I Want One This Season: Follow Drone
I was actually discussing this exact idea last season. Trying to figure out how I could attach a GPS tracker to follow a person boarding to a drone.
While the idea is awesome, I cant see it lasting in Australia, given the nanny state that we are.
There are some pretty strict laws on drones as is.
- You cant fly over populated areas, like beaches. (there is the idea gone right there)
- Not closer than 5 or 6km to an airfield, helicopter landing area. (ski resorts have heli sites)
- Must be at least 30m from another person.
- For commercial gain, or flying FPV (with goggles) you need a licence.
- Cant fly higher than 400ft (not a problem in this case really)
- You are supposed to register all flights with local air traffic control or someone.
- No night flying.
(why? because its fun of course!)
Ignorance isn’t a defence in court, and I can see the fines for these being pretty nasty.
All that being said, still an awesome idea. Would be great to take one back country.
I like the idea of this, for portability.
Even cooler, if you could toss it in the air from its folded position, and have it unfold, and begin following you at a preset distance.
Have you guys seen the HEXO+? https://hexoplus.com/
This one was hugely popular on Kickstarter with over $1 million pledged, and was also co-founded by pro snowboarder Xavier de Le Rue. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sqdr/hexo-your-autonomous-aerial-camera
That Lilly drone is the first one I have wanted.
Pretty cool.
But sadly not going to be able to be used in a resort as stated above. You could probably get away with it in the backcountry though.
Lilly won’t be up to the task outside of the park anyway. Max speed of 40km/h, and a 20 minute battery span (without the ability to put in a fresh battery) means it’s going to lose you very quickly if you’re charging down groomers or in the back country. Good for short shots only, not whole follow runs.
My brother just put in an order for one - so come FEB 2016 i’ll tell you if it was worth it 