crashes & dirt tracks

Is it possible to be cursed & blessed at the same time? It seems Mr. Murphy & I are at blows once again. Twice in a row now, I’ve managed to have a head on collision with the only obstacle for miles around. & twice in a row, I’ve some how managed to escape total chaos & destruction, walking away with nothing more than a bruised ego.

4 days ago, I flew straight into a suspended wire, the ONLY suspended wire or obstruction for miles around. The poor phantom made this bizarre whaling sound as it whirred & groaned against the foreign object before it, but managed to stay suspended in the air until I was able to reverse it back & fly it safely home.

Then today. Man, I still can’t shake off my stupidity. I mean seriously. First the wire… & now the lone tree in an open field. I saw it coming too. I set a program & then desperately tried to abort the mission once I saw my miscalculation. I was too late. Not only did I lodge the drone in the tree, but I got it stuck on the very tip of the top most branch. The profanities that rained out of my mouth were enough to make a hooker blush. & yet some how, I’m the lucky fool who flew it right into a soft nestle of pine leaves that ultimately formed a little safety nest around the drone, cradling it until Panagiotis was able to shimmy up the tree & retrieve it like a good monkey. I would have done it myself, but he beat me to it.

It’s all part of the learning experience. Right?!

I think in my efforts to improve the quality of what I’m recording, I’ve neglected to learn how to actually fly the thing & be completely aware of my surroundings. What was it someone said to me recently? Oh yea… “you’ve got to learn how to walk before you can run”. Wise words my friend, wise words.

Still, I’m pleased to report that I’m improving. Here is what I’ve learned so far when trying to record video: 1. always keep the drone moving. If it stays stagnant & hanging in the air, the footage looks dull & lifeless. 2. every move you make is too fast. The camera needs to pan at the pace of a snail or else it looks amateur. 3. when recording a moving object (such as a bike), the closer you are, the better they look. These high areal shots are great for capturing landscapes, but do no favours to a little bike driving around.. it just looks like an ant. 4. even if you think you’re safe, there’s an obstacle lying in wait.

I know we’re sharing less of the “adventure” stuff at the moment. Our trips have kind of taken a seat in the back so we can save up for the big tour over summer. For now, I’m keeping myself content with the new toy & learning editing software, & pretty boy is enjoying his new anakee wild tyres from michelin & getting ready for his off-road training course coming up in a week.

Enjoy your weekend xxx