April 8, 2024 solar eclipse, captured from Columbia, MD on a Samsung Galaxy S10. No filter, just the clouds attenuating the light. At this location the totality was about 80%.

The glorious but brief maiden of a DJI Avatar. First time out with the new bird. What could go wrong cruising high? Worst part is I knew the wires were there but forgot all about them in all the excitement. Incredibly the bird survived with only a cracked landing gear. 5-minute epoxy for this repair. Saving the Care Refresh for the more serious incidents to come. Definitely not my finest hour.

Waypoint Test 2 with the Mini 4 Pro. The mission was created from atop Federal Hill on a chilly morning. The initial run was launched immediately afterwards. The mission runs in real time @ 25.5 mph (Mini 4 Pro maximun mission speed is 26.87 mph). The mission is approximately 7.4 miles in total distance. The Mini 4 Pro was fitted with a Freewell ND64 filter during the flight.

Still getting a feel for DJI's waypoint system. The curves between points can sometimes produce unexpected results so watch the route lines carefully if flying close to objects. Caused me a moment of concern during one of the urban canyon passes! Despite the curves, the drone will always aim to be on target at the actual points. Drop a few control points if flying a narrow path to keep the bird in the groove.

*This is not a finished product but I did add a rudimentary score to make it more enjoyable.

**Look for the Human Fly @ 10:15

PRO TIP: You can create a mission, then relocate, reopen the mission, & continue recording additional waypoints. I did not need to do that for this particular mission, but you can use this technique if you wish to set points that you cannot record from your initial location. NOTE - You will need to adjust the altitude of points recorded from an alternate site to compensate for the height difference between the initial launch point & the new launch point(s).

To be continued....

Comments always welcome. Thanks for watching.

--DB

0:00 - "Forever More"
4:45 - "Blackheart"
9:12 - "Ice Planet"
13:05 - "Breath of Cold Air"
16:54 - "Liberty Rising"

Recorded November 8, 2022, this was range testing of my replacement Mavic 2 Pro after the unfortunate "Loch Raven Incident". This was a manual flight from Fort Armistead to Fort Howard & back. The replacement was every bit as good as the original, completing this run with perfect signal to a maximum distance of 24,806'. Signal was still 100% at max range. The bird returned with 11% battery remaining.

While I was working on the Loch Raven mission I decided to fly the first leg with the Mini 3 Pro. This is a manual flight & the flight path is not precisely identical to the Waypoint flight. It was mostly a chance to enjoy a fun flight on a beautiful day & to test out the RC range of the Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC. Signal was awesome & I had no connection issues at all. Returned with nearly 40% battery remaining too. If the Mini 3 Pro did Waypoints I might get the entire flight in a single shot.

This video is just for those who are curious how the Mini 3 Pro camera stacks up against the Mavic 2 Pro. Lighting wasn't optimal. Nothing fancy but I did throw a song as a backdrop as I detest silent videos. If the song sounds a little weird I had to extend it by about 40 seconds to make it fit the video, hence it is a little warbly at points.

Let me know how you think the Mini 3 Pro compares to the Mavic 2 Pro. Thanks for watching.

--DB

Literally years in the making, I present the Fall version of my Loch Raven mission, a 14.4 Litchi Waypoint mission first flown almost 7 years ago. The Winter & Summer versions were flown with an original Phantom 4 & recorded back in the days when I was doing everything in HD. This Fall version is recorded by a Mavic 2 Pro in 4K.

The difference in video quality is amazing. Not only that, but the Mavic 2 Pro executes the mission much more stably than did the P4. These flights are 14+ miles & about 30 minutes in length. They are produced @ 2x speed to make the mission reasonable to watch. You will really notice the difference in smoothness when compared to the P4 flights.

One disappointing difference is the Mavic 2 Pro only provides a 77° field of view, compared to the 93° FOV of the Phantom 4. For the main part of the mission this is not an issue but, for the last leg where the bird is flying up the narrow part of the loch, the FOV often is not quite wide enough to capture both sides. I may have to adjust the camera angle for better coverage.

I would like to recapture the seasons in 4K with the Mavic 2 Pro, hopefully nabbing the Winter run with snow on the ground like in the P4 mission. Anyhow, it's a long one so I hope you enjoy the view.

--DB

It always makes me smile when you fly near people & they are totally oblivious to the presence of the drone. This was a Mini 3 Pro, so it is quiet & difficult to spot in a gray sky. In this case, the group leader notices & smiles but maintains his cool. The reaction when the drone is pointed out to one of the workers is humorous. The leader walked inside, no doubt to discover which of his fellow workers is flying the drone. :)

Version 2.1 of "The Baltimore Run", a fully autonomous, 7.2 mile, drone mission above Baltimore's Inner Harbor created with the Litchi flight app. Flown by the venerable Phantom 3 Standard "Miss Ruby", from liftoff until return the Phantom is flying itself.

Notable changes for this iteration include 3 full orbits of the World Trade Center, a close fly-by of the Hard Rock Cafe & Power Plant Live. Then it's up & away to the Marriott Waterfront & Legg Mason tower, through the Inner Harbor past Harborplace & over historic Federal Hill. An inquisitive lady takes notice from her elevated patio as the bird spirals around Harborview Tower before passing Domino Sugar, McHenry Row, & heading for home.

A work in progress...

The Phantom 3 Advanced "Poop Chute" completes the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run. 3.91 miles one-way!

Recorded April 17, 2016.

A Phantom is usually the unsung hero capturing the action behind the scenes, but today the Phantom is the star of the show! Join Phantom 3 Standard "Darth Videous" trailing sister ship "Miss Ruby" on a 17-minute, 7.2 mile, non-stop, thrill ride as the pair soar high above Baltimore in an epic game of "Follow the Leader."

The birds are stock & each is running an autonomous Litchi flight based on "The Baltimore Run" mission. Chase bird "Darth Videous" is set to start ~25' behind lead bird "Miss Ruby" on point. Waypoints are identical except the chase bird is set +10' at each point to maintain a degree of vertical separation. This mission only needs some slight tweaking of camera angles to get 100% coverage of the lead bird throughout the entire flight.

Note: This flight is 7.2 miles in length with 75 waypoints & near constant altitude changes. Not 100% perfect but it is pretty damned amazing how close the birds executed this mission.

*Updated with an all-new epic soundtrack!

What critics are saying:

"Dirty Bird is Public Enemy #1" - James Comey, Director FBI

"Did you see those streaks of light dude?" - Sean Penn, actor, stoner, Communist sympathizer

"Can he please stop mentioning body armor & a fly-over being the only safe way to visit Baltimore?" - Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore

"Curses! Foiled again!" - Snydley Whiplash, Canadian criminal, nemesis of Dudley

"It's against the guidelines. You're going to ruin the hobby for everyone!" - Anonymous

"I'm Matt Damon!" - Matt Damon, actor, left-wing wacknut

"They really know how to get high, man!" - Tommy Chong, actor, comedian, stoner, entrepreneur

"Εάν μόνο ήξερα!" ("If only I had known!") - Icarus, son of Daedalus, first recorded attempt at manned flight

"I'll get you Dirty Bird if it's the last thing I do!" - Kavon Williams, career criminal, inadvertently caught on video committing an armed robbery during a test flight

"A few of these contraptions would have changed the outcome of Waterloo. Sacre' bleu!" - Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor, general

"I'm reporting you to the authorities!" - Crash Hancock, blogger, crasher of all things that fly

"Your Litchi missions are poorly edited & boring!" - Bilbo Bender, Wee Gay Dwarf of McHenry Row

"Who is Dirty Bird & who gives a crap?" - Mr. Clean, Product spokesman

"Stay on the leader!" - Darth Vader, Sith Lord

"He's going to ruin my company!" - Frank Wang, DJI CEO

Recorded July 13, 2016.

The Phantom 3 Standard "Miss Ruby" takes to the air for a sunrise Litchi flight from Glen Burnie to Pasadena & back. The mission runs @ 30 mph for a total length of 40,813' (7.73 miles). Total flight time was 19:01​ & the bird returned with 15% battery remaining. This video is presented in real-time so you can experience the same sphincter-puckering thrill as I did awaiting Miss Ruby's return!

From the "Ultimate Litchi Series" comes this advanced, long-range, early proof-of-concept mission flown by the P3 Standard "Miss Ruby". This was the fist run for the fully autonomous mission. The flight is 7.47 miles in total mission length, covering Baltimore's stadiums, downtown, & Inner Harbor. A work in progress...

A dramatic pass over the Texas Quarry by a Mavic 2 Pro...

Audio - "Decimator" by Two Steps From Hell

A trio of Phantom 3 Quadroceptors are on routine combat air patrol when an expected equipment malfunction puts the entire mission at risk. Only courage, cool heads, & team work allow them to save their young flight leader from certain death in the frigid waters of the Patapsco river. Ride along & experience first hand their incredible true ordeal!

A Mavic Pro surveys the sights above the interchange of Interstate 95 & I-695 near Rosedale, MD.

Recorded 7/26/2018

RECON flight for an upcoming Litchi mission from Rocky Point Park to Hart-Miller Island. The planned mission is ~40,000' in length. Recorded with a Polar Pro Cinema Series ND16-PL filter. Recorded August, 2017 by the Phantom 3 Advanced "Poop Chute".

This mission could have been called "Far, Far Away"! The Phantom 4 "Night Fury" captures the sunrise on a 55,101' (10.436 mile) early morning Litchi mission. The bird launches from Fort Armistead, passes Fort Carroll & Sparrow's Point, then flies over Fort Howard before turning towards home. The aircraft is a stock "Special Edition" P4 with a high-capacity battery. She returned with 19% remaining. I had full contact until about half way between Sparrow's Point & Fort Howard where my altitude dropped to only 22'. I am amazed that signal was regained 5.25 miles away as she flew above Fort Howard at the furthest point of the mission! Aircraft & RC are stock but I did have a WindSurfer on the remote. This is a accelerated time version of the mission. The actual flight was nearly 22 minutes. Grab an adult beverage, enjoy the music, pucker up, & imagine your bird way-way out there!