Field setup

Before you go to the field, please read Placing the Camera to learn how to place the camera correctly in the field for best results.

Important

DO NOT record the videos handheld!

ALWAYS mount the camera to a sturdy tripod or similar.

DO NOT move or adjust the camera setup while recording a flight.

For Basic Videos

To produce Basic videos of flights, you only need a suitable camera and a tripod.

For Augmented-Reality Videos

To produce AR videos, more effort may be required. If your flying site already has FAI F2B markers installed around the flight circle, then the surveying work is already done. Just measure the distance from circle center to the markers. The elevation of the markers above the circle center should be 1.5 meters in that case.

Setting Up Your Own Markers

If your field does not have F2B markers, you can install them yourself with some basic equipment:

This procedure outlines the steps to place eight markers spaced 45° apart in a 31-meter radius circle, 1.5 meters above the center height, using simple tools.

The recommended dimensions and placement of markers are described in Annex 4F, Appendix II of the FAI Sporting Code.

Note

31 Meters radius is the FAI recommendation, however, if your circle is smaller than 31 meters, you can still place the markers in a smaller circle and indicate it in the “Load a Flight” window. In fact, the default value is 25 meters.

Materials Needed

• Metric tape measure (at least 45m for 31m markers circle radius)

• Water tube level (about 35m of clear plastic tube)

• Nine sticks (~2 meters in height)

• Chalk or spray paint

Steps

1. Fix the Center Stick:

   • Place a vertical stick at the center of the circle.

   • Mark the 1.5-meter height reference on this stick.

2. Draw the Circle:

   • Attach one end of the tape measure to the center stick (at ground level).

   • Measure out 31 meters and draw the circle using chalk or spray paint.

   

   Fig. 4 Marking references on circle.

3. Mark the First Point:

   • Place a stick at the 0° position on the circumference.

4. Mark the Opposite Point:

   • Align by eye, aligning the center stick and the already placed marker to mark the 180° position.

   • Place a stick at this point.

5. Find the 90° Points:

   • Use the tape measure to measure \(31 \textrm{m} \times \sqrt{2} = 43.84 \textrm{m}\) from one of the placed points to intersect the circumference.

   • Mark the point located at 90° and place a stick there.

   • Mark the opposite 270° point using the previous method.

   

   Fig. 5 Marking 90 deg references using the diagonal length.

6. Mark Remaining Points:

   • You now have four equally spaced points (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°).

   • Before moving the tape from the previous diagonal, measure the half-diagonal, \(31 \textrm{m} \times \sqrt{2} / 2 = 21.92\textrm{m}\) meters, between each adjacent previous points to find the bisectors of the 90° angles (i.e., 45°, 135°, 225°, and 315°) and mark the position.

   • Repeat the previous step for the adjacent diagonal.

   • Place the remaining four sticks aligning the center stick and the half diagonal points.

   

   Fig. 6 Marking 45 deg reference points using middle point of diagonals.

7. Adjust Marker Heights:

   • Use the water tube level to transfer the 1.5-meter reference height from the center to each of the eight marker sticks. Be careful to remove all air bubbles from the tube.

   

   Fig. 7 Tube level schematic.

8. Place the final markers

   • Place the final marker plates using the sticks as a reference.

9. Remove the sticks and enjoy

Note

This is the simplest and cheapest method we imagined. A laser level or similar equipment will be more convenient if it is available.