Aerial Photography (c. 2006)

In the early 1980s my dad’s hobby was flying “Old Timer” RC model aircraft. The plans had to date from 1942 or before. I couldn’t find any contemporary rule books but [0] looks accurate. I’m glad to see it continues to this day.

When they weren’t competing, which was most of the time, they’d play. It was very common to pop a servo controlled very light disposable camera in planes. I must be misremembering some details - how did they forward to the next frame? Were there repeat timers on such old cameras?

The type of aircraft was perfect - slow stable gliders. They took a few minutes of fuel to climb then glided for 10+ minutes. It was my job to retrieve the aircraft from wherever it landed. Sadly I have no access to example photos.

This widespread practise was almost identical to the blog post. Thanks for sharing! It brought back memories.

Off thread: Covers of 1980s RC Modeller magazine are a long way from 2022 norms. [1]

[0] https://www.maaa.asn.au/images/pdfs/Australian-Rules-S5-Old-...

[1] https://designyoutrust.com/2022/01/portraits-of-lovely-ladie...

For those wondering, the photos on this page are from around Bristol, UK. They include Blaise Castle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Castle_Estate), a folly built in 1776 in the top photo, views along the Avon Gorge including the steep cliffs of Fairyland, the Downs, and the built-up areas are largely the north of the city.

I did the same thing in the early 2000s. Back then you had to solder an electronic shutter to your (still early) digital camera to trigger the camera in-flight. We've come along way.