Todd in Chicago
lvl.4
Flight distance : 513757 ft
United States
Offline
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II’ll add my own .02 here….
First, I don’t think this situation was staged, just my opinion. I think the guy made a few mistakes in conducting a risky maneuver (a range test) and then did a good job of finding an emergency landing when he realized he probably wasn’t going to make it. Could this have been staged, sure. But he then runs the risk of doing the exact opposite of what people suspect he may be doing, which is looking for “clicks”. If people smell BS, they may call him out on it, and if they think he is not genuine (as evidenced in this thread), they might unsubscribe. In my opinion, the biggest part of getting clicks is having subscribers. So, if this was staged he runs the risk of actually losing subscribers which is the exact opposite of what any YouTuber is trying to do. Is it possible that he thought of this hoax, but didn’t think of the consequence? Sure, that is possible. He did raise the drama quotient by splitting the video up into the flight component and the recovery component, but I think both segments provided views with useful information on what should, and what should not be done. Ok, enough of whether or not this was real.
On to the phenomena known as Range Testing. Why on earth would anyone fly their drone out of radio control and risk losing their $500 investment forever? That’s crazy! And if so, why would you do it over a lake, where the consequences are even more dire and hope of recovery is almost non-existent?
There are those that would indeed agree with those statements, and would never fly their drone out of line of sight or over water (even if within line of sight; ….assuming Gunship here). And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and they are good, conscientious, law-abiding drone “pilots”. By performing a Range Test, you are in all likelihood breaking the rules, at least here in the states. Second, it does go against some good common sense. Those 2 statements are FACTS, not opinions (maybe could be argued slightly on the second point).
If those two statements are true, why would anyone want to do a range test? A couple of thoughts based on my own perspective, and why from time to time I do range tests also. Yes, I follow all the rules of FAA and AMA about 90% of the time; but the one I sometimes flex is VLOS. I do want to make a standalone post re: following rules and regulations.
From my perspective, range tests are about pushing some limits and taking some chances. Initially, I was very curious, how far could my little Spark actually go? Once you’ve done that, if that was all that you were interested in, it’s doubtful you would need to do it again.
Ok….fine my Spark can go 1 mile, neato. But for me, that’s not the whole picture. It is about pushing boundaries and taking some risks. That little sense of nervousness when you start to lose video signal and you keep the stick forward….and then it happens….aircraft disconnected. Your stomach sinks a bit, your palms feel a bit clammy, and you wonder if you just pushed a little too hard this time….and it may be the last time you ever see your $500 investment…as you anxiously await and hope to hear the “Aircraft returning home” message from your phone. And then you finally hear the message and you start looking at distance, battery levels and start doing calculations in your head…will it make it back? I’ll admit, there is a sense of exhilaration and accomplishment when your aircraft is returning home and all looks good. I know, it sounds a bit crazy and non-sensical, but it is just a bit like any endeavor which can give you an adrenaline rush; rock climbing, skiing, car racing, whitewater kayaking, those crazy parkour kids, etc.
For me though, it is ALSO about exploration. I think a lot of people are drawn to aerial photography because it provides a point of view not typically experienced, I know I am. It gives me a sense of exploration to see what is just beyond that cornfield (probably just another cornfield!). I also think that’s why these types of drones are a little different that other RC aircraft such as planes. Most of the time (would be interesting to see what other people think), I’m flying for the views, not necessarily to watch the Spark make circles in the sky. |
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