Te Manatu Park Drain Run

I went for a scout today looking for flight spots. I've wanted to capture this stormwater sump/wetland for some time because it could be fantastic. This was my first attempt, and I learned a lot.
Firstly, I want to fly lower to avoid vegetation. I should also take more care where I position because I had a feeble signal for much of the run. That meant I could only dodge trees at the last minute, so the footage could be waggly.
I remembered to record in d-cinelike, but I don't have software to take advantage of it. I forgot to switch off EIS - because putting this footage through Gyroflow would have made a much better result.
I couldn't fly over the bridge and into the next section of the sump because somebody was down there fishing, and I didn't want to disturb them! While it's a good sign that aquatic creatures are colonising the stormwater sump, the level of suburban pollution means that I wouldn't eat any fish that came out of it!
While preparing to shoot, a few onlookers came to talk to me. One is the caretaker at the local school, and he asked if I would be willing to help shoot some school events. Of course, I agreed; we'll see what comes of it. Maybe nothing, maybe the opportunity to do cool things.
Just arrived today was Mr Steel's Ethix Chesty - which is a chest pack for drone operators. With a couple of bits of bungy and some soft bags, I got my full avata field setup into and on the chesty. It made walking about looking for a spot to post up and fly from that much easier. Yeah, the hard cases are great - for when the drone is in transport. Still, the chesty worked well for scurrying into position with batteries, drone, controller and goggles. So far, I recommend it.
Well, there is plenty to improve, but I hope you enjoy this trench-run-style video. I've been practising with a 3.5" freestyle F drone so that FPV might have some videos soon. I've been practising some moves in the FPV simulator because I have a unique idea for video. Still, it's challenging my ability to control the drone consistently. I also need one or two more tricks to make it work.

Until next time!