Flew around Stonehenge today

[TheGabeMan]

While on vacation in the UK I "was allowed" by my girlfriend to take my Phantom 2 Vision+ with me. :lol:
And today I was in the opportunity to fly around Stonehenge. We are on a camping site just 3 miles away and around closing time I drove up to Stonehenge to see if I could fly there.

Since the land that Stonehenge is on is National Heritage, the fines for illegal entry can be high, so I boldly walked up to the security guards and asked them if I was allowed to fly a round around Stonehenge. After a very friendly debate, they allowed me to fly if:
- I myself would stay outside the zone the visitors normally have to pay for. So that meant being in the field next to the sheep on the other side of the road.
- Wait for all public to leave
- Stay at really clear distance from the Stones.

Of course I was okay with that and so I went and flew. Shot an 8min video that will take forever to upload on the campsite wifi, but I already uploaded a sample which is part of the last minute of the flight.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/pY4-tZ4J3lU[/youtube]

Full video ( 8min ) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBdoM-O5yo&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Somehow it doesn't embed...... here the url as link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBdoM-O5yo&feature=youtu.be

 

[ryanhoelzer]

Not sure why your video didn't embed correctly. If you use the full link that starts with https and delete the s it should work.

 

[Gizmo3000]

What was up with that fence thing? interesting design.
Stonehenge looks kinda small

 

[TheGabeMan]

Updated with full video, but doesn't embed

 

[TheGabeMan]

The fence is there because of building activities. There was an old road which they have now removed and there will be a new visitor center.

 

[ryanhoelzer]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBdoM-O5yo[/youtube]

I put this between the youtube brackets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBdoM-O5yo

 

[badbrad97]

Dang. I would have flown over it at least once.

 

[dragonash]

whats up with the overlay on the video. It's not interference... it looks like weaved lines.

 

[TheGabeMan]

I can check better when back at home because I'm always viewing on my mobile. I'll have a look at the quality then. It was recorded just after sunset. A picture I took 5min later was already too dark.

 

[Fair Game]

Don't you just love English Heritage? They charge us money to look at something the British public already own.

Have just been to Whitby Abbey where they display a big sign saying it costs half a million to upkeep. What they really mean is that it costs half a million £ to run their visitors centre which few would miss if it wasn't there! The Abbey has withstood hundreds of years without their intervention and will stand for hundreds more with or without them.

Don't be bullied by private security guards. More often than not they do not have any authority what so ever!

 

[Irepairapples]

Yea private security guards do not have any authority you can fly off site up to and over it from a public road and they can't do anything about it read this http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/im ... mage44.jpg

 

[Fair Game]

What a great attachment you provided. It is already printed, laminated and in my flight case.

Photographers call these guys the tripod police! The minute you start to set up to take a picture there's a 'jobs worth' on your back... "You can't take photo's here - Move on". Actually, (in the UK) unless you are on their bit of land you can take photos; And if the really bad Press covering of singer Cliff Richards home being searched sets a precedence it seems you can fly over private land taking pictures.

For anyone not seeing this news footage the Press was tipped off by the police to a raid on his house and a BBC copter filmed as much as they could through the windows of his penthouse apartment. Without any shadow of any doubt that was a total invasion of anyones privacy!

Private security may have a uniform, a badge and a walkie talkie but they don't have much, if any, authority outside the building they are working in.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Things sure look different since I was there. There were no fences and you could walk right up to and around it. The visitors center was quite a walk from the stones. I see the weather hasn't changed much.

Clark Griswolds ruined it for everyone backing into the stones I guess...

 

[TheGabeMan]

The fences are only there till September. By then the road will have been removed and returned to grassland and there will be a new building for the guards. They do a very good job BTW because since they are watching Stonehenge no stone got away ;-)