I exclusively fly FPV style and in MANY super sketchy locations, I climb huge mountains in order to get drone perspectives where 1600' is nowhere near enough. . . . Here are some tips I learned along the way from much blood sweat and tears. and one dead drone, RIP
Drone Flying:
1) Not only is it critical to get high enough in the mountains to reach above high points with your drone(some of the best shots) but, ideally you want to be at a point towering over your subjects so you can literally weave in out and around epic terrain and never loose your signal, LOS (line of sight).
2) You want to closely study a Topo map of where you will be flying and identify areas where you will be tempted into radio shadows and then loose signal! OMG not fun!
3) Constantly refer to the icon at the bottom center of your screen to maintain your first person orientation and location "inside the drone" relative to your piloting position. Know exactly where you are piloting and your drone is and what is in-between! Hopefully nothing tall!
4) This one is KEY! Familiarize yourself with obvious landmarks you plan on shooting as well as distant landmarks to further improve your orientation so you can easily recognize your drone's position and direction from your monitor. "Wholly $hit, where is it!" You know the feeling! Avoid it!
5) Last, HUGE ONE HERE! For the most precision big distance flying near obstructions, in order to get the the most aggressive perspectives possible SAFELY. Arrive at your desired location way too high and beyond your subject. Have your subject directly between you and your drone, now find your EXACT piloting location on your FPV monitor, wearing a bright jacket or hanging a big bright object at your piloting location helps. I'm usually on some obvious giant summit, easy that way, but knowing your on the north edge of a big obvious parking lot works just as well. Been there done that. . . Wait for it. . .
Now you KNOW you and your drone have line of sight and a good radio link, you are seeing down that line of sight from your drone camera to yourself. Calculate a flight path to explore/shoot your subject while maintaining that line of sight and radio link to yourself. The drone is safe and you can stay just high enough or off to the north or whatever to maintain the line of sight, ALWAYS keep terrain features from blocking that radio signal/line of sight while shooting your subject, obviously the shoot subject also needs to be fairly close /along that line of sight in order to frame it. My air 2 is good about early "weak radio signal" warnings, respect the warnings, fly straight up and or back along your flight path.
Never fly sideways until you ARE SURE you are in open airspace, I paid $1000 and considerable climbing risk for that lesson on a M2Zoom with side sensors in normal mode! Ya it's gone . . .
I discovered that last big tip using google earth. I knew what I wanted to shoot and wanted to determine my best view of it using google earth. I realized by looking around from any shooting perspective/point in space on google earth where I could be piloting to maintain radio signal and line of sight, anywhere I could see on the ground from the virtual shot location/point in space. I've got some SICK shots of very inaccessible places doing this preflight planning. For me, being an experienced mountaineer and rock climber, I enjoy GOING BIG, to some crazy pinnacles, being familiar with the terrain and ESPECIALLY terrain that will likely cause a problem where there are big radio shadows relative to my summit perch. Last, you should understand, having the see all perch on some giant mountain summit has MANY of its own disadvantages. Almost always windy and cold, massive air turbulence coming off the terrain, hands are frozen, no shelter, zero chance of drone recovery in most of my vertical adventures and a huge time/risk/physical commitment just being there at all, tough deal. . .Simply put, very very stressful and distracting most of the time. The stronger and more skilled you are with the drone and terrain the easier some of that gets. Luckily, I do have nerves of steel, and a long history of ultra light aviation, RC aircraft combat champion, extreme sports athlete and pretty BIG CRAZY STREAK! Talk is cheap and I'd like to believe I can also walk the walk. Or climb the climb in my case ;-)
ADVENTURE TIME!!! This is my Channel Trailer Video
This is my most recent "Drone Only" Video
Love to hear your feedback and additional input on this topic!
Drone Flying:
1) Not only is it critical to get high enough in the mountains to reach above high points with your drone(some of the best shots) but, ideally you want to be at a point towering over your subjects so you can literally weave in out and around epic terrain and never loose your signal, LOS (line of sight).
2) You want to closely study a Topo map of where you will be flying and identify areas where you will be tempted into radio shadows and then loose signal! OMG not fun!
3) Constantly refer to the icon at the bottom center of your screen to maintain your first person orientation and location "inside the drone" relative to your piloting position. Know exactly where you are piloting and your drone is and what is in-between! Hopefully nothing tall!
4) This one is KEY! Familiarize yourself with obvious landmarks you plan on shooting as well as distant landmarks to further improve your orientation so you can easily recognize your drone's position and direction from your monitor. "Wholly $hit, where is it!" You know the feeling! Avoid it!
5) Last, HUGE ONE HERE! For the most precision big distance flying near obstructions, in order to get the the most aggressive perspectives possible SAFELY. Arrive at your desired location way too high and beyond your subject. Have your subject directly between you and your drone, now find your EXACT piloting location on your FPV monitor, wearing a bright jacket or hanging a big bright object at your piloting location helps. I'm usually on some obvious giant summit, easy that way, but knowing your on the north edge of a big obvious parking lot works just as well. Been there done that. . . Wait for it. . .
Now you KNOW you and your drone have line of sight and a good radio link, you are seeing down that line of sight from your drone camera to yourself. Calculate a flight path to explore/shoot your subject while maintaining that line of sight and radio link to yourself. The drone is safe and you can stay just high enough or off to the north or whatever to maintain the line of sight, ALWAYS keep terrain features from blocking that radio signal/line of sight while shooting your subject, obviously the shoot subject also needs to be fairly close /along that line of sight in order to frame it. My air 2 is good about early "weak radio signal" warnings, respect the warnings, fly straight up and or back along your flight path.
Never fly sideways until you ARE SURE you are in open airspace, I paid $1000 and considerable climbing risk for that lesson on a M2Zoom with side sensors in normal mode! Ya it's gone . . .
I discovered that last big tip using google earth. I knew what I wanted to shoot and wanted to determine my best view of it using google earth. I realized by looking around from any shooting perspective/point in space on google earth where I could be piloting to maintain radio signal and line of sight, anywhere I could see on the ground from the virtual shot location/point in space. I've got some SICK shots of very inaccessible places doing this preflight planning. For me, being an experienced mountaineer and rock climber, I enjoy GOING BIG, to some crazy pinnacles, being familiar with the terrain and ESPECIALLY terrain that will likely cause a problem where there are big radio shadows relative to my summit perch. Last, you should understand, having the see all perch on some giant mountain summit has MANY of its own disadvantages. Almost always windy and cold, massive air turbulence coming off the terrain, hands are frozen, no shelter, zero chance of drone recovery in most of my vertical adventures and a huge time/risk/physical commitment just being there at all, tough deal. . .Simply put, very very stressful and distracting most of the time. The stronger and more skilled you are with the drone and terrain the easier some of that gets. Luckily, I do have nerves of steel, and a long history of ultra light aviation, RC aircraft combat champion, extreme sports athlete and pretty BIG CRAZY STREAK! Talk is cheap and I'd like to believe I can also walk the walk. Or climb the climb in my case ;-)
ADVENTURE TIME!!! This is my Channel Trailer Video
