Let's play a game, guess the height of the camera.

[Two Six]

Lets play a little game, please guess the approximate height of the camera in these pictures and post your guesses.

I would like to demonstrate something important,

I will post another posting later on after (hopefully a few replies)

.....If you catch onto what I am about to do, shhhhhhhh, it will spoil the surprise.

Honest

Picture A:

Picture B:

Picture c:

Picture D:

Thanks you for your participation.

[Two Six]

OK, my go,

Picture A: About 900 feet

Picture B: About 1600 feet

Picture C: About 2800 feet

PictureD: About 6000 feet

[GONZO]

pic A: 100ft - 150ft

Pic B: 400ft

pic C: 1000ft

pic D: 4000ft plus

[Andrew Price 2]

A. 900ft

B. 1500ft

C. 4000ft

D. 10000ft

[Don Fry]

Pic a, b,c all about 400 feet, pic d, 4000 feet.

[Robin Colbourne]

You don't say what you want the height above. E.g. Sea level, the highest ground in the picture, or the point immediately below the camera.

[john featherstone 1]

A.300 FT

B. 300 FT

C, 400 FT

D, 2500 FT

[Two Six]

Height above the ground that the camera would be over approximately.

[Cuban8]

A. 400'

B. 700'

C. 900'

D. 3000'

I was usually totally rubbish at the win a flight 'guess the height competition' that they used to run at the Old Warden full size airshows some years back, so I doubt if my judgement has got any better .

[Robert Parker]

a 75'

b 350'

c 2700'

d 5000'

Edited By Robert Parker on 18/03/2016 16:59:33

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

What were the focal lengths of the lenses used?

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

All taken from same height, no idea what that is

[John Privett]

My guesses (not influenced by looking at other people's - I resisted the temptation to look at the other replies before noting down mine!);

a) 300 feet

b) 1000 feet

c) 1500 feet

d) 4000 feet

[trebor]

You took the pictures of a book at about 1- 2 feet away.

[Peter Miller]

A 500

B 800

C1000

D5000

[Erfolg]

As John seems to be thinking, it could be approx 1.75m, if the measure is from ground level, rather than Ordnance datum.

The last picture is reminiscent of the view from the highest point on Madeira, which was 2000m from memory, adove AOD.

Edited By Erfolg on 18/03/2016 18:44:53

[iqon]

50"

[Two Six]

OK chaps, thanks for your participation, what a playful lot you are

The reason I posted this is.....

These pictures came from the advert for the Parrot BEBOP2 on page 3 of this month's RCM&E.

The general consensus is that one of the pictures is taken from at least 4000 feet and perhaps up to 10000

You 400 feet guys knew what I was up to I think

My point is I feel it is very irresponsible to advertise mass-market multi-rotors (MR's) like this, imparting the idea in Joe Public's head that you can get one of these and fly them as hight as this, up above the clouds. Its insane.

Its even more insane to lead them to believe that you can do with a parrot BEBOP using your mobile and Wi-Fi.

My Wi-Fi doesn't really work upstairs let alone at 6000 feet

Parrot aren't alone in using imagery that conveys to the target audience that you can operate these machines in highly inappropriate and irresponsible ways. DJI are just as bad and Horizon Hobby, all of them do this.

They all use imagery that suggests you can fly your new MR over sporting events, over built up areas, up in the clouds, over crowded beaches, over shopping centres and at stupid altitudes.

I do feel it is irresponsible for a magazine like RCM&E to print these adverts.

I know in a world where hard cash often overcomes principles refusing to print these adverts would be financially stupid.

However for a magazine that is supposed to encourage responsible and safe use of all remotely controlled flying vehicles, it is a little hypocritical to then publish such irresponsible adverts.

I feel that this should be pointed out to these MR companies the next time they seek to publish adverts in this magazine and that any irresponsible imagery like these pictures used in this advert should be refused.

Thanks for guessing the altitudes anyway, there is no prize and no right or wrong answers either. I just wanted to get a consensus about the fact that some of these images were taken at considerable hight, well beyond visual range anyway and certainly all above 400 feet.

I rest my case

Cheers!

[GONZO]

Nice one!

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Fair point - but just to give them a "fig-leaf" to hide behind bear in mind the following:

1. Parrot are a French company I don't know the French rules - not flown in France - OK though the advert was published in the UK.

2. In the UK 400' is not a legal limit, except for over 7Kg as specified in CAP393 (the ANO) - the Bebop is not over 7Kg.

3. For other aircraft the 400' max agl is a guideline figure given in CAP722, and is acknowledged as such.

4. It is agl - above ground level - its just possible, with a mighty leap of faith, to concede that those images could have been taken at just, say, 100' above a local high spot that overlooked the beautiful scenery below

My point is - yes I agree the manufacturers should be more responsible, but we could never "pin it on them"!

BEB

[Cabbage Man]

Report this to the Advertising Standards agency . They are very good at responding to this type of marketing .

I watched a dji quad the other day disappear at about 200ft so there is no way on earth you would see a drone at anything approaching the heights shown unless you flew beside it.