Turkish Drone Pilot Takes His Phantom 2 To 5000 Feet

DJI Phantom 2 Flight Altitude Record 1500 M 4921 Feet Full Video

 

 

 

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Adventurers Melt Drone-Mounted GoPro Filming Bardarbunga Volcanic Eruption

Incredible Close-Up Drone Video Of An Erupting Volcano In Iceland

 

 

 

 

 

 

” This epic video isn’t a CGI outtake from Lord of the Rings. It’s proof that a guy with a quadcopter managed to get very, very close to an erupting Icelandic volcano—close enough to melt the face of the GoPro camera that shot the video.

  Eric Cheng, director of aerial imaging for drone maker DJI, joined photographer Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson for a last-minute trip to the eruption site in the Bardarbunga volcanic system. Sigurdsson had access to the proper permits and connections with the local authorities to get close enough to send a drone over the eruption.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

” The trip to the volcano had to happen within a day-long window on Sept. 20 when skies would most likely be clear and winds would be blowing in the right direction to avoid exposure to poisonous gases. Cheng wanted to shoot at night, when the glow of the lava would be most prominent. After flying to Iceland, Cheng and Sidurdsson drove about 15 hours from Reykjavik—four of those hours were over rivers and rough terrain that tore the front bumper off of their 4×4.

  After driving as far as cars were permitted, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the main caldera, Cheng launched his quadcopter. The drone is a DJI Phantom 2—an off-the-shelf model costing less than $1,000—toward the volcano. The drone flew out of visual range after a few minutes, and Cheng used a wireless video transmission system, using the video signal to peer virtually through the Phantom’s camera. He recorded the wireless HD video locally. “If the Phantom didn’t make it, at least we would still have the footage,” Cheng said. “

 

Wired 

 

 

The State Will Get You If You Fly Your Drone Into The Fireworks

Flying A Drone Through Fireworks May Land You In Prison

 

 

 

 

 

 

” Every Fourth of July there are stories about idiotic things that people do while celebrating Independence Day.  This year’s story is probably going to be about drones and fireworks.

  The proliferation of consumer drones (also known as quadcopters or remote controlled helicopters) has generated countless news stories about irresponsible things that people do with their new toys.  Those stories have prompted many to call for new laws, but most of the unsafe conduct we witness occurring with these toys is already arguably covered by existing laws.  Consider the video posted by Jos Stiglingh, that’s sure to give amateur drone operators a few bad ideas.  The video, filmed with a GoPro Hero 3 Silver, shows the view from a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter flying in and above a fireworks show.”

 

 

    There is no doubt that the video afforded by the drone flight through the fireworks is spectacular and there is certainly a measure of risk to the drone from the exploding shells , but having worked for several professional fireworks companies I must state the the tone that the Forbes author adopts towards the end of his piece is a bit alarmist as regards the danger posed to the pyro-technicians and spectators …

 

 

” There’s no doubt that the HD video is stunning.  It’s also dangerous and likely unlawful (at least if it occurred in the United States).  The flight is unsafe as the existence of the drone in the airspace above the fireworks display creates an increased risk of hazardous debris (from the fireworks or the drone) falling into spectator areas.  There is also the remote possibility that a firework colliding with a drone may divert the pyrotechnic downward into spectator areas, causing it to detonate where it otherwise should not.  The drone in this video made it safely through the fireworks, but put a few more drones in the air and you’re also bound to have a mid-air collision.  All of these factors show how this operation was unsafe.  While this drone operator escaped getting hit with a firework, there’s no way he could have planned that.  Avoiding the explosions was luck, not skill. “

 

 

   First and foremost one must consider that these grand pyrotechnic displays are not shot straight up , nor are they aimed to explode over the tops of the audience’s heads . That would be ludicrous in the extreme . All displays are set up with the express understanding that any given lift charge could fail thus enabling a product of anywhere from 3″ to 12″ to explode at any altitude , including in the tube itself . For that very reason all displays are set up far from the audience and aimed over an area , often water , that is uninhabited .

    All fireworks displays are carefully set up with the idea that dangerous debris will fail from the sky and an obliterated 5 pound drone is unlikely to cause any harm to anything other than the owner’s bank account . Just another example of State control , this time propagated with the help of Forbes .

 

 

 

Read more at Forbes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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