GREAT PR for me and my P3P helped with search...

[Suspended Moments]

There are so many stories of quad pilots doing the wrong thing, getting confronted, quads being shot at and on it goes...

I live in rural America and even out here, farmers are not excited about quads in the air... UNTIL something happens that requires fast moving eyes in the sky!

I was looking out of my front door and noticed three vehicles stopped on the dirt road about 200 yards away... unfamiliar people got out and were looking anxiously around at the fields... they were holding ropes and make-shift tethers in their hands.

Then I received a FB note that a day old calf had run down through the woods and appeared headed towards a marsh land... beef calf, all black. We have snow on the ground and within 20 hours, the weather predicted an incoming storm. Another neighbor told me that the people are from a farm that's a mile away and she said "they aren't going to find the calf by driving up and down the road and looking around"....

Hmmmm... how about I send up my quad and see what I see? I can cover miles along the river/marsh in just a few minutes. I also contacted the owner of the calf and said I would be sending the P3P up and wondered if the calf would panic and run? She was elated that I had that ability....

Long story short, three flights and three batteries later... I spotted the calf in some trees (winter, so leaves weren't on the trees)... another neighbor went into that area with his dog and they located the calf.

The Quad found the calf in an area that no one would have schlogged into... and we recovered a day old calf that would NOT have survived the storm. The owners sent me photos of the calf re-united with its mother and remarked about how isolated they felt out here in the country, until they needed help... Chalk one UP for Quads and their responsible owners we CAN make a difference. What a great feel-good event!

SIDE NOTE: What I really needed and would have helped a LOT... is a really good set of FPV goggles.... I couldn't see very well, looking at my iPad screen and had to recover the quad, then pull the card and see it full screen on the computer, then send it back out.... the ability to see more clearly during the flight would have been a HUGE advantage. So if you have a recommendation for the best FPV goggles for the P3Pro... please let me know... I'll get them!

 

[el cuajinais]

Awesome story! We should look into how to put this story in the hands of a national paper to see if they publish it. We need all the help we can get in the publicity department.

 

[Gavvas]

Well done

 

[JFHughes08088]

We need more of these stories. Great example of how we can help. Talk to your local police and let them know you fly and offer to aid in any search efforts they have. Goes a long way.

 

[eaglegoaltender]

The Quad found the calf in an area that no one would have schlogged into... and we recovered a day old calf that would NOT have survived the storm.

Maybe add "the quad and I" - excellent story and fantastic news to read about. Good for you man. Looks like one happy calf feeding away there.

I'm curious here as to the area you covered and use of 3 batteries. Did you start each flight from different locations so as not to fly over the same spots with each battery.

(i.e. moved to the previous location a single battery took you then searched beyond that with a new battery)?

Try to get a photo of you, your Phantom and the calf for the local paper - we need feel-good stories like this one.

At least you have documented proof and witnesses to the event - unlike a lot of "so called" drone sightings where they shouldn't be and embellished by the press.

 

[Air Ontario]

Kudos for being a good neighbor AND being quick with a successful solution that offsets some of the previous bad press concerning drones.

 

[Suspended Moments]

Awesome story! We should look into how to put this story in the hands of a national paper to see if they publish it. We need all the help we can get in the publicity department.

Maybe add "the quad and I" - excellent story and fantastic news to read about. Good for you man. Looks like one happy calf feeding away there.

I'm curious here as to the area you covered and use of 3 batteries. Did you start each flight from different locations so as not to fly over the same spots with each battery.

(i.e. moved to the previous location a single battery took you then searched beyond that with a new battery)?

Try to get a photo of you, your Phantom and the calf for the local paper - we need feel-good stories like this one.

At least you have documented proof and witnesses to the event - unlike a lot of "so called" drone sightings where they shouldn't be and embellished by the press.

Each Flight covered a different area... broad run first, which covered about one mile of water/marsh edge, initially just trying to eliminate areas.... then I would cover another area... open ground first, then loitering around treed areas where I thought it would seek shelter.
I only have two batteries, so, one would be charging while the other was in service... then I would review the video on my computer.... load another battery and send it out again.
Three flights total.... it's an odd thing... the farmer who brings me hay said "well that's all good, but I'm glad you don't live next to me!" so.... many are still not excited that I have that quad and they do NOT want this area in any social/news spotlight.... it's weird.

 

[eaglegoaltender]

it's an odd thing... the farmer who brings me hay said "well that's all good, but I'm glad you don't live next to me!" so.... many are still not excited that I have that quad and they do NOT want this area in any social/news spotlight.... it's weird.

That is too bad and not much you can do about it I suppose since it is each to his own - saying "well that's all good, but I'm glad you don't live next to me"...says it all I guess (maybe it's a good thing YOU don't live next to him - lol). He didn't mention his reason as to why did he?

Have you had any issues in the past flying in the area you live - one wouldn't think there would be since it is rural. Just all boils down to the same old thing here and that's a uneducated public with regard to these units. Most equate the word "Drone" to a flying killing machine thanks to the media, Hollywood and for certain the reality of the application employed by the military, period!

Thanks a lot for the feedback on how you managed your search criteria - excellent plan you had!

EDIT: maybe one day the guy who brings you your bales of hay will require you and your Phantoms service!

 

[Suspended Moments]

That is too bad and not much you can do about it I suppose since it is each to his own - saying "well that's all good, but I'm glad you don't live next to me"...says it all I guess (maybe it's a good thing YOU don't live next to him - lol). He didn't mention his reason as to why did he?

Have you had any issues in the past flying in the area you live - one wouldn't think there would be since it is rural. Just all boils down to the same old thing here and that's a uneducated public with regard to these units. Most equate the word "Drone" to a flying killing machine thanks to the media, Hollywood and for certain the reality of the application employed by the military, period!

Thanks a lot for the feedback on how you managed your search criteria - excellent plan you had!

EDIT: maybe one day the guy who brings you your bales of hay will require you and your Phantoms service!

It was funny because he's a really good friend... he was actually very surprised to learn that I even owned a quad.
It boils down to a perception of privacy and why people have elected to live in the country... when I hear lots of gunfire, I don't sent out my bird at all... too easy for someone to anonymously take it out of commission... prime hunting area, so I also have to be mindful of not scaring game. Duck hunting season is not the prime opportunity to send the quad down a river to see what's what.... I don't blame them. If it belonged to someone else, would I want it hovering over my pond? Probably not....

 

[sonof40]

After viewing the recordings, how did you determine exactly where the quad/calf was at the time of the spotting?

 

[Suspended Moments]

After viewing the recordings, how did you determine exactly where the quad/calf was at the time of the spotting?

It's my neighborhood.... I knew the farm house and the woods behind that farmhouse... the calf was, after all of the searching, just a thousand yards west-by-southwest from my location. It would have been much harder if the calf had continued to wander along the river to the south... no structural landmarks in that direction.

 

[sonof40]

I see.
I was curious if Lat/Long. were in some way available for Phantom users to use during such an operation.

 

[WetDog]

"The quad and I"

This could be a stunning new musical!

 

[Suspended Moments]

I see.
I was curious if Lat/Long. were in some way available for Phantom users to use during such an operation.

When you go into the flight record.. it does show the topography like GoogleEarth.. so that's helpful.. but you are absolutely right, having gps readouts would be a great way to lockdown areas that should be covered in greater detail and to communicate to other searchers with or without quads....

 

[dsd317]

Congrats and great job in finding the calf!

SIDE NOTE: What I really needed and would have helped a LOT... is a really good set of FPV goggles.... I couldn't see very well, looking at my iPad screen and had to recover the quad, then pull the card and see it full screen on the computer, then send it back out.... the ability to see more clearly during the flight would have been a HUGE advantage. So if you have a recommendation for the best FPV goggles for the P3Pro... please let me know... I'll get them!

This is one of many reasons why I'm looking for a portable monitor with better clarity/brightness than my Ipad Air 2. I wouldn't mind FPV goggles, but I usually fly alone without a spotter, so that wouldn't work well. Besides, I'd feel more comfortable seeing the quad, surrounding area and controls.

 

[Quadcopterguide]

THIS! is what we need more of in the News, and not how many close calls people thought they have heard of. Great work

 

[Suspended Moments]

THIS! is what we need more of in the News, and not how many close calls people thought they have heard of. Great work

Thanks!

 

[Carloss66]

Great story. The best image quality on a FPV headset for your P3P is on the HeadPlay. Beautiful 1080P HD video that would have definitely helped in your search. You will need either the HDMI module for the remote controller or an nVida Shield K1 tablet with HDMI out. I use the DJI HDMI module with mine.

 

[Jumping]

SIDE NOTE: What I really needed and would have helped a LOT... is a really good set of FPV goggles.... I couldn't see very well, looking at my iPad screen and had to recover the quad, then pull the card and see it full screen on the computer, then send it back out.... the ability to see more clearly during the flight would have been a HUGE advantage. So if you have a recommendation for the best FPV goggles for the P3Pro... please let me know... I'll get them!

Yes, good neighbors are just one benefit of living in rural America. Glad to hear you are one!

RE: watching the FPV, especially for multiple parties in a SAR situation. Have you investigated "Cast Your Screen" on a Google tablet to a nearby television with Chromecast? I think iOS and Apple TV have a similar arrangement. I just got an Android tablet last week and was thinking this "Cast" might be useful if several people could watch the FPV on a monitor. As the pilot, I can be distracted from the video, so additional eyes could help. I know the downloaded *.mov or*.mp4 is much clearer, but in SAR sometimes a few minutes makes a difference.

I am not an SAR volunteer or trained in this work. Obviously preparation, power supply, equipment, etc are part of this. Just responding to your SIDE NOTE. Once again, great work helping find the calf.

 

[The Suburban Hippie]

cool story! If by some small chance the people DO have facebook, ask them to post something about it on their page, to let others know!

In flying my quad and litchi, I have discovered the phantom3 and LItchi app together make a great survey tool!