Simulating a foam drop to extinguish a fire

[Steve Colman]

I recently got myself an E-Flite Air Tractor and just for fum I'm looking for a way to add a simple system to simulate crop dusting, or more likely, foam used in fire fighting.

 

So far I've come up with the idea of a simple, appropriately shaped and fashioned box filled with something like talcum powder which can be released by a servo controlled opening.

 

If anyone can offer some alternative simple ideas I'd be very grateful.

 

Thanks.

[Steve Colman]

Oh well, never mind.

[Don Fry]

Sawdust is lighter, cheaper, and rots away.

[Shaun Walsh]

Grass seed?

[Ron Gray]

Flour looks good but don't use it if your 'plane is a bit damp!

[Martin_K]

Getting serious for a moment, is it legal?

 

My memory has faded on whatever differences may be relevant depending on what authorisation (article 16 / open category) you are flying under, but isn't the Drone Code explicit, never drop anything from a flying model?

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Article 16 exempts qualifying pilots (i.e. members of certain organisations like the BMFA) from this. 
 

9. Dropping of Articles
The new regulations prohibit the dropping of any materials from a model aircraft, but our Authorisation exempts us from this requirement subject to the following condition - The remote pilot must not cause or permit any article or animal to be dropped from an unmanned aircraft so as to endanger persons or property.

[Steve Colman]

Thank you, I particularly like the sawdust idea Don.

I will check the rules over here before going ahead with any method I decide upon.

What I was particularly wondering was whether there are commercial smoke generators that are suitable for foam models that I could trigger on and off from the Tx as an alternative to my first suggestion.

 

Cheers.

[Martin_K]

3 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:

Article 16 exempts qualifying pilots (i.e. members of certain organisations like the BMFA) from this. 
 

9. Dropping of Articles
The new regulations prohibit the dropping of any materials from a model aircraft, but our Authorisation exempts us from this requirement subject to the following condition - The remote pilot must not cause or permit any article or animal to be dropped from an unmanned aircraft so as to endanger persons or property.

Thanks Martin.

I looked at the BMFA web site, found nothing relevant in the menus, and gave up. Looking again now I see the link to the legal stuff is lower down in the centre of the home page!

[gangster]

5 hours ago, Ron Gray said:

Flour looks good but don't use it if your 'plane is a bit damp!

A wise caveat there from Ron. Many years ago (about40) A friend and I bought some SLEC bombs. We filled them with flour and put a couple of elastic bands on them to hold them together. Planes(IC) rushed off down the strip leaving a white cloud behind “explosion” was sadly unspectacular (little flour left in bomb) but what a sticky mess on the model. Whilst an ep model would not have the oil flor is messy stuff

Edited November 14, 2021 by gangster

[andyh]

I bought one of these a few years back when we were asked to drop the ashes of a late club member by his wife:

 

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/h-king-candy-dropper.html?___store=en_us

 

any kind of fine powder would have leaked out of the gaps, so I was going to rig up some sort of packet that would unfurl when the door opened & drop the ashes.

 

in the end the family changed their mind & we didn't drop the ashes, but we had some fun dropping dry soil, pine cones, etc.  ?

[Dale Bradly]

I've been told potash is the product for cropdusting type effects. Never tried it myself. 

[Ace]

Potash will be good for the grass but believe its hydroscopic so again may clump together when damp. (Think of Miracle Grow goo when not sealed) However is water soluble so easy to clean off.

Farmers Ammonia Nitrate granules (or Growmore pellets - other brands available) have a glaze so should stay separated and won't be sucked out prematurely?

[J D 8]

 The crop duster hopper is not like the candy dropper above, it is shaped so when its gate is opened a vortex of air picks up a certain amount of the powder per minuet to exit the distribution slot under the aircraft so spreading the payload over a large area.