Drone in an Open Field

Second spring is here.  First spring was a few weeks ago. The two springs are separated by four inches of snow.

The forecast we upper 60s this morning and maybe a bit breezy.  Too good to pass up.

Today, first flight outside of the back yard.

One of the county parks close by has a large opening with a couple of softball fields on the edges.  Perfect for beginners.  Lots of open field.

For the most part, I stayed between 20 and 30 feet high.

I worked the camera for both single shots and video.  I used the AUTO settings for both.  Baby steps.

In flight, I worked of coordinated turns and an orbit around a central point.  I finished logging an hour in the air.

It was a good day.  The drone and I are developing trust.

Let the Drone games begin

For the last few months I've had my head in the drone games.  Or the personal drone game.

First, there is researching what drone to get.  And then there is the legal aspect to learn.

As to what drone to get, there were a few months of research.  For my purposes, this is an extension camera.  Yes, the flying will be fun, but for now the primary purpose is photography.  The requirements was a one inch sensor with a mechanical aperture.  For the time being, at the entry level I was looking at was the DJI Mavic 3 and the Autel Lite.  Both are new models this year.  Enter YouTube.  Lots of YouTube reviews.  DJI is clearly the biggest elephant in the market.  But the Mavic 3 has two strikes against it.  First, it is roughly $1k more than the Autel.  Second, there is a growing problem with the GPS.  DJI says the problem can be fixed with a software/firmware update but after 90 days of knowing the issue, the resolution is not forthcoming.  I've read other people's thoughts to the issue and if true, the problem will only be resolved with a drone replacement.  A GPS if fundamental to a drone's flight characteristics and if compromised can lead to uncommanded events.  Not going to toy with that at all.

So the Autel it is.

Legally, there is a chance I will use the drone in a commercial venture, ie: going to make money from the photography.  Drones fit two categories, hobby and commercial.  For commercial, I had to pass a FAA knowledge test to get what is commonly referred to as a Part 107 Certificate.  I passed the test in late March.

Today I logged my first hour with the Autel.  It was great.  I just flew it around the house, lots of straight line flights.  No photography.  Just flight drills.  Lots of take offs and landings.

Next stop, a larger field.

Fun first steps.

Droning on with Bob

A friend asked me a few days ago what I know about drones.  My knowledge is limited, but I have taken the on-line classes/tutorials on what is required to be a Commercial Drone pilot.   I know some of the rules, but as far as actually flying - I got nothing.  But will try most things at least once.

So his drone arrived last week.

After registering the drone with the FAA, we arranged to go to a local golf course for our test flying.  Tree colors are just starting to turn which would be great for photos and video.  The sky however was not optimal for most of the time we were out.  Occasionally the sun did clear the clouds.  Mid-Michigan.

While flying the drone was Bob's goal for the day, my goal was to get the Insta 360 One X2 out  for a drive.  This would be my second time out with the camera.  The first adventure is here:  Insta Video

I have a remote for the camera, which is not dependable.  Still learning the limitations.  But I did get lots of time captured - just not all the time I wanted.  But enough.

Back to the drone flying.

Although the identification would never hold up in court, this is someone not crashing an inflight drone.  Everything appears to be legal here.  The drone is under 400 feet in the air, going less than 60 mph and not flying over anyone.  

The drone flying was fun.  And we were successful.  For all the 30 minutes of flying we did, no crashing.

Now I just have to set up a price alert...  Ha