To Tilt or Not To Tilt

[Reverand Blue Chip]

Been working on the new setup to replace the trusty E* - actually to update it. I'm debating whether or not to add tilt to the setup... I have the GWS 360 deg winch servo for the pan - but I am justing thinking out loud about the tilt option.

I had it on the last E* - not sure it was worth it. The FJ is without it - so no loss there.

I guess I can always add it later if I want.

Most of you wing guys only have pan (if that) - what about the rest?

[ssassen]

Nah, tilt is overrated. Have a look at one of my flights, I don't miss the tilt at all, 360 degree pan surely is nice though.


View this video on YouTube

[Reverand Blue Chip]

Thanks Sander - this is actually the video that I am basing the new setup off of. It gave me the 360 bug.

[aeryck]

IMHO it depends on your flying style and what you like to do while in the air. I had tilt on my E* and only really occasionally used it for looking around once I was at cruising altitude. Did it help me fly better? Not at all. In fact it was somewhat disorienting to me since depending on what the tilt angle is, level flight is not necessarily level horizon in the camera. (Adding an AHI helped with the disorientation factor, however.) Granted, I don't use a headtracker, which could be a totally different story.

My wing will have a fixed cam; neither pan nor tilt. That plane is designed for more aggressive flying, so I won't be taking time to look around and admire the scenery heh.

Edit:
In hindsight I suppose there were times that tilt helped - If I was flying toward the sun, I could tilt the camera down to avoid overexposure and causing the ground to turn into a ball of shadow. Of course that could also be handled with a different camera (I was using the RMRC420.)

[whakahere]

I think tilt is only good when you can get it to look down over the side of the plane. Generally your camera is angled down so using pan you get a good general view around you. I love using pan on my twinstar as I can fly over top of things and look right down on top of it. If the airframe doesn't let you have a good view looking down then I say pan isn't worth it.

[airbagit13]

What 360 servos are you using Blue, I am using 260 degree servos but would love 360!

I agree, tilt is over rated unless its a glider your building.

[IBCrazy]

I like tilt, actually. Especially for high altitude stuff, tilt rules. Typically I prefer panning, though. I just solder 2 2.2K resistors into the potentiometer and I have a 210 degree servo. I never had a 360 degree pan, but Kevin Hines does and I like it alot. Kind of tough to use with a head tracker though...

-Alex

[Keith]

For me it depends on the plane... I've always had tilt on my Slowsticks and Easy Star. Those are slow enough to look around and check out the scenery from above. On the Maxi Swift I have just pan, and no desire to have tilt. I could do without the pan too to be honest. I need the weight up front though and used a metal gear servo, so it's not dead weight...

[volto]

I have tilt on my Phoenix 2000 glider and love it, can look over the side at the ground, and since the nose is in view it's not that disorienting, I can still fly level while looking down. I also use it with a mechanical head tracker, if I had to turn a knob to use it, I wouldn't like it.

Here's the FPV maiden.


View this video on Vimeo

[Reverand Blue Chip]

I purchased the GWS sail winch servo - it's 50g though... I figured that since I will be flying with EZglider wings on a star with 6000mah of battery - it won't make much of a difference.