Casting off the lethargy of the betwixt Xmas and NY times, we took a trip out to Aber Falls, to stretch the legs and fly the drones, on Saturday the 28th of December…
A pleasant cool day for the walk, and a busy day at the falls, we were there just before 11am, and it was getting busier as the day wore on.
I opted to try the AVATA2 on the falls, mainly as I wanted to try and get some better ‘diving’ footage of the falls - which the AVATA2 will do as it can look straight down without obstruction - descending along the falls from above. There were however a lot of people around, so care had to be taken not to overly anyone - although one thuggish idiot decided he didn’t like the drone and rather than come and tell me so or ask me to stop flying while he was there he chose instead to attempt to bring it down with a stone - you can see the guy (on the left of the screen) bend down and pick up a stone at 1.42ish, start his throw at about 1.46 and whizzes past the drone at 1.48.
Also, watch out for the DJI MINI coming down the falls as I was flying up…
The other drone and the thrown stones - which a member of the public told us about - meant it was not a time for an extended flight, so after flying one battery we packed up and came home, still we captured enough footage for a short video…
Thanks… I am editing the footage to show the idiot throwing stones, I saw the flash of the stone but didn’t know what it was, but a kind member of the public came and told us about him throwing stones… If he had a problem with me flying the drone all he had to do was come and ask me not to fly it while he was there, and I would have probably complied, but now I have his image and tbh am considering what to do next… Dont think the CAA of the Police will be much interested, and not sure sharing it on social media is a good idea, may give other idiots the idea to throw stones at drones…
You were doing nothing wrong lass. I swear, if I saw saw someone throwing stones at my drone I’d end up being arrested, and someone would end up with a broken jaw.
Yes, I know I was doing nowt wrong, but rather than create a larger issue I could have waited, it’s not like there is enough there to keep him occupied for more than 20 minutes or so… I have footage showing him picking up the stone and making ready, and then 2 frames of it whizzing past the front of the drone…
Pity the day was spoiled by this idiot. Stunning footage, you’re a lot braver than I’d be! Might be work informing the National Park people about the stone-throwing; they have wardens that might check on this sort of thing.
Ok, brave girl, how about this for a challenge. Scwd yr Eira, part of the Ystradfellte waterfall district in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, and a fairly tough walk to access (easiest from Dinas Rock about a mile downstream, very steep drop to the waterfall watch your footing). Worth ti though, absolutely stunning spot and the footpath actually runs across the cliff face behind the waterfall; if you could fly that the footage would be amazing!!! They reckon that in the old days the drovers used to take cattle that way,
which would have been quite a feat!
Good in autumn for the leaves, but probably better in winter; the area is quite heavily wooded and views are blocked when the trees are in full leaf. Plenty other waterfalls locally as well. but this is the only one you can walk behind. I’ve done it several times and I reckon flying it is possible, but very risky.
Hmm, the challenge is a good one, however its 4 hrs each way from here, so may need some planning… Certainly will add it to the to fly list, but it may be some time…
There are plenty of things that’ll kill you in that locality sure enough; falls, people getting trapped in caves, drownings. It is spectacular, but you have to watch where you are putting your feet and think about your balance; basically, treat it with respect!
Jumping from height into river pools is a common pastime up there and has resulted in several of the fatalities.
Thanks for the heads up, I may be brave with the AVATA flying, but I am not so courageous when it comes to personal safety, I wouldn’t put myself at risk, nor would my hubby allow me to do so - he is both a great spotter and a level headed person when it comes to balancing the desire for the shot against the risks involved…
Thanks, appreciate the watch and comment… It was filmed with the DJI AVATA2, using FPV Goggles…
Folks say I was brave, but honestly there was lots of clearance form the waterfall, and I was at pains to keep the drone safe…
Hubby was acting as my spotter and could see the drone which has red bumpers and shielding, and he could also see it against the sky above the falls, so it was within VLOS range at all times - only about 300m from TOAL point anyway…
