As you might know, January in the Sierra Nevada saw record snow. I was flying around Lake Tahoe and regions south of there any chance I got. People are asking about flying in snowy weather. No problems IF you fly in temperatures below 28 degrees and it's a dry snow. Wet snowflakes would kill it. When it comes home it is cold but perfectly dry--bone dry. I keep batteries in pockets to avoid the old 77 degree warning.
A couple of bone head mistakes though: I flew behind a spire of rock at two miles away and lost connection for 20 seconds, watching the video I see the drone stop on the back side of a knife-edge granite wall. Turns around for home but encounters the peak I just flew by. It stops, thinks about it, then confidently went over the top with one inch to spare. I set the return home altitude without thinking, I was already at my flight ceiling. upon return I see it went up to 501 meters--pushing the envelope to get over that peak.
second bone head was flying a Sierra divide-I was flying the east side while I was west of the pass. No problem because I had line of site. Then I got the critical voltage alarm and imminent crash landing. It is decending no matter my override attempts. I had a little horizontal control and got it to hover over the only possible landing spot--a pullout. But then it had decended below the divide and I lost all contact. Staring blankly at the iPad I realized I had just lost my drone. So I gathered by thoughts and my things, got in truck and headed toward the last known position over a mile away. My drone is in the air somewhere and I'm driving my truck--this is bad. A few minutes later Im almost to the scene of the crash when my iPad jumps to life--and there is my truck coming to the rescue! It was at 300 feet watching me drive to the hastily set up landing site. I went from knowing it was gone to catching it out of the air! I felt like I had won the lottery.
A couple of bone head mistakes though: I flew behind a spire of rock at two miles away and lost connection for 20 seconds, watching the video I see the drone stop on the back side of a knife-edge granite wall. Turns around for home but encounters the peak I just flew by. It stops, thinks about it, then confidently went over the top with one inch to spare. I set the return home altitude without thinking, I was already at my flight ceiling. upon return I see it went up to 501 meters--pushing the envelope to get over that peak.
second bone head was flying a Sierra divide-I was flying the east side while I was west of the pass. No problem because I had line of site. Then I got the critical voltage alarm and imminent crash landing. It is decending no matter my override attempts. I had a little horizontal control and got it to hover over the only possible landing spot--a pullout. But then it had decended below the divide and I lost all contact. Staring blankly at the iPad I realized I had just lost my drone. So I gathered by thoughts and my things, got in truck and headed toward the last known position over a mile away. My drone is in the air somewhere and I'm driving my truck--this is bad. A few minutes later Im almost to the scene of the crash when my iPad jumps to life--and there is my truck coming to the rescue! It was at 300 feet watching me drive to the hastily set up landing site. I went from knowing it was gone to catching it out of the air! I felt like I had won the lottery.
