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- Jul 5, 2014
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Just got back from a trip to Arizona's Meteor Crater! I've been amazed by this impact crater since I was a kid and I knew it would be one of my Phantom destinations. There are very few good videos of it so I thought I'd give it a go.
I planned my launch point weeks in advance using Google Maps. There was a public dirt road about 2000 feet from the crater rim at the closest tangent. Nobody would notice me there. I was wrong.
Here's a view of my takeoff spot. You can see how isolated it is. The crater is offscreen to the right.
During my first flight I noticed a large 4x4 kicking up dirt and coming straight for me. He slowed when he drove by. He was wearing what looked like a security uniform. He went about 300 feet further, turned around, and stopped. He just sat there watching me. I landed and put the Phantom on the trunk to change batteries. Then he slowly made his way back to me. He said "You're not going to fly that here, are you?". This led to some discussion but I held my ground since I wasn't violating any laws. He left but then came back with his manager about 8 minutes later when I was in mid flight:
She was not happy either. Her opening comment to me was, "Hi. You need to go fly somewhere else." Again, more discussion about rules, authority, and what not. She was concerned about what I would do if I landed on private property (the crater is privately owned as is the land around it). Basically she was doing her job providing security for the area and the crater itself. I told her I had just come from the visitor's center and showed her my ticket stub. Once she realized I was a crater-geek and not a freeloaded or troublemaker her demeanor changed completely. Apparently yahoos come through here and try to climb the lip and get in trouble. Everyone left on good terms and I was able to complete a third flight which I used for this video. Hope it conveys the awesomeness of the site!
I highly recommend a trip to this historic impact crater if you get a chance!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtgzBLNQplk[/youtube]
I planned my launch point weeks in advance using Google Maps. There was a public dirt road about 2000 feet from the crater rim at the closest tangent. Nobody would notice me there. I was wrong.
Here's a view of my takeoff spot. You can see how isolated it is. The crater is offscreen to the right.
During my first flight I noticed a large 4x4 kicking up dirt and coming straight for me. He slowed when he drove by. He was wearing what looked like a security uniform. He went about 300 feet further, turned around, and stopped. He just sat there watching me. I landed and put the Phantom on the trunk to change batteries. Then he slowly made his way back to me. He said "You're not going to fly that here, are you?". This led to some discussion but I held my ground since I wasn't violating any laws. He left but then came back with his manager about 8 minutes later when I was in mid flight:
She was not happy either. Her opening comment to me was, "Hi. You need to go fly somewhere else." Again, more discussion about rules, authority, and what not. She was concerned about what I would do if I landed on private property (the crater is privately owned as is the land around it). Basically she was doing her job providing security for the area and the crater itself. I told her I had just come from the visitor's center and showed her my ticket stub. Once she realized I was a crater-geek and not a freeloaded or troublemaker her demeanor changed completely. Apparently yahoos come through here and try to climb the lip and get in trouble. Everyone left on good terms and I was able to complete a third flight which I used for this video. Hope it conveys the awesomeness of the site!
I highly recommend a trip to this historic impact crater if you get a chance!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtgzBLNQplk[/youtube]