Hi Guys,
I think we should do some research on the $$ of making a gate and see what the
budget will allow. In addition, we can apply for an AMA grant to help with the
$$. I have a sewing machine and can sew simple stuff.
It would be a hoot to fly slow sticks through the banners too. I remember that
the AMA magazine showed an indoor contest where they flew night vapor airplanes
through a maze and it looked like fun.
What do you think?
Richard P.
On Sep 2, 2021, at 9:54 AM, Tom Speer <me@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We had some discussion last night about setting up a drone race course in the
area south of the building at the end of our runway. There was some question
about what the obstacles should be made of and how large they should be. AMA
Air today has some info on the MultiGP International Open that was just held,
and when I went to the MultiGP site, I found some information on race gates
in their store.
The store has three sizes of gates:
Mega sized, 12 ft x 12 ft
Chapter sized, 5 ft x 5 ft,
Micro sized, 48 inches x 40 inches
If one were to buy them from MultiGP, they'd be pretty pricey. But I think
one could make them cheaper from local materials.
The gates appear to be constructed of fiberglass rods, like folding tent
poles, on the outside with fabric banners forming the actual gates. That way
a drone can hit the fabric and not be seriously damaged. The fiberglass rods
make it convenient to take down and store the race course. However, since
the course can stay up on our field, more substantial frames from cheaper
material (1/2" PVC or treated 2x2's?) could be used. The frames could have
feet instead of being stuck in the ground so they can be moved around, or
tipped on their side when not in use to keep them from being blown about.
The cloth banners for the chapter sized gates look to be about a foot wide if
they are 5 ft long. There may be a cheap fabric that could be used, such as
Pellon 830. This is a non-woven polyester that looks like dryer sheet
material. It's currently on sale at Joann's for only $12.50 for a 45" wide
by 10 yard long board of material! Say each upright banner was cut to 61" x
15" to allow for hemming and pole pockets, and each arch top banner was cut
to 85" x 15", there would be enough fabric to make 10 gates. Or fewer gates
with some hurdles. Graphics could be done with markers or painted on.
I'm not proposing the club foot the bill for the drone course. But i think it
could be affordable if a bunch of drone pilots wanted to get together to do
it. I'd certainly be willing to help pitch in to help make it, and I suspect
other club members might as well. If we had a course at our field, it could
attract local drone pilots to join ORCA in addition to the drone club in
Kingston. And that could lead to younger members getting interested in fixed
wing flying as well as drones.
Cheers,
Tom
