Drones

recoveryone · February 2019

I just ordered my first drone, (toy one) I want to test it out before I step up and make an investment into one that I may crash first time out. In my line of work (construction, Industrial and commercial inspections) I see where this will come in handy, especially checking out flood control issues. Does anyone here have one? and can you share some of your views and experiences with these hobby/work tools/toys.

joecoulson · February 2019

Yes. I have a DJI Spark that I use every now and then for my customers (construction) to take pics of houses, land etc
It works very well, has a great camera and is really easy to fly. If you buy everything that you really need to get going, case, extra batteries, the controller, and some accessories you’re probably going to be all in for about $900
The only shortfall of this particular unit is that it does not do 4K.

joecoulson · February 2019

Here’s a shot that I took with that of a cabin that we stayed at in Bryson city, this was about 200 feet elevation from the controller

recoveryone · February 2019

Awesome Joe, thanks, the spark is one I am looking at to be my main work drone once I learn to fly one of these things. I ordered a Visou XS812 as my intro into this arena. I like the fact that it has GPS and waypoint flight control. 1080p is just fine for work as the footage will be mainly seen on computer screens, I don't seen many office system with 4k monitors. Even youtube is hard to view 4k content without buffering.

recoveryone · February 2019

I took the plunge and picked up the DJI spark, Best Buy had a good deal on the combo kit. Did my FAA registration last night, but I think I will have to get my 107 status to use drones in my line of work.

joecoulson · February 2019

It’s a cool little bird isn’t it. Congrats.
Stay away from insides of tunnels and brick buildings. GPS goes way off and it’s fly erratically.
Also get some extra batteries. Having about 4 works great. And finally get an aftermarket charger with the ability to charge 4 at a time.

GlennDog · February 2019

following

Post your thoughts after you've got some flight time in . . .

recoveryone · February 2019

I pick up 3 batteries already and I got the charging dock to go with it.

recoveryone · March 2019

Not sure what happen to my earlier post on my first flight with the spark, but here it is again. First let me say, buying the battery charging pack was a smart deal as it gave me the same time of having six batteries

. I still need to get use to the flight controls and fine tune my flying skills. I also need to figure out the lens, it appears to lean more on the over exposure side, which mean more work has to be done in post production.

https://youtu.be/-kHIm8PHpgY

recoveryone · March 2019

Dji spark with Polarpro ND8 filter (skies were partly cloudy, wind was making it tough to stay on course) Still getting the hang of it

decal · March 2019

Please don't become one of those "Drone Idiots",

verb · March 2019

Drones are cool! I barely dipped my toes in a while back. I picked up this cute little guy made by Estes. Proto X. Great for flying around inside the house!

recoveryone · March 2019

decal wrote: »

Please don't become one of those "Drone Idiots",

What I have shown are sites and areas that I conduct inspections on. The Drone will only enhance my abilities by providing more information to developers about their sites. Due to our over abundance of rain this year in California, it will aid in my ability to conduct inspections on basins, flood control channels that would take hours to walk. Reducing that time in half to a third allowing more time for more inspections. Drones are finding their way into more mainstream use other than a hobby.

joecoulson · March 2019

Agreed
I use it for exploring nature areas we cannot reach. IE the shot taken in my post above ^
And also for pictures of my builders houses and properties that they otherwise would not be able to get.

MrBuhl · March 2019

I have been wanting one of those dji sparks, congrats, first flight looks good. I almost got one in LA but a lot of the parks I hiked on didn't allow them. Ugh.

recoveryone · March 2019

MrBuhl wrote: »

I have been wanting one of those dji sparks, congrats, first flight looks good. I almost got one in LA but a lot of the parks I hiked on didn't allow them. Ugh.

The Spark is so small you can hand hold it like a video cam and shoot. I hope the FAA will see that drones will be able to share airspace, right now the public view is negative about them, but I think as more industrial uses are developed they will be accepted. Here is a sample of the footage I took last week

https://youtu.be/2-MbMyLnqto

recoveryone · March 2019

The winds finally calm down enough to get out and get in some flying time. I spent this morning study for the part 107 test, so I went out and put this quick video together

https://youtu.be/T3_0UX-aV5U

BlueFox · March 2019

decal wrote: »

Please don't become one of those "Drone Idiots",

What are “Drone Idiots”?

recoveryone · April 2019

Pick up a Mavic Air off ebay for a great price

https://youtu.be/aNxlpRwt4X8

recoveryone · May 2019

I passed the part 107 test for commercial drone operator, so now its time to focus on making this apart of my daily usage of tools in my bag. I have a few years to go before I retire, but I would want to have something on the side to keep a little walk around money in my pocket.

joecoulson · May 2019

I shot this for a friend building a new house so he could map out the landscaping

recoveryone · May 2019

Went out yesterday and did some long flights (used all 4 batteries), nice scenery and skills testing.

https://youtu.be/xwkgIp0CFCM

msg · May 2019

BlueFox wrote: »

decal wrote: »

Please don't become one of those "Drone Idiots"

What are “Drone Idiots”?

I don't know that term specifically, but I'd say it's probably intended for those who do dumb stuff with their drones. Flying them near airports, or knowingly making a nuisance of themselves, or pushing boundaries of common courtesy and privacy.

Pretty neat, and cool videos. This appeals to my interests in photography and film making. I remember doing a shoot years ago and wishing I had stilts at the time for some crowd shots. When drones first started coming onto the market for photography and video, I immediately thought back to that night.

Cool scenery out your way. Is that an old burned out dwelling there at the end, with chimneys?

recoveryone · May 2019

Back in the 1800's this area/valley was founded by the Mormons. Where I was flying is at the base of what is called the Cajon pass. In more modern times this is where route 66 comes into from across the desert (as you can see in the Dji Spark video). There are some very old dwellings in the foothills that for the most part are abandon. The housing track you see have been built just within the last 20 years and there are plans to build more further up into the hills.

recoveryone · July 2019

Evolution of a commercial building project

https://youtu.be/S3XbLM_hdLg

Willow · July 2019

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/florida-dad-taking-drone-pics-at-beach-spots-shark-heading-for-his-kids-1.5197096

pitdogg2 · July 2019

recoveryone wrote: »

decal wrote: »

Please don't become one of those "Drone Idiots",

Drones are finding their way into more mainstream use other than a hobby.

Correct our company has been ramping up their use the past few years. For agriculture use they are indispensable with finding the extent of crop damage that in years past we would be hard pressed to see. Our adjusters can get more fields done in a day that would take weeks to do in years past.