Determined to see what is on top of the Nerd Beach cliffs portion that I cannot manage to climb, I don the goggles and launch the remote control airplane that so conveniently washed up from the Cyber Sea recently. Instantly I feel like I am transported to the small aircraft itself as my view shifts courtesy of the goggles. I fly towards the cliffs, the image jumping around as the tiny plane fights the breeze coming off the water. The cliffs begins to swell in the view, becoming larger as the plane approaches my destination. Noting that too much of the cliffs are visible, I adjust the controller in an attempt to climb upward. I hope to clear the cliff face, but a sudden gust throws me forward. Unexpectedly the cliffs come rushing towards me, filling up the screen. As I rip off the goggles I can see the small plane in the distance burst into pieces as it bounces off the cliff and falls to the sand. I sigh and walk towards the wreckage, hoping the camera system is as durable as it looked.
I would imagine that almost everyone that has flown RC models has imagined what it would be like to be on the vehicle itself as it flies through the air. Now the Pilot View Realtime First Person Video System has made that a reality (virtually speaking) by offering a wireless camera system that mounts on the RC model directly. The unit is to sell for $550, and should be available May 30th. While a lot of hobby groups have mounted First Person view cameras on varying RC vehicles, it is cool to see this move a little more into the mainstream.
Aloha from the Beach
