After talking with one of my colleagues about having recently bought an AVATA he immediately got all excited about using it to do a showreel of our workshops, diving in and flying into the workshop and then flying under and over and through people and objects…
Great idea in principle, but before I agreed to look at working up to it in thr NY I thought a short flight to prove the AVATA - and me - can handle it was in order, so as I was there yesterday morning I took a short early flight through the workshop and through a bike frame on a stand… concept works, now to storyboard a longer and faster real and get to work on making it - flight probably during the college easter break - as no students around, so I can fly through reception and down the corridor to the workshop…
Suggestions and ideas for how to do the longer version most welcome…
Every single wall is jam packed with interesting tools and stuff, fly past those walls sideways / facing them - rather than just flying everywhere forwards
The bike frame bit is epic - really nice - maybe you can get some of the space rigged up with elements like that to fly though.
I was playing around the other day with some of my footage about speeding it up and I saw something that I can clearly see in this footage that’s not so apparent outside until you speed the footage up in the end is the camera wobble due to the workings of the gymble - easy to see in this due to the lines on the roof and the lines of the work tops - things wobble.
I have not tried the giro fly software yet nor do I know if my original footage was done in such a way that it will work but you might want to have a look into that as it will then use the gyro data from the drone and level / stabilize the footage for a much smoother / multi axis gimbal look.
But wow what a great space to fly in - oh and make sure no light objects are around to blow off with the wash of the props.
Yeah, I learned the light things blow away yesterday, with 4 plastic jugs for brake fluid - thankfully empty and dry - which were blown over the workshop as I flew over them…
Wasnt planning on using any speeded up footage on the final version, I only used a short bit just before the frame fly through to ensure I got it in while the music was playing, but the approach was boring - or I thought it was…
We are thinking of having soeone outside actually wave to the drone to come in and then ride his bike into reception, I would then overtake, fly the corridor and the doors would be opened and I would fly into the workshop, straight to the far end, then round to show the tutor and students at the table and a vido on the ohp. Then into the workshop, through the frame, over someone building a wheel, throught a wheel rim held by someone, then under soeone reaching for a tool and whatever else we can come up with before flying ut of the fire exit where someone will be pulling a wheelie, then up to reveal Oxford…
As to a great place otn fly, its also a great place to work, I ran the Cycles Team for 7 years and was an assessor / trainer for the previous 4 years, now I am National Lead Apprenticeship Coach, with 80 staff to support, develop and several projects under my remit - I love my job
the speed up ref was about I was only able to see the wobble more in my sped up video - but you can see it quite clearly in yours at normal speed - I suspect due to the lines of the roof ( horizon being so close to the camera that it looks a bit shaky but giro flow might make it smoother )
When you mentioned wave to the camera I was reminded of this video by Ken Heron on YouTube he posted a few days ago - might give you some idea’s too about flying indoors - stress not about the thumbnail - he is flying in a furniture shop haha
wobble is maybe not the best word for it - basically its like a twitch left and right and you see the beams of the roof or the top of the counters like twitch a bit more - I believe it can be smoother as its more to do with the gimbal not being able to move left / right rotation but only up and down ( but the drone has this data that can be used to smooth it out )
use head tracking with the avata, will take a bit of spatial awareness indoors looking sideways and going forward… best to line up for the shot first and then ease into the sideways look whilst keeping straight on your original flight path and then keep an eye on a marker at end of your flight path before looking back or turning
I’ve no suggestions to add but I am fascinated by what the workshops are doing … clearly bike repairs/build/maintenance but to what end and whose bikes?
Call me nosey if you like and if more appropriate drop me a PM about it. Or not. No pressure.
Our Cytech Workshops - we have 4 of them atm - teach Cycle Mechanic’s how to do their job, either through commercial training - Tech 1 is 2 days, Tech 2 is 10 days and Tech 3 is a further 5 days - or through the 18 month Apprenticeship Course, which includes all 3 levels of Tech Training.
We also run Home Mechanic, Bike Fit and Ebike courses, which upskill people, either t maintain their own bikes or to deal with the latest innovations.
Each workshop costs about £70k, and runs courses all through the year, with 8 max on a course, so we have approx 700-1000 trainees through our doors - about 150 of whom are apprentices…
Although many folks think Cycle mechanics is simple - and some of it is - dealing with setting up, repairing and servicing the latest hydraulic brakes, electronic gears and Ebikes, plus learning the art of building a wheel from its components demands a wide range of knowledge, technical skills and good problem solving abilities.
I have been working in this area for the past 11 years, 3 years as a Performance Coach looking after appretices in bike shops from the Lakes to Somerset, then 7 years as the Operations Manager, running the team, and now I have moved into the wider Activate Apprenticeships Team as the National Lead Apprenticeship Coach - coaching team, providing 2 CPD sessions a week, collating and creating resources and leading on a couple of projects, which is good fun and a new challenge…
I used to do all my own bike repairs, but I am talking 40yrs ago when, as you indicate, bikes were so much simpler in setup, construction, etc. My bible was Richard Ballantines Richard’s Bicycle Book 9th Edition and the best bit is it wasn’t just about repairs, but about looking after oneself - for e.g. his advice for fierce dogs was to get the bike between you and the dog and ram your pump down its throat.
Gosh, havent thought about that book in years, we used to sell it, cracking book it was too!
I went into Cycle Mechanics after going into the RAF at 18 for Pilot - I was far too immature, so they sent me away to get some life experience. Cycling was something I enjoyed, and had a bit of knowledge about , having rebuilt my own bike aged 12. At first it was a stop gap until I could return to the RAF, but when that didnt happen I decided to continue doing what I loved, playing with bikes…
16 years saw me with my own superstore to manage, and when the company and I parted ways it was for me to move into education, training Cycle Mechanics - basically getting paid to go and tal bikes with interestng folks who were into bikes, not like real work! Since then I have re-written the Apprenticeship - I was involved in creating the Standard - and now have a blended learning 18 nonthy course that is seen as cutting edge…
they are brave the one in the factory… lots of those automation machines use PIR sensors for interlocking the machines and end stops etc, and i can only but imagine the planning that went into avoiding tripping those mid cycle as you could end up with a stopped job.
(obviously the one in trafford was done without BVLOS… and a whole load of spotters , yes I know no drone police zone, but bvlos is always the elephant in the room … {I’m not about to provide evidence for someone to use against me if I may have (or not!) inadvertently gone behind a tree whilst skimming the tree line, hedge rows or embankments… manned aircraft would have bigger issues than a drone at tree line or building height but those are the rules {im told!])
clearly bike repairs/build/maintenance but to what end and whose bikes?
