Recent content by Pixel Ranch Steve

I’ve volunteered to take a group photo at an event this week and I think the Spark and pano mode would be perfect. All of my flying has always been done outdoors, so I’d love to get some hints on flying indoors. I plan on installing the prop guards and using the RC with the Spark, and the...

Hey, Kev - I live here and I feel your pain. Cases in point: - The community where I live in CO has had a ban on “model airplanes” in parks and open spaces for almost 40 years, and they decided to classify drones as “model airplanes” - A group of us in South Denver are working with one parks...

Which version - iOS or Android? I haven’t seen this issue with the latest iOS version but have on occasion seen glitches with new releases of other apps that require a complete uninstall and then new clean install from the App Store / Google Play.

While going through some old photos and video earlier today I happened to find video I shot of my first drone piloting effort on February 10, 2010. At the time, I was an editor at AOL's "The Unofficial Apple Weblog" (TUAW) and we had been invited by Parrot to see a new product. That product was...

In this video, Drone World Today publisher Steve Sande learns a very important lesson that drone pilots should heed when flying at an AMA (or other organization) RC flying field: make sure you know where you're supposed to be flying and always double-check to see which runway is active. Steve...

Passed in November with a 95 after taking the class from Drone Pilot Ground School. My FAA certification card just came yesterday! The test center I went to had magnifying glasses and rulers available; the latter was really useful when trying to measure a distance on a chart or keeping a lat or...

The short version: Robert Taylor is seeking the return of the $5 registration fee plus $1,000 in damages for everyone who registered a drone prior to the Taylor v. Huerta ruling, which temporarily stopped registration. Fascinating stuff from a legal perspective. Not so much from a drone...

You most likely need to be a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), which is the leading model airplane group in the US. They have a lot of model airfields around the country, and offer insurance with your membership! Check out Academy of Model Aeronautics for membership info. Steve

I’m not having the issue, but if you could post the balancing process here that would be great and could possibly help a lot of folks in the future.

You make me proud! I’m a 60-year-old techie who is moving into the world of commercial drone operations in the Denver area. You’ve got me beat by 10 years, and I’m impressed! Steve

Hey, I think you hit on something here... During the auto-landing onto my landing pad, I did NOT have the pegs that hold the pad in place pounded all the way into the ground. One of the props hit a peg during landing and shut down the motors. Since I didn’t get to tap the “stop record” button...

D’oh - you’re right about the gimbal speed setting. Guess I’ll adjust that before the next outing. Thanks for pointing that out! As for the SDC, it was formatted prior to the first video, which is why I’m perplexed about the “unreadable” first file. If it keeps happening I’ll contact DJI.

Today, over a month after I bought my Spark, I FINALLY got out and flew it. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts about this little drone after the first outing, both the likes (which are many) and dislikes (just a few). First, I had no problems with setup, doing the many updates that have...

In my “day job” I’m an Apple blogger, so back when they first became available I picked up an iPhone X on Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Plan (that’s the only way I could afford one!). I have to say that it is an excellent display for the RC controller. The OLED display is perfectly readable even in...

No landing gear for me. I got one of the small landing pads that DJI was selling at the same time the Black Friday deals on the Spark Fly More package, and it’s perfect for flying. Has the big “H” target on both sides (two different colors), and comes with reflective stickers (for night flying?)...