Its been a crazy month for me. It all started back On April 11. I was out shooting a video of an old bridge. While making my last shot I struck a cement column on the bridge next to the old bridge. I kept looking up and back down and the ipad while trying to keep the bridge centered. I thought I had clearance. So as I looked down the last thing I see is concrete. The everything went black. My orbit was about 22mph. I recieved a high wind warning and i'm sure I experienced a gust which was now a cross wind for the drone. It accelerated to almost 30mph. This was the point at which I struck the column. Oddly enough I didnt freak out. My controller was asking me if I wanted the RTH. Well... Yeah. I gathered up my case and set it into my car. I had to go walk out on the old bridge. I was hoping it landed on the ice flow in the bay. No such luck. It droipped through the opening in the ice and drowned itself.
    I return home and tell my wife I lost my drone. She was upset, of course. I went dow to my computer to look at the navigational charts for that area. When i open up the internet the fist thing I see is a ad for a PowerVision Power Ray (an underwater drone) I mean what are the odds? So now thats in my head. I did purchace the DJI Care Refresh so Im optimistic about this whole situation. As I look at the charts It shows the water depth to be 3-5 ft deep. I can work with that. So decide to go down as soon as the ice is out so I can search for my drone. One would think I'd be able to see that White "X" under water. My other drone was having battery issues so I bought a balance charger to get them up to snuff. Yes, I got my battery life back. So i searched the water hoping to see something. No luck. I call my nephew up and ask if he can bring his boat down.  A couple days later he says he will be down. I go to best buy and purchase a GoPro Hero6 plus an accessories pack and a water proof case. Then to menards and purchased a 23 ft long painters pole and a roller brush (its gonna be my hook).
I charge my batteries up fabricate my coax cable so I can get wifi through the water up to my Ipad. We launch the boat, he fires up the sonar. The water is 18-30ft deep. OH GREAT. I was only able to see down about 5-8 feet with the GoPro. We are on the backside the the column and the sun is going down. We poked around the area for an hour. No luck. I gave them $40 for the help. I decide to call an old friend that dives for a living. He told me $150 an hour. I agreed and he told me he would call me back. Well, he never called me back. Grrrrrr. I keep thinking about that Powervision underwater drone. But to drop $1900 on that, I just couldnt. I know ou might be saying... just dive for it yourself. Yes I could, but the water is 38F too damn cold. After a couple of days my wife has had it. She tells me please stop moping around the house and just order a new drone. She didnt need to tell me twice. Funny how she tells me that on the same day that DJI release V 2.0. I could have taken DJI's offer for 15% off if I used the Refresh. I figure I'lll find it by the time the Refresh expires.
   Well, here I am, my new drone will be delivered tomorrow. This one will have insurance on it. Everyone says, quit flying over water. I live on Lake Superior There are so many things going on and around the water. Thats not an option. I've spent some money trying to recover my P4P. I needed a GoPro anyhow. My nephew wants to go down again. I'm thinking of putting a 2000 lumen diving light on the end of the painter pole. Ill light that area up and hope to recover my drone. If it disappeared from the area oh well. Im set for painting high places and Ive got a nice GoPro camera out of it. It's been a learning experience. If some fisherman snags my drone I hope he calls. I wrote my cell number inside the battery compartment with a sharpie.

So thats my story.

Haha!  Great story!  

My favorite line: I decide to call an old friend that dives for a living. He told me $150 an hour.

Reminds me of a long story somebody posted on a football site like 15 years ago.  It was about him getting so drunk he couldn't find his car after the game and so he wandered home on foot and then fell asleep on the couch but it was the wrong couch in the wrong house in the wrong neighborhood...

Mark The Droner Posted at 2018-5-13 15:23
Haha!  Great story!  

My favorite line:  I decide to call an old friend that dives for a living. He told me $150 an hour.

LOL Thanks Mark. I doubt the rate gets cheaper when the water warms up.

Keep the wifey. Those kind come few and far between.

ALABAMA Posted at 2018-5-13 16:24
Keep the wifey. Those kind come few and far between.

Well we have been together for 29 years. Shes a keeper.

Yes, buy her a drone too. Haha

Glad to read a good news story, with a bad ending.
Or was it the other way around...? Hah


RedHotPoker

HI IamWedge, I'm so sorry for your loss, thanks for sharing your story here, hope we all can fly cautiously and fly in the proper environment, please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. Hope you will get the new drone soon and fly safely.

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-13 18:26
Yes, buy her a drone too. Haha

Glad to read a good news story, with a bad ending.

Its all good RedHotPoker.  She calls it my expensive hobby. Its gone past being a hobby. She knows ive spent close to $3600 on drones and acessories in the past 3 months. Ive tried to get her to fly. Maybe one day.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-5-13 19:36
HI IamWedge, I'm so sorry for your loss, thanks for sharing your story here, hope we all can fly cautiously and fly in the proper environment, please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. Hope you will get the new drone soon and fly safely.

Thanks Mindy. I think the biggest thing I can say is be aware of your surroundings. When I operate cranes in refineries we have to do a Take 5. We fill out a card looking around for hazards and how to mitigate them. My error here was doing an orbit the easy way... when I should have started on the other side.

Make a 10 foot wide rake out of 3/8” cold rolled steel that has skids to keep the grapples just above the surface of the bottom. Get some nylon cord and a kayak. Start sweeping the bottom. Heck, mount the GoPro on it. Bring along a float in case it gets snagged on something so you can rescue the GoPro.

Never give up.

Jeff

IamWedge Posted at 2018-5-13 20:48
Thanks Mindy.  I think the biggest thing I can say is be aware of your surroundings. When I operate cranes in refineries we have to do a Take 5. We fill out a card looking around for hazards and how to mitigate them. My error here was doing an orbit the easy way... when I should have started on the other side.

The real position of the drone can be deceiving, a few weeks back I ran into a power line I thought I was well below, the Quad did a 360 flip and came out of it OK. A good lesson in visual perspective for me.
If you get down to St. Paul swing by for a coffee or two, take Care and good luck with the new Quad.

Thanks for the story. Flying over water is also a fear of mine for the same reason as your story. But we are drawn to it. Hope you recovery the old one and have some great recovery footage to share

Hurley1718 Posted at 2018-5-14 05:44
Thanks for the story. Flying over water is also a fear of mine for the same reason as your story. But we are drawn to it. Hope you recovery the old one and have some great recovery footage to share

Some of the most beautiful captivating videos from a drone perspective, comes from the front element of a DJI Phantom.
Many of the very best, are Above large bodies of water. Aren't we all fortunate? ;-)



RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-14 07:32
Some of the most beautiful captivating videos from a drone perspective, comes from the front element of a DJI Phantom.
Many of the very best, are Above large bodies of water. Aren't we all fortunate? ;-)

Yes we are and when we are capturing those moments the adrenaline is sure pumping.

RMJovo Posted at 2018-5-14 03:40
The real position of the drone can be deceiving, a few weeks back I ran into a power line I thought I was well below, the Quad did a 360 flip and came out of it OK. A good lesson in visual perspective for me.
If you get down to St. Paul swing by for a coffee or two, take Care and good luck with the new Quad.

I do work quite a bit down in the metro. I have pretty good depth perception out 200-250'. As a crane operator you figure it out pretty quick. The computer always shows your radius. Plus one just gets use to certain boom angles. If one of the guys is standing out sdome where and say bring me the hook I can usually get pretty close.

Hurley1718 Posted at 2018-5-14 05:44
Thanks for the story. Flying over water is also a fear of mine for the same reason as your story. But we are drawn to it. Hope you recovery the old one and have some great recovery footage to share

If you want to get use to flying over water go try a shallow pond. Always easy to recover your drone and introduce it to a big bad of rice.

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-14 07:32
Some of the most beautiful captivating videos from a drone perspective, comes from the front element of a DJI Phantom.
Many of the very best, are Above large bodies of water. Aren't we all fortunate? ;-)

You go that right. Living on Lake Superior.... all the cool stuff happens on the water.. or Ice or somewhere in the bay.

Hurley1718 Posted at 2018-5-14 10:23
Yes we are and when we are capturing those moments the adrenaline is sure pumping.

When the heart beat increases, you know you're still alive. Haha



RedHotPoker

IamWedge Posted at 2018-5-14 22:17
You go that right. Living on Lake Superior.... all the cool stuff happens on the water.. or Ice or somewhere in the bay.

Aloha Wedge,

     Great story and wonderful wife!  I like the way you think.

Aloha and Drone On!

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-15 17:58
When the heart beat increases, you know you're still alive. Haha

You got that right!

Cetacean Posted at 2018-5-15 23:38
Aloha Wedge,

     Great story and wonderful wife!  I like the way you think.

Thanks Cetacean. She did however tell me.... "Don't fly over water anymore." I can't promise that LOL

IamWedge Posted at 2018-5-16 06:54
You got that right!

Yes, "You Got That Right"  Chuckles

Yes, I listen to "a lot" of music... Hahaha

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-16 06:57
Yes, "You Got That Right"  Chuckles
https://youtu.be/knwvE_ieiPw
Yes, I listen to "a lot" of music... Hahaha

Perfect!  Now I'm gonna have that song in my head all day.

IamWedge Posted at 2018-5-16 07:03
Perfect!  Now I'm gonna have that song in my head all day.

Oh, no, don't worry about that old tune, I have much better music for you to tap your busy feet to. ;-)


Do you like fine accordion music? You won't know until you hear some...


Enjoy.


RedHotPoker

Or: How about some drums? ;-)


What does the @friend tab do?
@Cetacean

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-16 07:59
Oh, no, don't worry about that old tune, I have much better music for you to tap your busy feet to. ;-)

Yup, thats pretty good. Do I like accordion music? LOL I grew up on it when I was a kid.    The Chmielewski Fun Time Band  My Dad did love his polkas.
I'll listen just about anything except for....... country. Sorry.

I'lll take your accordion and drums and raise you a guitar.

Very nice playing, thanks.
I went to a concert last year, of which I won two tickets for.

That was Jesse Cook. One World Tour. What a show...



RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-5-17 07:54
Very nice playing, thanks.
I went to a concert last year, of which I won two tickets for.

That was pretty good. Thanks

Yes, there are plenty of songs to go around. Hahaha

Billy Preston. Say no more


RedHotPoker