Lifestyle

5 surprising uses for your high-flying drone

In years past, if you cast your eyes skyward in our metropolis and spotted a flying object, you had three options for what it could be: a bird, a plane or an errant Geno Smith pass on its way to a defensive player.

These hot high-flying gadgets are grabbing headlines — but they’re not just for secret missions.Christian Johnston

Not so any longer. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are becoming all the rage for hobbyists, especially the quad copters, which have become affordable for civilians in recent years. (Users often avoid the term “drone,” because of its connotation of overseas killing.)

Midtown electronics store B&H sells some 200 of the flying toys a day, and the market for small UAVs, generally weighing less than 20 pounds, will reach $1.33 billion in 2014, with “significant potential for growth,” according to research firm Visiongain.

Even Martha Stewart penned a July column in Time magazine gushing, “Why I Love My Drone.”

Not everyone is using them for fun, of course. The Post recently reported that local private eyes were deploying drones to snap photos of cheating spouses. Last week, online retailer Amazon asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to begin testing the vehicles to deliver goods straight to a customer’s door.

And then there was the unlucky Manhattan twosome who were charged with reckless endangerment in July for allegedly flying their toy copter a bit too close to an NYPD chopper.

Drones are certainly in the news, but have you ever wondered exactly what they can do? Why have they suddenly become the hottest electronic gadget?

It turns out — controversy aside — they have a lot of interesting and unexpected uses. Farmers, for example, have been known to fly them above their crops to scare away pesky birds. Here are five more cool applications.

The drone’s camera lens.Christian Johnston

Photography

Anyone can take a selfie. But to really get “likes” on social media, try posting a “dronie” — a photo taken from a couple of hundred feet above your head by your UAV.

“This is the next step in the [social media] chess game,” says Steve Cohen, a New Jersey photographer, drone hobbyist and organizer of the New York City Drone User Group.

Many drones come equipped with built-in cameras. Others are able to carry an iPhone or camera that you choose to attach.

Some hobbyists have used drones to capture whatever outdoor activities they happen to be doing, shooting video of a rafting trip, say, from 100 feet in the air. (Some models come with tech that follows you along the ground via a sensor, always hovering above your head.)

Others have used them to get a bird’s-eye view of special events, including family picnics and weddings. In July, New York congressman Sean Patrick Maloney got into hot water after hiring a wedding photographer to shoot his nuptials from the air with a drone. The FAA forbids the toys from being used for commercial purposes. Had Maloney taken the shots himself, without any money changing hands, the photos would have been legal.

Home Improvement

As expected, this was one of the uses Martha Stewart was raving about. She wrote that seeing her sprawling Bedford, NY, property from the air “showed me what more I can do in the future, and revealed unexpected beauty.”

Even if you don’t own a sprawling estate, a drone can help you out. Fly one over your house to look for missing shingles or clogged gutters. Or buy the new Flir One camera accessory ($349) for your iPhone, which basically turns your device into an infrared sensor. Attach your phone to the drone, then fly it around your house or apartment on a cool day looking for heat loss from windows, doors and the roof. Now you know what areas need insulation.

Goggles let users get a first-person perspective from their drones.Christian Johnston

Get Immersive

First-person view (FPV) is one of the fastest-growing areas of the hobby. A camera-equipped drone is flown and beams its video to a special pair of goggles that the user wears, allowing him to see what the drone’s camera sees.

“You look like Geordi La Forge on ‘Star Trek,’ ” Cohen says. “But you’re getting images sent in real time. It’s immersive. It’s like you’re seated in the cockpit.”

B&H and other outlets sell the goggles for around $400.

Get Competitive

“Drone combat” — how cool are those two words? — involves two armored, nearly indestructible machines battling each other in the air until only one is left flying.

California’s Game of Drones club — “If it flies, it fights” — sponsors “Underground Drone Fight Clubs” and will hold a drone combat and sports event at the Maker Faire, Sept. 20 to 21 at the New York Hall of Science in Corona, Queens.

Racing is also popular, with two or more pilots trying to best each other along a predetermined route or around pylons or other obstacles.

Save the World

The Drone Prize, launched this year, invites amateurs to figure out ways to use the aircraft to improve society. The winner gets a free drone.

“They can be a great benefit to society when used properly,” says contest director Edward Colson. “We know people have concerns, and we hope to show people that they can be used in a positive way.”

Entries this year included a team that equipped a UAV to help with search-andrescue operations, and an innovative proposal that used video shot from above to map burnt-out streetlights in Greenville, S.C., and their relationship to crime.

Take flight with these top drone models

In the market for a UAV? You’ll probably need to spend a few hundred dollars to get something with a wide range of capabilities. Also know that if you’re flying it in the city, hobbyists are only allowed to pilot them in parks and designated areas, and below 400 feet. To search for local clubs, visit modelaircraft.org. Now, what to buy? Bill Dickey, manager of Midtown’s Pilotage Fun and Hobby (pilotagefun. com) has three suggestions for the hottest new models.

Blade Nano QX ($89)

This micro-model, which is recommended for beginners, measures just 5.5 inches and weighs just 0.58 ounces. “It will fit in the palm of your hand, and it can fly anywhere,” Dickey says. It’s the perfect model if you’re just learning to fly — no camera or frills.

Blade 200 QX ($229)

This small, powerful model is good for “showboating and hot dogging,” Dickey says. You can attach an optional camera, but it’s more about speed and aerial acrobatics. A just-released firmware update allows the drone to fly and hover upside down.

Blade 350 QX2 AP ($899)

This ready-to-fly, four-rotor copter is perfect for those wanting to explore aerial photography. It comes with an HD camera and has the ability to broadcast a video signal to your smartphone. “It’s the most affordable one-stop, aerial photography solution,” Dickey says.