Thursday, January 05, 2023

Drone Views at Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area

 Lori Z. demo'ed the capabilities of her DJI Mavic 2 drone this morning.  She showed me how to and then I practiced steering and flying the thing around our campsites.  Pretty cool!  Thanks Lori!

The following short video does contain bits with me at the drone controls, but only a few seconds, most of the flying was done by Lori.  I hope you like it.


It really wasn't difficult to "fly" the drone, just have to remember which joystick does what!  The hardest part was trying to see what was going on on Lori's phone screen which mates with the drone controller.  It was sunny you see, so a lot of reflection on the phone's screen but quite usable.

I may have to look into procuring my own drone for overhead shots such as the ones above.  I think we're going to experiment with the drone following me and Scarlett as we're riding around the area, perhaps tomorrow.


14 comments:

Blaze Our Way said...

Excellent video editing!! You give me way too much credit with point and click flying and recording. We will definitely get some more practice in.

CCjon said...

That is cool, it puts into context where you are parked in relation to the campgrounds, other campers and surrounding peaks.
Interesting to see how many solar panels different rigs have.

Can see a drone in your future. Look forward to see them here.

RichardM said...

Nice video!

SonjaM said...

Excellent drone flight. Like CCjon says, I can see a drone in your future...

redlegsrides said...

CCjon, thanks for the feedback, I remain unsure about getting a drone in the future, the dang things are pricey!

redlegsrides said...

Thanks, RichardM.

redlegsrides said...

Thanks SonjaM.... perhaps.

redlegsrides said...

Blaze Our Way, Lori, thanks for the training and demo and yes a lot of the credit goes to you.

Steve Williams said...

It was great to see your campsite from the air and you so studiously flying the drone from the picnic table. Well done.

I've considered a drone but to use the footage on YouTube to illustrate my rides would require a commercial license. Even if I wasn't monetizing the videos it would be the same. The FAA only allows license free flying for drones under 250 grams in weight AND only if the use is purely recreational. For instance, if you use your drone to take a look at your gutters, that is consider non-recreational and therefore a commercial use. And the Mavic 2 would require a commercial license regardless of use.

It kind of sucks because passing the licensing test isn't easy and generally requires taking a training course somewhere. The test isn't about flying, but about all the rules of the sky.

And if that wasn't bad enough, turns out the FAA monitors YouTube looking for drone footage. The fines for illegal flight are staggering.

So.... for now, no drone for me.

redlegsrides said...

Thanks for the info and comments Steve, didn't realize all the licensing gimbled although I don't monetize the blog anymore. I think I have to research the licensing requirements some more before doing anything else huh?

Coop a.k.a. Coopdway said...

Nice overhead views of the West! That DJI drone is a dandy and it looks like Lori knows how to make it fly.

redlegsrides said...

Thanks Coop, all the credit goes to Lori of course.

Oz said...

Great video. I gave my son (25yrs old) a drone for Christmas. I have thought about getting one. It looks fun and I love the aerial views.

redlegsrides said...

Thanks Oz, I can see some potential for nice aerial shots of scenic spots....still, a bit pricey and there's the licensing bit.