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Shooting on the beach, advice, mantenance, etc ..?

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Aug 9, 2015
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Hi guys, i have to do some shootings on the Beach this month and i will like to get some advice about where to take off from and landing, mantenance after flying etc in order to avoid oxidize for example, or some other things i should be carefull about. .... mostly i will have to take off and landing from sand, so any ideas or what are you useing to do that ? maybe a table or something like that ?

Thanks !
 
I would just avoid splash and spray from the ocean and wipe down the entire craft after flying. At least that's what I do when shooting around water. The big thing is you need a flat landing pad. I've experimented some on this and a piece of 1/4" plywood works well as does a yoga mat. The latter is easier to transport and lug around in the field.
 
I fly off the beach occasionally. I use a heavy duty picnic table, table cloth trimmed to @ 4' X4'. Very easy to transport. Get some aluminum or plastic sand spikes to hold it down. If you will be flying low over the water disable the VPS system. When you get home gently blow off any sand that may be on the copter.
 
I have never shot on the beach but a good friend has, it turns out a lot of people don't like it as they think your 'spying' on them. The best thing he said was to film first thing in the morning as there isn't a ton of people on the beach. Also make sure your local county hasn't banned them from the beaches.
 
I live in the desert, as such have a good amount of experience in takeoffs and landings on sand.
I carry a fold open beach mat with with, and put rocks on the corners, this gives a relatively sand free touch pad for landing on and taking off.

point your camera slightly down on takeoff, this seems counter intuitive, but it helps avoid sand sticking to the lens.

Also, take a small paintbrush with you, and you can brush the sand out of hard to reach places.

The last, and possibly most important tip of all....... watch out for the wind direction, any sand you kick up will blo into your eyes and blind you if you are downwind from the craft...... this has caught me out more than once, and it isnt fun to have something in the air that you cant see because you have sand in your eyes.

That being said, avoid low flying near people or things that dont like sand for the same reason. I find that below 5m will kick up the sand on the floor.
 
Thanks a lot guys !! i really appreciated your advice !! Picnic table and plywood will be then, could be a fold open beach mat too but i do prefer to take of a few cm above sand just in case. Just last question, does not the salty water oxide motor components or something?
 
I have never shot on the beach but a good friend has, it turns out a lot of people don't like it as they think your 'spying' on them. The best thing he said was to film first thing in the morning as there isn't a ton of people on the beach. Also make sure your local county hasn't banned them from the beaches.
It's a public beach, what expectancy of privacy is expected?
 
No problems about privacy my friend, is a Moto Cross bike race famous in Argentina they made ones a year ...
 

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