3/11/24
Some more test flying,
this time with the Mini 2 and at the Millennium Oakwood, which is just
outside the Douglas city boundary in Braddan. Another very dull day
weather wise on the island and I ended up having to cut the flight short
as some very light rain started falling. This was probably going
to be the last regular flight with the Mini 2 as a brand new Mini 4 had
just arrived. The Mini 2 has done me well, with just over 100 flying
hours logged on this particular aircraft.
DJI Mini 2 1/11/24
  
   
  
4/11/24
Firstly, apologies to
any website visitors who don't really care for my aerial photography.
I've been doing a lot of testing since the end of September with my current
drones, mainly seeing if the DJI 'Fly' control app can produce the pictures,
particularly 360 degree panoramas as for the last couple of years I've
been using the 3rd party 'Litchi' app. The reason for this is that
I wanted to buy a new DJI drone and there is no option on the new ones
for using Litchi. After almost going for the larger Air 3S drone,
I eventually decided that the smaller Mini 4 Pro was the one for me, as
it allows me a lot more freedom in selecting flying sites.
So the new drone has
arrived, took around a day doing the initial set up indoors, but it was
time for the 1st flight on Saturday and I headed to Groudle Beach.
DJI Mini 4 Pro
2/11/24
    
    
 
5/11/24
Another day testing
with the new Mini 4 Pro drone. The weather has remained consistently
dull and grey, but with light winds, which in fact has been ideal for flight
testing with a new drone. The camera has done well coping with rather
featureless skies.
DJI Mini 4 Pro 3/11/24
    
    
It wouldn't be a test
without trying a couple of 360 degree panoramas!
 
6/11/24
Weather wise, we're
currently stuck under what is know as a 'Blocking High' (pressure area)
which in one way is great fro drone flying, as we have light winds.
However, it also results in 'Anticyclonic Gloom' with heavy overcast skies
and no sunshine. Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment at the
hospital to get my Covid and 'Flu inoculations, but put the new drone in
the car and after the visit managed to get a flight done in Sulby Glen
before the light went.
DJI Mini 4 Pro
5/11/24
    
    
  
8/11/24
With another dull and
damp day in Birch Hill, I took a look at the wind flow chart and wondered
if it might be nicer in the north or west of the island. I headed
out in the afternoon towards Kirkmichael, emerging from the clouds dropping
down towards Barregarrow and it looked nicer to the north, so I headed
to a spot just outside Ballaugh village for a first flight before continuing
to the cast at Ballatear for another.
DJI Mini 4 Pro 7/11/24
    
   
 
9/11/24
These pictures are from
my second flying location on Thursday afternoon. I'd headed north
from Ballaugh and walked along the shore from Crawyn where the Killane
River runs into the sea, to a point south of Jurby Head near Ballateare.
There is a huge amount of cliff erosion around here and the sandy cliffs
are currently looking really unstable, with big cracks running down them.
There are two abandoned houses teetering on the clifftops, both in danger
of ending up on the beach.
DJI Mini 4 Pro 7/11/24
    
    
   
16/11/24
We've just retuned fron
a five day trip across to the English Lake District, staying in a lovely
lodge, 'Osprey Croft' at Hawkshead between Windermere and Coniston.
I took the new Mini 4 Pro drone and shot quite a lot of aerial photos,
including a good selection of 360 degree panoramas. I'm currently
working on stitching them in PtGui and I'll be uploading them to a separate
gallery on the website. There will be sixteen panoramas in total.
Find them on the Lake
District 2024 index page or click on a thumbnail below. Don't
forget to click on the large images for the interactive versions!
DJI Mini 4 Pro 11/11/24
- 14/11/24
  
 
17/11/24
'The Moon and the Sun'
By pure coincidence,
I shot these two pictures from home exactly three hours apart, at 06:13
and 09:13!
 
18/11/24
I've just uploaded another
six of the aerial 360 degree panoramas shot in the English Lake District,
Coniston, Birker Fell, Eskdale and the Hardknott Pass.
Find them on the Lake
District 2024 index page or click on a thumbnail below. Don't
forget to click on the large images for the interactive versions!
DJI Mini 4 Pro
12/11/24
 
  
19/11/24
One more Lake District
360 degree panorama added to the Lake
District 2024 section. Over Ullswater late afternoon.
DJI Mini 4 Pro 13/11/24
20/11/24
A little trip out yesterday
afternoon after seeing some snow on the high ground, flying initially at
'Snuff the Wind' and Round Table.
DJI Mini 4 Pro
19/11/24
    
    
 
After the flight at
Round Table, I headed down to Niarbyl. The wind had caused some minor
problems to the Mini 4, it took me four attempts before 'Fly' managed to
shoot the second panorama above! In fact the wind seemed stronger
down a sea level which curtailed my flying there. Again 'Fly' aborted
a panorama shoot.
    
21/11/24
The final four aerial
360 degree panoramas from our English Lake District are now in the Lake
District 2024 section. Or you can use the thumbnails below!
Don't forget to click
the larger images for the interactive versions on Kuula.
DJI Mini 4 Pro 14/11/24
   
23/11/24
The calm before the
storm! Today Storm Bert is lashing the island, with gale force winds
and torrential rain, but yesterday afternoon was perfect flying weather
for a drone! We had to go down to town so I took the opportunity
to grab these shots of Douglas just after sunset.
DJI Mini 4 Pro 22/11/24
    
   
 
24/11/24
After gale or severe
gale force winds and torrential rain overnight and through the morning,
the winds calmed down during the afternoon and the rain stopped (for a
while!). I had a little trip up to Laxey, mainly to photograph the
rivers with so much water in them, but found other things as well.
Insta360 Ace Pro &
Nikon D7100 23/11/24
   
    
    
    
    
27/11/24
On Monday it was the
tenth anniversary of my first ever drone flight, at Quadcopters UK, having
just bought and collected a DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus from them.
I had hoped to carry
out a commemorative flight on Monday, but the wind was too strong for drone
flying on that day. I made up for it yesterday though, with a couple
of flights from close to St Luke's Church, on the ridge between the Baldwin
Valleys. This was the location of an early flight for me, from my
logbooks I was here with the Phantom 2 on the 19th
January 2015 for flights number 7 & 8. These pictures are
from flights number 1549 and 1550!
DJI Air 2S 26/11/24
    
    
    
 
28/11/24
Three shots taken out
of my front window, not long after sunrise this morning. The mountains
of North Wales, at around 70 miles away.
Panasonic FZ82 28/11/24
  
29/11/24
Yesterday afternoon
I fancied a trip out and ended up walking down through Garwick Glen to
the sea, returning via the narrow lane. The status of the glen is
a bit of a conundrum, having been bought by the IOM Government in 2021
from the private owners (apparently for £2.2 million) to construct
a sewage treatment plant for Laxey, before maybe opening the glen to the
public. Since then the proposed site for the treatment works has
been moved to a hilltop site at Axnfell and the house has remained empty,
although it appears that regular work is being carried out to maintain
the gardens and glen.
Insta360 Ace Pro 28/11/24
    
    
    
    
    
    
If you liked this picture
set I have a couple of videos of Garwick Glen that you might like:
A
stroll down Garwick Glen
Garwick
Glen - Then and Now
1/12/24
Yesterday afternoon
the island had a visit from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince
of Wales. She was on passage from Loch Long in Scotland to Liverpool
before going on operations and His Excellency the Lt Governor managed to
arrange for her to to a 'sail past' of Douglas en-route.
Panasonic FZ82 30/11/24
    
After the crowds had
dispersed and I'd finished chatting to friends that I'd met there, I stayed
behind for a wander round and to shoot a few pictures at dusk.
Panasonic FZ82 30/11/24
    
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