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. “

 

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