Well, I finally got my act together and had my first FPV flight. I'm using a bareback HobbyKing/Foxtech 200mw 5.8GHz system, though with the standard antennas atm, as I'm waiting for the correct right angle RP SMA connectors for my clover leaf (the Rx skew planar is done, but I didn't use it). I have the $17 HobbyKing PAL camera plus their pan/tilt head and that wide angle replacement lens that Paul uses, mounted in a foam block and held down by elastic bands where the canopy goes on the AXN (see photos). The Rx is mounted high on a telescopic mast made from an old photographic light stand, which I picked up for a dollar or so at the tip shop, plus I added an extra length for greater height. FatShark base goggles.
As this was just going to be a quick test of the system, I didn't have the Remzibi OSD mounted as yet, figuring that I'd just cruise around the clubhouse and not go very far.
Now, I wear glasses and wouldn't you know it, nobody was at the club to act as a launcher and spotter. Plus, the sodding sea breeze was blowing a near gale. But what the heck, I've hardly flown in a calm day since I got back into RC planes, so I figured go for it, as the axn is a breeze in er, a breeze.
So with nobody to launch for me and spot, I launched wearing spectacles, got up high and then popped my glasses in a pocket and pulled down the FatSharks.
First problem...my eyes were adapted to the glare, so I couldn't see a damn thing for a bit, as the video was too dark. By which time I was over the highway and disoriented. Did a banked turn and found the club house, but kept losing the signal in the turns (which I expected). Problem was, the wind was blowing a gale up there and it was damn hard to fly. I REALLY missed a sense of where the throttle was (I wish the 9x had a ratchet throttle, not a friction one).
Without the OSD I had the same beginners problem as Paul (BMSWEB) did on his first flight; without depth perception it's hard to judge height and speed (no sound makes that much, much worse) and although I'm used to flying full scale, it was still a bit hairy.
Anyway, I wasn't really comfortable staying within the club's boundaries (the neighbouring farms don't take kindly to models over their horses) so I decided to cut it short and land. Which is when I lost it. A combination of nasty gusts, lost signal in the banks and inattention to throttle, meant that I stalled it coming round when the wind dropped for a second and I nearly nosed in. I popped the nose down and added power, but by then it was just too late and I belly flopped in the outer somewhere, facing the wind.
Which is where it gets kinda funny. The axn was upright and I could still see through the camera. There was a clump of grass in front of the nose obscuring things (bugger!) but I could still pan (thank gods for a pan and tilt mount!) So I swivelled the camera around, but couldn't really see where I was. Anyway, I trudged off to where I thought it was...but the grass is really long away from the strip and so it's easy to miss your model.
No bloody sign of the axn though. Up down, up down. Nope.
Back to the Rx mast and off with the glasses and on with the goggles. Then back on with the glasses again. Mmm. Through the FatSharks I could see two trees to the left off the clump of grass and a hill behind, with trees at the top and when I panned right, two different trees nearby. Didn't look right for where I thought it was. Off with the specs and on with the goggles again. I drew a mental picture of what I could see...walked away from the mast and scanned the horizon.
Then I spotted it...I had searched in completely the wrong direction. The model was behind me parallel to the runway, not out past the strip as I'd thought. All was OK, no damage done. But I am definitely going to use both the Remzibi OSD and the circularly polarised antennas before I go out again...on a much calmer day. Oh, and a spotter too.
Btw, I had an absolute ball.