Eyes in the skies: Drones offer immersive experience
‘YOU ARE IN CONTROL’
Acouple of times a week, Clarence Buttram takes his first-person-view drone to a nearby park or field and puts the FPV through some high intensity, high-speed maneuvers. He wears a headset with a video screen that puts him inside the drone.
It tells him his speed, which can reach 60 or 70 miles per hour. The screen gives him an instant view of exactly what the drone sees, so rather than controlling it via line of sight where the operater sees the drone is from the ground, the pilot is virtually onboard.
“You are submerged in the drone like being in the pilot’s seat,” Buttram said. “I have display of speed on the screen in front of me. It’s very quick and immediate.”
Buttram has been flying FPV drones for about three years and bought his current model about three months ago.
“I like it because of not having to be a member of an airfield. You can fly in a backyard or a park, and I like the ease of transportation.”
His drone cost about $400, he said. Some of the more advanced aerial drones, which come with a lot of built-in equipment to help fly and protect it, can be several thousand dollars. They make them easier to fly than PVF drones, but Buttram likes the challenge.
“You have to know how to fly it,” he said. “You are in control.”
Buttram said he likes the rush, which can be over before you know it. Even with the four battery packs he carries, the entire flight lasts about 12 minutes, with each battery being drained in about three minutes.
“Because they go so fast, they suck all the energy real quick. It is high-burst, high intensity.”