We've all had those days when we were just feeling ourselves. For me that day was the day I took a day trip to Eqi Glacier with Greenland Backcountry. And when I say I was feeling myself, I was feeling myself.
Apparently I forgot that I'm still new to the drone flying game. I've owned the drone since 2020, I think, but I didn't start flying until 2022 after returning to the US. So why did I think I was some sort of drone flying savant? Let me tell you all about it.
When we left the harbor, it looked lovely outside. With all the fog the town had seen, going out seemed like a gamble. But, it's also true that if you don't venture out a little, you may be missing out. Lots of times the fog was just in one area, so once you sailed out a bit, it was clear. And since it seemed to be ok by the harbor and around town, we were all hopeful. We did encounter a little fog once we got away from town into Disko Bay though.
I wasn't too concerned about it because what we had experienced a day or so earlier was much worse. At least there was some visibility. I also wasn't concerned because I trusted the captain and guide, Ivan. I had been on other tours with him in worse conditions, and he made sure that everyone was comfortable, warm, and safe.
The trip to Eqi in itself is full of beautiful scenery. I kept my eyes open and my camera and phone ready for any interesting icebergs. The first 3 images were en route while the last 2 were from Eqi with the very last one showing the glacier. I had been to Eqi back in 2021, but this time I had my drone. And that's where the drama began.
I couldn't wait to fly my drone. I was so excited about having a second chance at flying over the glacier, as if I'm an expert. Ivan would also be flying his drone. Fully charged batter? Check! Plenty of memory? Check! I was ready to go. It was time for a test flight, well not exactly a flight. The drone was recording though :). I thought it would be easy since I'd only be flying up, straight, and then back.
If you're flying from a boat, it's not that simple because the boat is always moving even if it's not sailing. You can't "park" it in the water and expect it to remain still. So guess what? The boat was moving, and that worried me a bit because it usually means someone will have to catch the drone as you guide it back. You might be able to land on the boat, but there is likely something that could easily interfere with a successful landing, like people and other objects.
I finally launched my drone. And I was so proud of myself. But what the? Why did it seem like it was taking an awfully long time to reach the glacier? It looked like we were close enough. We actually weren't that close which I would discover once my drone started talking to me. She, yes my drone is a "she", started warning me about a low battery. How did I forget that your battery drains faster when you're recording video? And of course I was recording video.
Suddenly she started saying, "landing." I was able to cancel it. But I knew I was running out of time, and I had no idea where the drone was. I couldn't see it. It was as high as it could go. It was flying above all this ice that all seemed to look the same. To say I was freaking out would be an understatement. Again she said it would be landing. But this time, I couldn't cancel it. My battery was critically low and could no longer remain in the air. Again she warned me that it was landing. At this point I thought I was going to faint. I handed the controller to Ivan who managed to land it. On an iceberg!!! At least it didn't land in the water. Then we had to use GPS on the controller to figure out which one. We got close to one, but nope, it wasn't that one. We all decided with the help of GPS that it was another iceberg we saw. GPS said we were in the right place. Of course, we couldn't see it, and Ivan was pretty sure the area it landed on was pretty flat.
What could we do? Well, he decided to circle around it in hopes of spotting it. There was what looked like a smaller iceberg next to my iceberg. I started calling it my iceberg. As luck would have it, that smaller iceberg was actually part of the larger iceberg. And we got stuck on it. Excellent! But Ivan wasn't bothered. With the help of a net attached to a long pole, we were able to push off of the ice beneath us. "My drone is gone, and I'm never going to try flying again," I said to myself. But he was determined. He flew his drone, spotted my drone, and we headed in that direction. Honestly, I still didn't have much hope because someone would have to climb on the iceberg. The first question that came to mind was, "how stable is it?" But there we were. Marco hopped off the boat with an ice pick. I think that's what they're called. Someone else was recording it as he rescued my drone. Hopefully I'll get a copy of that one of these days. But I did take a picture of my iceberg. I had to.
We joked about how I should have planted a flag. Don't worry. I didn't plant a flag; I didn't have one ;). The most important thing was that I got my drone, whew. I can't thank Ivan and Marco enough; they did what I'm sure not many others would have done. So after that heart-stopping experience, here are a few reminders when flying drones...
First, know how to fly your drone and land it. Practice, practice, and more practice.
Make sure your batteries are fully charged before flying. Charge everything.
Remember that maximum battery life is drastically reduced when you're recording video and also windy conditions.
Pay attention to your battery strength while flying so that you can start flying back before it's too late.
Make sure you have enough memory as well as extra batteries.
Pay attention to your screen so that you know where your drone is even if you can't see it.
Those are just a few things I need to remind myself of, and if they help someone else, even better.
Are you new to flying drones? What was the scariest thing that happened while flying?
Comments