AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2016 - 84

THE AUTHOR with his

drone.

84 | AOPA PILOT May 2016

caught my attention. Badger and I met in Boston to discuss the possibilities, and it turned out to be a perfect
fit. Badger was willing to have me team up with PUA
and work under its licensing and Section 333 waiver
while supplying flight training and ongoing support,
and advising. It was a way for me to operate in compliance before I could obtain my own waiver.
I purchased the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced camera drone in August 2015 and began working it. Flight
duration is dictated by battery life: around 12 to 15 minutes flight time, depending on how hot you are running
it, and leaving a comfortable reserve. Once we have
the boat in position we burn through several batteries on a typical job, capturing a variety of moves for
stills and video: from close-up low angle to climbing
pull-backs and direct 90-degree-down shots moving
across the vessel, whatever the specific project calls
for. Takeoff and landing from a fixed base is relatively
simple. Takeoff from the deck of a moving vessel has
its own set of problems, namely that the drone wants
to remain stationary while the vessel moves out from
under it. In this circumstance, I've found it better to
hand-launch from my observer and have her catch it
on the return.
Since teaming up with PUA I've been working on
building my flight skills whenever possible. Working
over open water is becoming less daunting, but when
all the preflight preparation is complete and it's time to
lift off from the deck of a moving boat, I still find that
I have to accept the possibility that my aircraft may
become a submarine on a one-way dive to the bottom
of the ocean.
AOPA
JIM RAYCROFT is a lifestyle and location photographer,

pilot, and drone owner.

AUDREY FELSKE

Filming requires smooth and steady control. The
drone operates kind of like a helicopter but with two
small joysticks controlling eight movements: throttle up, climb; throttle back, descent; forward; reverse;
left; right; left (yaw) rotation; and right (yaw) rotation.
No pitch, no roll. Now add the camera controls to the
operational load: framing the shots shooting stills and
video, setting exposure, and controlling the camera
angle through 90 degrees of available camera gimbal
pitch. It takes some time to learn to do it well.
Delicate coordinated control input to both joysticks
is required to climb gently, move right, and rotate right
all at the same time to circle a target and keep the lens
centered on it while the pilot views the scene on an
iPad. Things get a bit more challenging when shooting and circling a moving target. I understood what
I needed to do: practice, practice, and more practice.
The Phantom 2 proved to be a good basic trainer
and thankfully has remained dry so far. The continuing search into commercial unmanned aircraft
photography operations eventually led me to Jesse
Badger, chief operating officer of Precision Unmanned
Aerial (PUA), an unmanned aircraft systems flight
management company based in Portland, Oregon.
The stated mission of PUA: "Specializing in the collection of data for the utility, agriculture, and mining
sectors, Precision Unmanned Aerial brings cuttingedge technology together with real-world manned
aircraft management experience. Precision additionally works with companies and individuals looking
to enter the commercial UAV market in need of assistance with federal regulatory procedures, logistical
support, and UAV management."
Being "an individual looking to enter the commercial UAV market," it was that last sentence that

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2016