Power Lines and FPV

[K_G]

About six months ago I was flying under some high kV lines where I do most of my testing and had my EzOSD reset in flight right as I passed under the lines. There was no damage in the crash, and I didn't learn my lesson. Since then I've flown under, around and through the middle of lines with no problems.

Not today though. As I passed through the lines today my video dropped out for about a second, and when it was back I had no radio control. It would have been an easy save but I was dead in the air. The crash split my plane in half back to the main spar, I've yet to go through the electronics to see what does and does not work, so we'll see.

Looking at the video I'm wondering if my cloverleaf touched the power line, it looks like the plane slightly diverted but it could be my imagination. Anyway, I'm done with the high power version, it's not worth it. And of course I forgot to turn on the ground station recording, forgive my poor re-creation of the event using the GoPro footage.


View this video on YouTube

[londonguy]

Definitely looks like you touched it, if you go frame my frame the instant it passes over the video nudges downwards. How big is your cloverleaf? If it's RC is it possible it hit your UHF antenna's and somehow locked it out?

[Derrick]

Wow... Form the video it looks like you may have touched the line. if not you defiantly came close. The electromagnetic field decreases at a rate of a power raised to the 4th... so if you didn't hit being mighty close could have been enough. Thank you for sharing, I sometimes fly at a spot that has a lot of power lines. I will be sure to not fly through them so I don't experience the same misfortune that you have.

[K_G]

It's a 1.3ghz cloverleaf, so it's big. If it clipped it and tilted the wing I can see how it would have gotten the UHF dipoles as well, but your guess is as good as mine.

[hugy]

You definitely hit it, you can see the plane bounce of a bit.

[K_G]

I'm still staying away, I remember when they reset my EzOSD without contact in flight months back...

[Derrick]

Lol... my buddy and I have this thing that we do. When something like this happens, one looks to the other and says "woof".

The meaning behind this is "Even dogs learn by repetition".

It happened once, could have been an anomaly. It has happened twice now... so it is likley that the power lines don't play well with FPV gear.

Don't make me have to tell you "WOOF"!

Derrick

[Danub]

DUDE the game is to get close to the power lines!! NOT touch it. . . .I got $5 that says your antenna/s touched the wire. Livin' and learnin' hope the damage to the electronics is not too bad

[K_G]

I was just trying to keep things "real", LOL. And to think just went out with the intention of breaking in a few new packs. Sigh

[Scotttu]

NOTE: That's repairable!!!
Thinking about it, had you hit metal/ground of some sort you would have smoked the plane so I'm betting it was an impact not an ESD.

Here ya go, how'd ya like to be this guy!