As always constructive criticizm welcome!

I really enjoyed the buildings toward the beginning, they had some mesmerizing reflections. There were only a couple times where I was distracted by the drone's movement, one was an abrupt stop of the gimbal while raising the camera (1:14), the second was a pan across the city that was too fast to enjoy any details (1:18). Great job with the video and editing, I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Mistician Posted at 2015-4-17 11:17
I really enjoyed the buildings toward the beginning, they had some mesmerizing reflections. There we ...

@Mistician, Thanks for the critique! I definitely agree with you. I kind of wish the FW updated came out sooner as when I was shooting the Inspire was having a real hard time with the the compass and GPS fallout. Considering that I was happy with the footage but had it been performing like it is now after the update I feel it could a been a whole lot better. Excuses aside HAHA there will definitely be more coming! I am still learning and enjoying the process immensely! I am pretty sure at some point in my life I will join a Inspires Anonymous group

The bright illumination of the nighttime city skyline makes for a great subject.  The image looked pretty good for auto settings.  By chance was that filmed in the wee hours of the night and what has been your experience with reaction to filming in a metro area?  Most regular folks I come across are fascinated by it and love watching, but I was curious if the friendly folks at CPD might have a different take.  I tend to aim for the "it's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission" MO.

mbeyer27 Posted at 2015-4-18 01:10
@Mistician, Thanks for the critique! I definitely agree with you. I kind of wish the FW updated ca ...

No worries, thanks for posting the footage. I'll join you in 'IA' as soon as the meetings start up

Very nice indeed!

Nice!  I half expected Batman to appear during those opening building shots and cool music!

mhervey Posted at 2015-4-18 09:43
Nice!  I half expected Batman to appear during those opening building shots and cool music!

I guess I am starting to sound like a broken record...Great footage , nice editing and it appears that you were at least making an attempt to fly away from people...However, it was totally irresponsible to do it with buggy software and having GPS dropout ...You really need to Stop and Think about what could happen if things go South...A simple Hazard Assessment should tell you that the odds of something happening and not flying would be more reasonable...Flying our UAVs are a privilige and not a Right...

It wasn't an attempt, it was 3am in the morning and no one was out. I would not have attempted that with people out. And I failed to mention the hard part was getting to about 10 feet off the ground after that gps held fine, I was testing prior to the shoot and if I felt I couldn't do it safely I wouldn't have, what I was referring to about it being better was the shots I didn't get because I grounded the inspire due to the very reason I didn't feel it was safe to get the shot.

You live in chicago?

good work- keep it up!!

Awesome job!   Looks amazing!

I don't think GPS dropouts are nearly as scary as people make them out to be as long as you are a half decent pilot.   

"Oops, Inspire is drifting, guess I'll put a bit of stick in the opposite direction..."

You weren't so close to anything that a small drift would have made a big difference.  

Now if the remote dropped out and it just took off that would be something else, but that's not the same as a GPS dropout and pretty damn rare.   

Plus if the Inspire went crazy it would fly about 10KM before the battery runs out so each time any of us fly it we might be putting the public at risk.

What are the laws in Chicago anyway?   If you were caught would you have received a fine, like the guy in San Francisco?

Jealous of your footage, I would love to shoot something like that but the laws in Australia are pretty restrictive.

Thanks Jim!  Yes , I have never had any issue w/ not being able to control the bird. A little Gps drop here and there but even that wasn't bad because it would only happen under about 10 feet or so. As far as laws , everything I have looked up reverts back to the FAA rules. Ie. Keep it under 400ft and no commercial use ect.

mbeyer27 Posted at 2015-4-19 11:20
It wasn't an attempt, it was 3am in the morning and no one was out. I would not have attempted that  ...

Maybe I am being a bit hard nosed about it ...But this is the position I have  adopted due to the restrictions and conditions imposed by Transport Canada our regulatory body which is not that far off the FAA in the US. The big difference is that these are established clearly laid out rules for flying drones in Canada. Its good that you made a conscious decision to fly at 3am, but in Canada it is illegal to fly a UAV at night...You chose nice open areas to fly away from structures. ... Did you take into account that if someone is looking out of a building and sees you that you might be taken for a creeper? Not uncommon with drones in big citys no matter how far you are from buildings...Did you attemp to contact the City to get their approval? So that at  a minimum you wouldn't be taken for a Creeper...In Canada you must get prior approval from the property owner..In my case it would be the City of Calgary and they will require a Letter of No Objection from the city and the letter forwarded on to the Federal authorities for their approval..Yeah Iknow, more Govt Red tape....Australian Regs are probably not that far off Canada's so it might be worth a check Jim Hare to see if its possible to fly in a city ...You have lots of good work and can prove that you are responsible...
You are also not allowed to operate within 5 nautical miles of a built up area...i.e....Citys or Towns...
I am sure that you believe you did everything reasonable  and it looks like you were mindful of Safety...But try explaining why you are flying with Buggy software over a major city at night...No matter how good you are as a pilot...A lot Govt bureaucrats believe it is their job to say "NO" There are still people out there at 3am and you still flew over major roadways and under our laws there is no wiggle room you are not allowed to endanger "ANY" persons life or property which leaves it open to their interpretation and not yours...The moral of the story is that not matter how Safe you think you are I think you left yourself  wide open ...I do look forward to seeing more of yours and Jims work though...

Wildcat Willie Posted at 2015-4-20 01:21
Maybe I am being a bit hard nosed about it ...But this is the position I have  adopted due to the  ...

You should Mind you own Business !!!
Its fuks like you that ruin the hobby for the rest of us!

Nice work mbeyer, looks so good I had to go check out your other videos.
That was very nice, and (very safe) flying  

Bob

There is nothing wrong with respectful debate with divergent views Bob...Something that seems to elude you...You really are not worth the effort..

What were the video settings that you used. It looks great!

You want tips? WFT are you kidding let us know when you offer a PHD for training.. wonderful job on a very tough subject.. making the "hood" look interesting is not an easy task! Do Detroit next!

Great music, flying and editing. Really enjoyed it!