Northwest Adventure Flying: Mt. Hood
Posted on January 7, 2011 by aaronredbaron
I have always wanted to fly on Mt. Hood ever since I got into FPV, and with my new Custom Widebody Stryker proving to be a great platform for the GoPro HD camera I headed up to the mountain with my Wife on a clear windless winter day. This Stryker was cut in half and widened 5 inches to make room for equipment and carry the GoPro. I am using an Eagle Tree OSD Pro, an FY-20 stability device, a 300 mw 1.28 gHz video transmitter with a V antenna built into the vertical stabilizer, and a Futaba R-148 DP PCM receiver. My motor of choice is a Mega 16/15/7 for its efficiency, and I’m spinning an 8×6 propeller. The max current draw is 19 amps at sea level with this setup, but I was under-propped on the mountain and could only draw 15 amps. I would go to a 9×6 if I fly on the mountain again. Everything on the Airplane is powered by a single 2200 mAh 3 cell Lipo, and I’ve built a power filter and 5v regulator system to power the video transmitter and GoPro. My ground station uses an Eagle Eyes system for diversity from two cheap “12 channel” receivers with stock DiPole antennas, and I’m flying with a hacked pair of Trimersion goggles. My Transmitter is a Futaba 12 FG. Somehow I managed to even cross my landing marks in the snow with nearly identical landings. A special thank you to my Wife Dustine for helping me make this day possible and taking pictures. Sit Back and enjoy the ride! (Please forgive the half finished covering, I couldn’t pass up the chance to fly in this weather!)
