Fly, feet on ground

How to build and fly your own sub-250 gram drone and whom to head to for advice

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had, not too long ago, made a list of rules and regulations regarding the legality of flying drones in India, especially without a license. This, for a while, set the industry in turmoil and many doubts were cast on the enthusiast’s drone flying scene as drones above 250 grams needed special permission for import and an Unmanned Aerial Operator Permit (UAOP) license to fly drones. Only the sub-250 gram drones were spared regulation.

Utkarsh Verma and Puneet Xaxa from Whoopmasters India

Instead of dying out like they were supposed to, the Indian drone scene has exploded with sub-250 gram homemade drones called Cinewhoops that deliver quality video while shedding all unnecessary weight. Drone enthusiast Lysander Fernandes said, “I have professional experience in flying stabilised drones such as the DJI Mavics and Phantom for four years. But imagine, being air borne with your drone to rapidly descending and having the dexterity to fly under a moving car, all fluid aerial movements—in one go. Sounds impossible right? An FPV pilot with a CineStar Go Whoop attempted this, successfully. It weighed a mere 237 gms.”

An Umma85x Cinewhoop drone with a stripped-down GoPro camera

CineWhoop drones also go in to the 500-700 gms range if they have a heavier camera, in which case DGCA regulations apply. This is why enthusiasts avoid it.

Cine what?
These drones are called Cinewhoops because they have a high-resolution camera that can record cinema quality video and the whoops comes from tiny ducted race drones, referring to the protection around the propellers. To shed the weight, the drones are stripped of all unnecessary electronics, protective coverings and even heavy batteries. Most drones have three to five minutes of flight time before they need a battery change. Flying these drones is also a lot of hard work because once most of the assists are removed, drone pilots have to rely on their own skills. But, the rewards are many.

The GepRC Cinewhoop drone that can record 4K videos weighing in at just 184 gms

“Flying FPV drones can be addictive because of the immersive experience it offers. First-person view (FPV) is from the perspective of the pilot via the onboard camera of the drone fed wirelessly to video goggles. It is practically not possible to fly drones like a Mavic or Phantom like an FPV drone. Up until now, drone shots in cinema have had a standard perspective. But now, there is an increase in demand for more aerobatic shots. Cinewhoops also help reduce the cost of expensive gear and the risk involved in attempting a difficult aerial shot. Personally, it’s an out-of-body experience,” says Ashish Modasia, a seasoned FPV Pilot.

A beta 95X drone with India’s only naked GoPro 8

Build your own Cinewhoop
Drone building and flying is not a cheap hobby and it requires a lot of practice, dedication and research. Building a Cinewhoop can cost anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000. The controller and first-person view headset cost an additional Rs 15,000–Rs 50,000. Flysky, Frsky, Radiomaster make a basic starter controller that you can pick up. You can also buy kits that come with instructions to build, everything from construction to how to strip down a GoPro are included. A basic analogue kit starts between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 add the FPV kit and you are looking at a total of Rs 55,000 to Rs 80,000.

According to Piyush Parmar of Orbiter films, “Deconstructed GoPros are a great tool to shoot in compact spaces as they can be mounted on smaller drones called whoops. Whoops are safer to fly in compact spaces with real living subjects as they are ducted and light weight. Owing to their smaller size and slow speed, it is easier to manoeuvre through gaps and constricted spaces while maintaining the cinematic feel of the shot,” says Utkarsh Verma, who builds drones and programmes them. Currently, says Verma, the trend has not caught on in the country as compared to abroad because of the risks involved while de-casing them and also the right tools to do that are not available readily in the country.

The Indian film market has only just started to accept and experiment with FPV and the multiple possibilities of perspective it offers. “I have de-cased my own GoPro 8 and have been using it for my commercial projects. The international community for deconstructed GoPros has come a long way in the last 2-3 years and constantly tinkering with the idea of de-casing a GoPro safely,” says Verma, who built more than 40 nano to micro drones in the last one year. He says it is not at all challenging once you have understood the hobby well enough and chosen the right parts.

Don’t need a drone to start 
The good news is, you can test if flying a drone is a hobby you are interested in, by using simulators. There are three popular simulators. The first is Lift Off (Rs 565) which is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox. Lift Off lets players experience flying an FPV drone. It is used by novices to learn and by veterans to practice and race. The spatial skills here translate to real life very well.

FPV Free Rider is another game that simulates being a drone pilot. It is available on Android, PC, Mac and Linux for Rs 370. The selling point of Free Rider is that it can procedurally generate new tracks and also environmental conditions that give you an idea of how to fly, no matter what the situation.

Drone Racing League simulator (Rs 349) has a lot of research behind it and you can simulate drones you might end up flying right in the simulator. The game is used to train the racers in the drone league and it is an excellent tool to learn how to handle the speed of the smaller drones. The game is available on Xbox and PC.

Strong community
The best thing about drone flying is the community behind it. You can start by registering yourself on the Indian Drone Racing League website. If you just want to learn and connect with people from the community, the registration is free. The site has a dedicated Cinewhoop sections with nearly 1,500 people on it. You can also connect with Whoopmasters India on their Instagram. Started by Verma and Puneet Xaxa, it is now a 300+ member community. Their members are happy to teach, educate and help others within the community.

Resource station

Ready to Fly (RTF) drone kits and parts can be purchased at:
https://anubisrc.com/ 
https://tujorc.com/
https://rcmumbai.com/

Links of interest
IDRL website: https://droneracingindia.com/
Whoopmasters India: https://instagram.com/whoopmasters.india

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