What on Earth got you to get a drone in the first place?
How did you get into this, and what do you get out of it?
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Reasons to be cheerful, 1, 2, 3
Ive been into photography for 40 years. Drones opened up a new perspective.
I use photography as a medicine to calm my.mind. having drones gets me outside, and gives me more to concentrate on. Chills me out, makes me happy, makes me smile.
Reasons to be cheerful, 1, 2, 3
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Shutting down airports and spying through windows mostly.
Oh sorry, I must have Daily Mail mode left onā¦ 
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Wannabe auditor
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Similar reasons to mynameisjoe, flying tripod, new perspectives on familiar scenes, new sightlines. Wanted one for years, and over time the capability of drones with cameras good enough for the results I wanted came down to my price range (well, not quite, but Iām able to delude myself; if I only bought what I could afford Iād never buy anything!}. I had a bout of prostrate cancer in 2020, just when Covid hit, and although I got the all-clear two years later, by that time I had lost the habit of going outside much and became a bit isolated at home. My other hobby is railway modelling, not an outdoorsy thing, and I was subsisting on that and the internet.
The drone has been massively therapeutic; I go out more and get fresh air but it works on more levels than that. I am back in touch with the world of weather and tides, and nature in general, and of course flying is brilliant! So is filming what you can see on the phone screen!
I very quickly became hooked, despite bad experiences with Amazon cheapo flyaways, but stuck with it. Joined here, and was sensibly advised to buy DJI, which I did; lost that to seagull attack, but by this time I was too far gone for cold turkey, so here we areā¦
I am still in awe of the ability of a DJI mini drone to sit 400ā up in the air in a force 5 wind and provide a steady as a rock platform for filming! The little trains are my first love, but drones are fucking brilliant!
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We all need goals in lifeā¦
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according to one of my neighboursā¦ āto the person flying the drone you are being a nosey twat!!!ā.
at 1230 on a working day Tuesday last week shouted from several fences away and just ignored as I was trying to learn how to use object track and the zoom function on a passing train from 80m up directly over my head
ā¦
really I just love the feeling of being able to fly fpv as a wannabe pilot without the hassle of a n expensive pilots licence (spend it all on equipment instead)
itās also a useful tool to do surveys at work of buildings without the need for scaffolding and getting to some inaccessible spots to look at building defects, very fast to survey a site and show construction progress in a report
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We all look forward to some long awaited footage. 
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Iāve always wanted to fly. This is the clost Iāll get. Its spiritual, baby! Especially when I see my body standing there, but my conciousness is inside the goggles. Its a trip
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according to one of my neighboursā¦ āto the person flying the drone you are being a nosey twat!!!ā.
Lol, people think they are worth looking at donāt they - We just want the view and the experience.
Meanwhile they care about privacy but have an Alexa and Smartphone, and all their comms are intercepted but dont bat an eyelid. (I have these things but at least I know im being surveilled)
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yup, add to that all the dash cameras and door bell cameras etc etc.
I seldom ever look at the photos again except to provide a report, or send off to someone. does anyone actually look at their holiday snaps again other than to share them to someone else who doesnāt really want to see them.
if I wanted to look through someones windows do they not think (considering Iāve spent thousands on drone related kit) in buying a better set of binoculars or telescope of whatever along with a directional microphone etcā¦ please! to the B-END neighbour, get a LIFE, if I wanted to do something nefarious do you think I would not be able to do it without a buzzing drone overhead!
Well.
I had a military aviation background anyway and like things that fly. I hadnāt really considered it as a hobby until I went out with my good friend @AtomicSquirrel and had a quick five minutes on his Inspire 1.
Since then Iāve owned a SG906 which I just used as a trainer, then up to a Yuneec H480 which I scored for a couple of hundred quid & I still own. Since then I moved across to DJI with the Mini 3 Pro and because heās a nice man Squirrel letās me loose with his Mavic 3 Pro as and when I need it.
Since starting Iām now A2CofC and get lots of enjoyment from it. Iāve been out more than once and had people genuinely interested in the tech & Iām more than happy to show it to them.
Itās modern aviation & we are pioneers.
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When I was in my early teens (all those years ago) I really, really wanted a radio controlled helicopter. Being a very clumsy child, my parents sensibly steered me away from that but I never lost the hankering.
I was also in to messing about with video cameras at the time and used to sit and imagine elaborate contraptions that would let you sling a camcorder off the bottom of an RC chopper. Donāt know if that was actually a thing back then given the size of/quality of camcorders, but I definitely had plansā¦
Jump forwards several decades and I agreed to be filmed for this:
(shameless plug for RoyCastle and all the excellent work they do).
I was absolutely blown away by the drone they brought with them (pretty sure it was a Mavic Pro). It brought back all the daydreams of flying an RC chopper (and slinging a camera off the bottom), but now Iām old enough to spend my own pennies on these things and I had my first drone by the end of month.
What do I get out of it? Itās as cool as 13-year-old me knew it would be 
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Bought a Canon EOS 2000d wanting to get into photography as a hobby. Accidentally started coming across drone photography and decided to buy a Mini 4k as an extra to this, already expensive, hobby im trying to start 
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Thatās exactly why I took up photography too. 
Which led on to purchasing a drone for that extra perspective and composition.
Then I got the FPV bug and hardly every fly my camera drone.
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Gets you out of the house
Opens up another world, the photography aspect is endless.
FPV is yet another dimension to this awesome hobby.
It allows you to explore ,what would, on foot be out of reach.
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Thatās something Iām going to have a tickle with this summer.
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I discovered YouTube after I retired 6 yrs ago. I play golf but wanted something to do at home.
One of the channels I watched had drone footage and I thought thatāll be cool and I can learn to use Photoshop and edit videos.
Came across GADC, joined, got some advice, binge watched how to fly got a DJI mini and now its taken over my life!
I was also into history and @clinkadink Chris inspired me to focus on a docuvid type YT channel.
I canāt say how much that guy helped and mentored me, it would take a Johnster diatribe to explain (
) but here I am with 500+ subscribers and no spare time at all!
It is brilliant! I have met new friends and have comās with people all over the world through this hobby.
Long may it continue.
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Been interested in photography for nigh on 50 years, (it was a subject at my school.) I got my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic that used 126 film a few years latter (prob about ā77)
Moved on to 35mm slr about 1983. Went digital in the late 90s, then back to 35mm film as wasnāt too impressed. In 2004 finally could afford digital slr, a Nikon D7000 later upgrading to a D7100 which I still have. Also have a Sony pocket camera.
Then the natural progression was a drone, a DJI Mini 3 Pro which I initially used for video but these days use it more for stills photography. Along the way I have also acquired a DJI Mini 4 Pro, a DJI Mavic Mini and a DJI Mini 2.
Havenāt flown them as much as envisaged, owing to health/weather but would definitely recommend to anyone thinking of getting a drone.
Have flown in north Wales, northwest England and the Isle of Man. Got a couple of short breaks in Norway and Ireland (to see Iron Maiden) where I hope to get at least a flight in each.
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We were shopping in Bradford and went into one of those āgeekā shops. A shop assistant was flying a drone in the shop.
I said to my wife, thereās two things Iāve resisted well from buying over the years. A 3D printer and a drone.
She said, āWhy donāt you just buy yourself a drone? You work very hard, and you donāt really buy yourself much stuff.ā I said āNah, Iāve lasted this long.ā
We got home, and she said the look on my face when she suggested I bought a drone was a picture. She said I should research it and look to see what to buy. Sheās a landscape photographer, and could see the potential too.
After countless YouTube videos, and trawling the web, I decided that Iām probably going to crash my first drone (like my first car), and opted for a second hand DJI Mini 3 Pro.
Iāve got a knackered hip, hobble about a bit and so have been less mobile. Having a drone has already had us walking more, climbing over stiles and enjoying the countryside more. So for me itās mainly a motivator for getting out and about and enjoying it. Itās something we can do together.
Itās still early days, only a month and a half into it (or so). Great to meet up with other GADC in Wigan the other week. A great mixed bunch of really friendly people.
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