A man who flew his £1,300 drone through a firework display has shared incredible footage which captured Wales from above while dodging rockets. The footage, shot over Deeside, which was taken on a hand-built drone has now been viewed thousands of times.
Alex Stanners, 26, who built the First Person View (FPV) drone was invited to film the film this year's firework display at Deeside Leisure Centre. Unlike other drone cameras which are controlled from a remote, the FPV drone means that Alex is fully immersed in the flight itself and effectively inside the surroundings.
It is controlled through in-goggle video and telemetry, meaning that the navigator is able to see what the drone see's first hand, rather than controlling from the ground.
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Dodging rockets and debris, speaking to NorthWalesLive Alex said the flight was an “exhilarating” experience. “The video doesn’t really do it justice,” he said. “All around me were these vibrant colours - everything was just so crystal clear.
“I forgot what I was meant to be doing, I was just in the moment trying to navigate through the fireworks. I had a tingling feeling as I was flying through it, constantly looking out for the next projectile and trying to find a route through it all.
“I’ve seen it done once before, in the US. Few people attempt it because of the risks involved to the drone. In fact, mine was hit once but it was only a glancing blow and I was able to continue. However the attached GoPro camera was covered in scorch marks.”
After sharing the footage on his Youtube channel, the incredible video has now been viewed thousands of times, with Alex saying that the reaction has been "mad".
The special drone was built to include back-up systems in case something went wrong, including two GPS devices. The most obvious of these were LED lights. If Alex had lost radio signal with the drone, he would need to rely on visual sightings to regain full control - which is almost impossible at night unless the drone is lit.
A mum commented that her daughter was fascinated by the brightly-lit drone. “She thought it was a flying robot and kept screaming for it to get out the way,” she said. “She was scared it would get hurt!”
Alex is a self-employed plasterer who is making a name for himself with his freestyle aerial videos. By piloting drones as if he is in the cockpit, he specialises in rapid fly-throughs of abandoned buildings. With £15,000 worth of camera kit at home, Alex is now hoping to make a career out of his hobby.
“I’ve done some work with Stuntworld International, following their motocross bikes as they fly over jumps,” he said. “Hollywood has begun FPV drones but they’re still relatively new and there’s a large number of potential applications.”
You can follow Alex on YouTube via Mr-Squid-Fpv. For drone commissions, contact him on 07928 644025.
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