AMAZING Swamp Fire Aerials

Using a P3Pro and the little windsurfer paddles I was able to jump on this fire and was surprised at the quality of the image and the amazing control I had over the camera and the Phantom at over a mile and a half -



I made 2 flights and actually "lost rc signal" when my line of sight to the Phantom was partially blocked by nearby tree branches - I just climbed from 90 feet to about 150 and everything was fine, brought it back home with no problems. Amazing aircraft and software. All the flights are saved within the iPad or iPhone and you can replay the flights - amazing!

 

Yes I am told by the local fire chief it was a control burn, HOWEVER it is done by the hunters to force new grass growth, it is tolerated but I am told by the local fire chief it is illegal but not aggressively enforced.

 

Yes, very careful! I had a spotter with me scanning for aircraft, however there is no air-to-ground fire apparatus anywhere around here, last time I saw water drops was from 2 helicopters right after Katrina in New Orleans . . .they would drop their HUGE buckets in the Mississippi and then dump the brown water on the fire - you can actually see the fire and the drops here:



It was the Coliseum Theater, burnt to the ground, started with a welder in the marquee - no local water pressure, just a few short weeks following Katrina

BIG problem now is Mardi Gras - aside from it being difficult to avoid flying near large crowds of people (we have parades everyday for a week leading up to the final day) it is becoming more common to see not just the bright orange USCG helicopter just above the parade, but also the UH-60 Blackhawk from Immigration & Border, and then you have the LA State Police Bell Long Ranger - THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION and I hope any drone operators in New Orleans are aware of this - there are also 2 or three Robinson choppers from radio stations and whatever, so for the Thoth parade yesterday I counted at least 6 helicopters in less than 20 minutes - and these guys are LOW - UNDER 400 FEET!

i DID NOT FLY and am hoping others are aware because putting a Phantom in the path of a helicopter over a HUGE crowd would bring down the gauntlet. A major incident which sadly is almost unavoidable will have major repercussions. The government has the authority to ground these UAV's from one coast to the other. Fly responsibly or we will end up with laws similar to Japan, where I am told it you can only fly in selected parks, AND THATS IT!

Lets be smart - better to record the news than to make it!