I spent this Memorial Weekend in Buena Vista, CO with a big group of friends. We all crashed at our friend’s house that is affectionately known as Dalton Ranch, and in between kayaking the Arkansas River, mountain biking, and BBQing, I got some flight time on my new Phantom quadcopter. I wanted to capture the scene from a unique vantage point, and I think this aerial image really shows what it is like at Dalton Ranch when we all converge in BV—a dozen vehicles parked/camped in the drive way, rafts/.kayaks/bikes everywhere, and stunning views of the Collegiate Peaks.
This photo has been adjusted slightly in Adobe Lightroom based on some great tips I found online. In particular, I tried to minimize the typical GoPro fisheye distortion by going into the Lens Corrections under the Develop panel and choosing the Nikkor 16mm AF Fisheye profile along with manual Distortion value of +58.
On Sunday, I had enough confidence to finally use my Phantom for my ultimate goal—aerial video footage of a river. Just down the road from Dalton Ranch, I eased the Phantom out past the staircase that lead down to the water and trusted that it would function as expected. My heart was pounding in my chest, but the little copter did exactly as it was commanded. And then finally, with the sun producing the best light at the end of the day, I flew the Phantom up and down the river 150 yards in each direction before landing on the rocky bank and calling it a day. The footage is a little shaky due to the movements of the copter during flight, but overall, I’m as excited as can be with my first river overflights! Check out a little compilation of the Arkansas River as seen from my Phantom quadcopter:
Patrick, I’ve just read your outstanding Phantom article (which I am rushing to send to a friend who is torn between an Arducopter or a Phantom). I will be following your blog and further experiences with the Phantom with great interest. I’m a complete newcomer to RC flight. After a couple of dozen Phantom flights I still haven’t mastered basic maneuvers such as a circle or figure 8 (flying in ATTI mode). But, I live next to a beautiful wetland so I can’t resist flying over it with my Drift HD 170 action cam. My heart rate soars!
Carl,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article! It sounds like you read my first article titled Phantom Quadcopter. It’s amazing where the RC world has come in the past 10 years. I also feel like a beginner to RC aircraft, but I’ve had a few years of experimenting before getting to where I am now. Despite the fact that the Phantom is so “easy” to fly, I think it still demands a lot of respect and the people should attempt to become good pilots of the craft. It sounds like you are taking steps in that direction by practicing your maneuvers, and I think it just takes time to make it second nature. Personally, I maintain a flight log with notes about each of my flights so that I can deliberately practice and learn new skills. For instance, I practice switching between ATTI and GPS Hold, and also Home Lock modes so that when I eventually find myself in a bad situation, I will be trained to handle it. Best of luck with your flights over the wetlands and have fun!
Pat
Pat,
Yes, I am trying to be methodical in teaching myself to pilot the Phantom. We are surrounded by dense forest and wetlands, and though I understand there are risks, I really can’t afford to lose it (or my camera). In my first flights at a neighbor’s large pasture I did have confusion emergencies and had to enable RTH. That happened more than once, so in one sense I’m glad to confirm that both failsafe and HL do indeed provide a safety net.
I managed my first figure-8 today so there’s progress!