It was fun while it lasted! :(

How are you all, @hiveio? I’m somberly walking through our virtual space with my head hung low. I had a few things I wanted to do today. I wanted to write and get to a word count goal on my novel, and I wanted to do a VLOG with my drone. The word count goal is still possible and I’m determined to do that because I’m stubborn. My stubbornness, however, is what got me out with the drone, which ended tragically.

It rained all fucking afternoon. I remember thinking, “…just sit here and write, motherfucker!”, but I kept getting up seeing where the drizzle was at and if it would stop. Around 6:30p.m., it did let up. Earlier in the day, I went out with my entire drone packed and ready to fly, so it was killing me that it started raining just as I left the house! I saw the opportunity and took it, and went back to the abandoned railroad bridge. A decision I’d soon regret.

It started great. Somehow I got the drone to track me even closer than the last few videos, which, from a cinematic point of view, looked even better. It was circling, but in the middle of talking, @vermillionfox called me and something totally bizarre happened. The call took over the DJI Fly App and the drone dove towards the Mississippi River below me. I think obstacle avoidance took over, but it banked right and crashed in to the rocks on the shore.

It really sucks. As many of you know, there’s so much unrest in Minneapolis after the tragic death of George Floyd. It’s been a traumatic and exhausting time as military forces march through our streets. This drone opened up a whole new world of photography and video for me, and for the time being, it’s fucked. I have insurance, and I can send it out for repair, but who knows how long it’ll be before I get it back. Here’s a video of the moment before it crashed.

All in all, it’s just stuff. It’s cool stuff, and it’s expensive stuff, but I’m glad it didn’t hit anyone else. I’m shooting these on a 50 foot high railroad bridge, so I’m glad I didn’t fall off. @vermillionfox felt awful, but I assured her that it was my fault for not turning on my Do Not Disturb settings. Remember, though. Why call when a text would do? Hopefully I’ll have it back soon ready to fly but for the foreseeable future, this’ll be my last drone VLOG.

▶️ 3Speak