A close call.
This is a short video taken during the Winter Solstice last week near the coastline at Strandarkirkja in Reykjanes, Iceland.
Against my better judgement I went ahead and launched the drone in extremely gusty conditions. But then, when you have this quality of light washing over the landscape it is hard to resist. It took 5 or 6 attempts just to get the bird off the ground without it toppling over. And then when it was over the water I thought it was all over. See the video below.
Spoiler: Drone got back home safely.
The choice of music goes very well with the travails of your drone. I am glad its fate was not as morbid as the the title of the music score.
Thanks, Nishant.
I’m glad to hear your drone is safe. Out of curiosity, how much do you, as the pilot, have to play with the sticks vs. the drone’s automatic altitude and leveling controls?
And, Happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you, Bob.
I fly the drone manually. It does allow for several auto flight modes and there is also the capability to programme an entire mission through waypoints. But in Iceland I would never take that risk given the unpredictability of wind patterns. The leveling is intrinsic as long as all the 4 propellers are balanced. The other 3 controls – thrust, yaw, and altitude – are managed via the sticks.