Drone Training in Dorset (Video at End)

Would you like to see drone training courses at ATP Members?

I have noticed, even after flying drones for nearly 10 years, that more and more people are still wanting to learn the skill of flying UAV's. Whether that is for pleasure or business (roof inspections, corporate work, stock etc), the demand is still high and I have trained a lot of people in the past few months. 

As a member (if you have joined ATP), would you find it useful to have access to drone training? If so, please leave a comment below. Thank you.

A long weekend

I write this after training for two long days (Friday and Saturday) which involved all aspects of drone video and photography. My student brought his DJI Mavic 3 and could already hand launch and catch the drone but he was lacking in other areas. One main area was controlling the drone in a smooth, continuous and slow manner.

Basically, when he initially called, he was looking to learn, improve his skills or conquer certain fears in areas such as: 

How it went...

Day one started at 9am as soon as (we'll call him "A" as he was a private person) got off the train from London. 

Note: I had also brought along my DJI Mini 3 and Air 2s as I knew we would be flying in challenging conditions. Also, I thought it would be best for A to fly my drones to start with. This would orient him with the manoeuvres I wanted to teach but without the stress of potentially losing his pride and joy. He ended up flying happily over water, in fairly strong winds and around (but not too close to) people.

We headed to the Portland Bill Lighthouse, Dorset, just a few miles away from Weymouth. This is a great place to learn to fly drones as you can be over water much of the time. Plus at certain times of the day and year, there are less people.

We tried a basic manoeuvre that A was wanting to perfect and with a little guidance, it wasn't long before he was flying the drone in a slow, controlled and professional manner. We then moved out to sea for some more creative shots and moves and at first, we flew my Air 2s as it was A's first time flying over water. 

Again, it wasn't long before he nailed it. All it took was more care when holding and using the controller sticks.

Next, I taught A how to shoot the video for a Dolly Zoom that we would complete in editing on day 2.

Nothe Fort and Weymouth Beach

After a few more tutorials and shots completed, we headed to Weymouth and Nothe Fort for some "reveal", "pan" and "head down" shots but...

Move along please

During filming, an official from the harbour approached us and politely told us we were not permitted to fly over a busy waterway in the harbour. However, he did say that he was happy for us to take off and fly from there, over the beach for example, but just not the waterway.

We were flying the DJI Mini 3 so whilst it was safe and within guidelines, we respected the official, apologised, shook hands and moved on. There was another place we could fly to get the same shots without flying over the harbour.

Note: No matter what the actual rules are regarding this and regardless of what you think is right or lawful, I always advise students that they respect any request from officials with regard to flying over or around their jurisdiction. It's not worth arguing.

Whilst at the new location, I also got A used to doing the same steady manoeuvres using the tele zoom lenses on his Mavic 3 Pro which he nailed despite it needing a lot more care and dexterity with the sticks.

To end the day, we split for some food and then returned and shot until 10pm to get some night flying practice. We discussed camera settings and flight patterns for both stills and photography. 

Day Two started at 4am!!! My student wanted to capture a sunrise with his drone so after setting my alarm for 4am, we met at 5.15am at a suitable place. I suggested a hyperlapse as it would be more effective and I had already worked out all the parameters and settings for a 12 second hyperlapse. 

Once the hyperlapse was done, we separated again until 9am where we spent most of the day in my office. We ran through all of the clips after putting them on a timeline and then marked out the best shots. Next we searched for suitable music. With a bit of time left, we ended the day with a little more flying and I have to say, over the two days, the difference in A's flying, attitude, confidence and skills had all improved dramatically. 

Here is the video we produced of that one day, one night and one very early morning of flying.

Once again, if drone flying and photography/videography is something you would like to see at ATP Members, please leave your comment below. If you would like to come to Weymouth for some one to one training, please contact me at nickstubbs.com. Thanks.