How to bend them regulations - with an unusual "drone"

KAP Jasa

TPF Noob!
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
15
Reaction score
8
Location
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Website
kapjasa.wixsite.com
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Hello!

I've been reading complaints about tight drone regulations, restricting and even prohibiting flying almost everywhere (and especially in cool places).

Perhaps there is a way around them. Use a kite!

A kite large enough can lift up to 5 kilos. With a simple rig you point your camera (with an intervalometer) and hope for the best, but you can always go full RC and have the rig tilt and pan the camera as you wish.

Not only the kite is way cheaper than a drone (especially for lifting better and heavier cameras), they are inherently safer, quieter (the noise is probably the most crucial factor for flying restrictions, especially in national parks), nature-friendly etc - and the drone restrictions usually dont apply to them. Plus, it is really (really really) fun ...

Some kite aerial photos we did (Nikon 1 J1 and Canon A810):

709bea_837383d1bb1640cc8845cfc23007b8be~mv2.jpg

(see the kite line on the left)
709bea_3bcd4d5c996043cc86fb5862dadaecb5~mv2.jpg


709bea_c075b5ce851d40898749b800624f03f9~mv2_d_2913_1678_s_2.jpg


709bea_279a48dff9fa4f39984bc3f17c6e7bb4~mv2.jpg


709bea_1b570358223a49abb88d657c41cc6954~mv2.jpg


709bea_67c1f1681bd849e09f9bc64b6c9e6905~mv2.jpg


And I'll go full spam mode now and ask you to <Link Deleted> (completely non-commercial, though) for more aerial photos, our gear, kite plans and KAP tips ... ;-)

Hope this helps and/or inspires someone to get a kite and start flying! :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The learning curve to get proficient enough with a kite to have confidence in flying your camera gear is much higher I would assume than learning to control a drone. (As many are self landing etc...)

And you certainly have limitations with a kite in terms of where you have to be with respect to your intended composition. (Upwind)

I can certainly see it being useful in some circumstances however, and a good idea around bans in some areas.
 
What happens when the wind isn't blowing?
 
The learning curve to get proficient enough with a kite to have confidence in flying your camera gear is much higher I would assume than learning to control a drone. (As many are self landing etc...)

And you certainly have limitations with a kite in terms of where you have to be with respect to your intended composition. (Upwind)

I can certainly see it being useful in some circumstances however, and a good idea around bans in some areas.

Well ... maybe. The kite is technically unsteerable - it flies as it wants. However, it can't crash (well, it can, but not as spectacular, and even if the wind completely stops, it functions as a giant parachute) and it can't wreak havoc if the controls fail. True, there are serious limitations regarding your intended subject, but than again the sheer thrill of getting there is a part of the fun.

A kite can never be a replacement of a drone. How to point the camera correctly and how to get the kite above the place you want is a black art. But the fun (this word keeps repeating itself, sorry), and the load capability are really impressive. Worth a try! ;-)
 
Nice execution but a no no here in the US.

Really? Why? I mean - there are rules and regulations about kids flying kites in the US?

Seconded. I know plenty of adult kite clubs in my area of the US... what’s a “no-no” about it?

Yes, there are FAA regulations on kite flying, and also about aerial photography. Doesn't mean it can't be done, but just that a person has to be aware of regulations. And I'm sure some of these same regulations are present in Slovenia, especially given that the OP acknowledges them in the very title of this thread.

http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/airphoto/legal/legal.htm
Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) Safety Guidance
Unlike drones, kite photography insists on staying under the radar
 
Nice execution but a no no here in the US.

Really? Why? I mean - there are rules and regulations about kids flying kites in the US?

Seconded. I know plenty of adult kite clubs in my area of the US... what’s a “no-no” about it?

Yes, there are FAA regulations on kite flying, and also about aerial photography. Doesn't mean it can't be done, but just that a person has to be aware of regulations. And I'm sure some of these same regulations are present in Slovenia, especially given that the OP acknowledges them in the very title of this thread.

http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/airphoto/legal/legal.htm
Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) Safety Guidance
Unlike drones, kite photography insists on staying under the radar


I'm sorry, I see I sounded a bit snappy and didn't intend it ... Of course there are rules and regulations regarding kites (almost) everywhere. However, those are less strict compared to drones - and are less strictly enforced.

As far I've observed, people are getting ever more annoyed by drones flying around. The flight safety is perhaps less important to 'general public' (though everyone glees when some idiot is arrested for flying a drone into an airport) than the noise and the perception of privacy invasion.

While kites, they are different. Every time we fly them somewhere public (which we do really rarely) people come in awe and appreciation. It is kids stuff, flying kites, so when two crazy adults do it, it brings back nice memories. It's (I am repeating myself again) *fun*!

That's what I meant - not *avoiding* the regulations (or that the rules don't exist / don't apply for kites), but *bending* them a little. Noone will angrily call the police for a kite. While for a drone ... well, I've personally seen that happen. ;-)
 
Not gonna lie the thought of strapping my camera to a kite terrifies me, as does spending$1000 on a flying camera. Cool idea and nice photos
 
FAA regulations pertaining to MOORED BALLOONS, KITES, AMATEUR ROCKETS, UNMANNED FREE BALLOONS, AND CERTAIN MODEL AIRCRAFT:
eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations

§101.13 Operating limitations.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no person may operate a moored balloon or kite—

(1) Less than 500 feet from the base of any cloud;

(2) More than 500 feet above the surface of the earth;

(3) From an area where the ground visibility is less than three miles; or

(4) Within five miles of the boundary of any airport.

(b) Paragraph (a) of this section does not apply to the operation of a balloon or kite below the top of any structure and within 250 feet of it, if that shielded operation does not obscure any lighting on the structure.
 

Most reactions

New Topics

Back
Top