here in the summer. I just saw it drifting away and the sun was going down quickly, desperate times. But as you said, nope... Beautiful place for sure, I moved from the USA a few years ago and the views never grow old.

Yea, so last week I went out for a gentle sunset flight to test a new GoPro 8 in low light conditions. While flying around I decided a nice shot would be a big loop over the water between the 2 mountains... and well the 1st attempt was ok, but my 2nd attempt resulted the following mini adventure: Cheers, -Peter p.s. Don't know if I posted this incorrectly or what ... but it looks huge! I'll blame it on the new site ?

I’m 38, so not young per se, but by the standards of the hobby I’m on the young side..? Kids now a days (see, I am old) have this push button mentality, meaning if it requires more than a button push it’s too hard. Companies have tried to cater to this by creating all these automatic self leveling planes, but inevitably the plane still crashes and the effort required to fix the plane is too much for most. After which the kid says, well I flew RC planes, what’s next? This may partially be because kids aren’t saving up to buy their first planes, but instead getting them for free and therefore having no investment in the plane. Can we change this? Can we make the hobby cool? Not sure, but this year I started creating YouTube videos of my experience with RC planes, highlighting the fun, excitement, crashes and funny moments in the hopes that it may inspire others, specifically friends and family members to gain interest in the hobby. My friends/family do think it’s cool and interesting but none have ran out and bought a plane yet... A new hobby in a similar category that does seem to be getting the attention of young folks is FPV racing drones. I think it’s because it feels like a video game, and because people see incredible videos shot with these drones and want to do that themselves. However if you know anything about FPV drones they require a decent amout of money ($500 minimum), soldering, computer and troubleshooting skills, and then learning to fly takes a lot of practice. Add this to the host of new laws everywhere and this hobby is going to shrink before it grows. What can we do? I guess keep enjoying the hobby, share fun stories, pictures and videos often, and invite people to join whenever possible, especially children and grandchildren. That’s my two cents, or maybe a bit more... -Peter “Live to Hobby” Edited By Pete Pilot on 27/01/2021 22:18:56 Edited By Pete Pilot on 27/01/2021 22:19:17 Edited By Pete Pilot on 27/01/2021 22:19:30

Yea, definitely classified, but we’ll crack the case someday... Had a nice flight again today to test out a new GoPro Hero 8. It takes very nice footage and is stabilized so looks very smooth.. Might drive up the mountain behind our place to find an interesting place to fly up there sometime soon. Today’s flight started with poor camera positioning, which resulted in a severely nose heavy plane and ending in a hot landing into the side of a rock... so a couple repairs and tweaks are in order before any future flights. Sorry most of you can’t currently fly.

Hey Eric that was quick! What a great photo, I asked my wife where in Norway this is, and she said based on the trees and grass that she has no idea. 😆 I googled the Focke Wulf 189, it’s a pretty funny/strange looking plane. Glad you have a copy of this photo now, really a neat piece of family history.

Dave, that’s looks like a great time. Martin, ok so it’s a corona related fine. I was curious if it was a new RC Plane/Drone law since much has changed recently. Agreed we should all do our best to control this disease; before I moved here I lived in Washington DC... glad I don’t live there lately for some many reasons. Eric, Good info. That sounds like a great photo, you should definitely get a copy, if nothing else your cousin could just take a picture of it for you. I’d love to see it.

Tim, thanks! Yea, there are some benefits to the cold. Though today the snow is melting and fields are becoming muddy already... we also get plenty of rain here and often my runaway is just mud puddles. Eric, if you’ve been flying RC planes for that long it’s pretty likely you are mad... but nothing wrong with madness if you’re having a good time! What is the 200£ fine for? Haven’t kept up with the laws everywhere. Dave, wow Finland! Frozen lakes sound perfect for flying, despite the obvious cold! Summers on the water sounds lovely for sure though! All, Thanks for the feedback and for checking out the video! If you want to subscribe and support the channel that would be awesome. I’m constantly working on new videos centered around “Living to Hobby!” Cheers! Edited By Pete Pilot on 24/01/2021 11:40:39

Oh yea, looks like you guys were having a hoot skipping and sliding down the snowy field!

Hi, yes I am extremely fortunate to be in (the middle of no where) Norway during this whole pandemic, (from the USA originally) and yes these flights all took place on our farm here, which again I'm extremely fortunate for. Living here is why I started with RC planes/drones, I couldn't let all this open space go unused! We definitely get more snow than you all in the UK, but actually we live on the coast which is kept warm by the Gulf Stream and so the snow comes and goes pretty quickly. These were actually my first flight attempts on the snow, and -as I say in the video- it's amazing because in warmer weather the fields are impossible to take off and land on (hilly, bumpy, thick grass) my runway is this narrow short strip surround by farm equipment, trees and saltwater... but now with snow I can just takeoff and land everywhere, what fun!

Finally finished this short video, "Does winter suck for RC Planes" which features a 1500mm DHC Turbo Beaver.  First time I've tried using the floats as skis and was pleasantly surprised.   Enjoy the flights and the snowy mountains of Norway!  Thoughts, questions, comments and even constructive feedback on the video are always welcome.  Cheers! -Pete   Edited By Pete Pilot on 24/01/2021 01:06:52 Edited By Pete Pilot on 24/01/2021 01:10:41

Thanks guys, the scenery is certainly the best part! When I first learned to fly this location was quite challenging because nothing is flat until you're right at the shoreline ... and yes, I have gone swimming more than once to retrieve a plane. Freezing water and fried ESCs. Andy, I agree this guy's video is much better than mine, better camera, better flying and his is mounted on a stick so you have different perspective, however he's just missing the near death experience!

* duplicate post * Edited By Pete Pilot on 13/11/2020 10:08:58

Hey Levanter, I’m up in Norway (just south of Molde, if you look at a map). Originally from the US but married a Norwegian and moved here a few years ago. The view never gets old and the location is pretty great for model flight. (Few issues: Saltwater, trees, houses, lack of flat areas and bumpy tall grass... but I’mconstantly improving the airfield). Regarding your camera question, there is an Insta360 Go which is much smaller/lighter and has this stability feature, the difference is it doesn’t capture 360 degree video. Lots of people have been mounting these to RC planes and drones with great success. Yes, I do have floats actually and will be making some flight videos with them soon, as well as some other plane/drone reviews, repairs and fun tricks soon. Check out my YouTube channel if interested! -Pete Edited By Pete Pilot on 13/11/2020 10:08:01 Edited By Pete Pilot on 13/11/2020 10:10:27

Great, thanks David!

Hey guys, the other day I mounted an Insta360 to my DHC Turbo Beaver and got some extremely cool footage. I even captured an amazing close call when I rolled inverted forgetting the takeoff flaps were still down... heart stopping moment, buzzed my neighbors house! Anyway just wanted to share, happy to hear any thoughts or questions. https://youtu.be/7IeW_keOCCw Cheers!