Cloud Surfing - dangerous stuff?

fjohnson1nv · Apr 7, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
Fascinated by cloud movement since I was a kid I finally got it done. It took me 2 months considering it back and forth to do it or not taking the risks. Then I found a way to minimize the risks.

VLOS: Taking advantage of wholes in the cloud cover let me keep my bird in vlos. It took me a dozen flights to collect all the footage.

Iced blades: I waxed the low noise blades of my Mavic minimizing the risk of frozen water could hold onto it.

The only trouble I‘ve encountered was a foggy lens. Here is the result:

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Awesome - Very Cool!!!

fathead · Apr 7, 2018

skadee said:
Very cool videos, I’ve been waiting on the right conditions to be able to get “on top” myself.

Please remember that you need to be able to see and avoid manned aircraft, and you won’t be able to see any aircraft that are in the clouds. Check with a local flight school to help you identify where the Instrument Approach paths are to airports in your area of flight. In the event that an aircraft needs to fly in those conditions, they will fly within 400 ft of the ground when nearing and departing airports.

My take off point being on top of a nearly 3000 ft mountain, I was actually above these clouds myself. The Mavic was only about 100 feet above me (and in sight) the whole time. Hence why in one of my other replies I mentioned I’ve only been able to find these conditions twice (implying but not saying, that I could still follow all recommended guidelines AND capture this kind of footage).

wxperson · Apr 7, 2018

fathead said:
Rabun County. All that footage was near Black Rock Mountain/Wolffork Valley/Rabun Gap area.

Nice... I did some flying near Hiawassee last year on Eclipse day.

TheRoach · Apr 7, 2018

fathead said:
Lovely stuff! I’m also fascinated with clouds and made a similar video when visiting my parents in the north Georgia mountains...

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Love the time lapse.

Marco Cantieni · Apr 7, 2018

Doofus said:
"The only trouble I‘ve encountered was a foggy lens."
Might not a drop of defogger (like you get at a scuba shop) on the front lense prevent this?

Nice idea. Worth a try. Thanks!

Photobyharvey · Apr 7, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
Fascinated by cloud movement since I was a kid I finally got it done. It took me 2 months considering it back and forth to do it or not taking the risks. Then I found a way to minimize the risks.

VLOS: Taking advantage of wholes in the cloud cover let me keep my bird in vlos. It took me a dozen flights to collect all the footage.

Iced blades: I waxed the low noise blades of my Mavic minimizing the risk of frozen water could hold onto it.

The only trouble I‘ve encountered was a foggy lens. Here is the result:

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Great footage! Thanks for sharing!

fathead · Apr 7, 2018

wxperson said:
Nice... I did some flying near Hiawassee last year on Eclipse day.

That’s the exact weekend I shot this stuff. I used the Mavic to do a time lapse of the eclipse too.

Matparlier · Apr 7, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
105m was the maximum

Great work and super editing!!
I have done some cloud hopping out where I live and some of your shots appear to be much higher up than 105m...but "frankly 'Scarlet'....I don't give a dam(n)".... if that is where the fun is...that is where we go!!
Out here, where there is nothing to run into or be hit by or to hit when falling out of the sky.....get the best 'footage' you can.
Thanks for sharing.
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a scofflaw.
Arrrgh!!

baddog · Apr 7, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
Fascinated by cloud movement since I was a kid I finally got it done. It took me 2 months considering it back and forth to do it or not taking the risks. Then I found a way to minimize the risks.

VLOS: Taking advantage of wholes in the cloud cover let me keep my bird in vlos. It took me a dozen flights to collect all the footage.

Iced blades: I waxed the low noise blades of my Mavic minimizing the risk of frozen water could hold onto it.

The only trouble I‘ve encountered was a foggy lens. Here is the result:

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Awesome footage. I am not afraid of the flying in the clouds, except that I could lose my part 107 license if anyone in authority wanted to take the time to come after me. But if you are able to stay in VLOS then other aircraft would not be a concern. Where is the mountain footage from, it looks beautiful

Matparlier · Apr 7, 2018

Hmmm...as life-long diver...you can use the 'stuff' at the dive shop but they would say "spit on the lens and wipe it around". probably good for diving....maybe not so good for clear camera shots...not so much.

2020HeinSite · Apr 8, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
Fascinated by cloud movement since I was a kid I finally got it done. It took me 2 months considering it back and forth to do it or not taking the risks. Then I found a way to minimize the risks.

VLOS: Taking advantage of wholes in the cloud cover let me keep my bird in vlos. It took me a dozen flights to collect all the footage.

Iced blades: I waxed the low noise blades of my Mavic minimizing the risk of frozen water could hold onto it.

The only trouble I‘ve encountered was a foggy lens. Here is the result:

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Just a thought, but you might want to try RainX on the lens.

Marco Cantieni · Apr 8, 2018

Here is a less bold attempt of mine catching clouds over a year ago. I had my Mavic just 2 months. I almost **** my pants [emoji23]

skadee · Apr 8, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
Here is a less bold attempt of mine catching clouds over a year ago. I had my Mavic just 2 months. I almost **** my pants [emoji23]

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That's beautiful! Where is your shooting location?

JohnFromAustin · Apr 8, 2018

fathead said:
Lovely stuff! I’m also fascinated with clouds and made a similar video when visiting my parents in the north Georgia mountains...

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Marco Cantieni · Apr 8, 2018

skadee said:
That's beautiful! Where is your shooting location?

Thanks. Black Forest in Germany.

skadee · Apr 8, 2018

Awesome. We have some exchange students from Koln staying with us in the states for 3 weeks (this is the last week). For some reason, my daughter wouldn't make the trip to the Black Forest to get me a true cuckoo clock when she was in Koln last autumn! Happy shooting!

2020HeinSite · Apr 9, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
Here is a less bold attempt of mine catching clouds over a year ago. I had my Mavic just 2 months. I almost **** my pants [emoji23]

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Lovely shots. Anyone fortunate enough to live on or near a mountain will often be able to get footage like this perfectly safely. If you can get above the cloud layer without going into/thru them you don't even have to get very high. It always boils down to being in the right place at the right time.

Marco Cantieni · Apr 9, 2018

2020HeinSite said:
It always boils down to being in the right place at the right time.

Exactly and it has been really hard to hit it

KBerrah · Apr 9, 2018

Marco Cantieni said:
105m was the maximum

very nice.
Weren't you afraid of a short-circuit by having your drone in a cloud (Humidity) ?

Marco Cantieni · Apr 9, 2018

KBerrah said:
Weren't you afraid of a short-circuit by having your drone in a cloud (Humidity) ?

Actually not because I‘ve learned from early dismantling videos that the Mavic does have a protective coating on the circuit board and that fresh water does no harm - salt water does. I was more afraid of iced blades.