While not strictly a windsurfing accessory I plan to use it to capture video for my windsurfing clips that I make, So I think it qualifies.....Well in my mind it does.

For around $550 I picked up a DJI-Phantom, As most would know I love to get behind the lens and video all sorts of stuff so it was only a matter of time before I got something like this. For those who don't know, It's basically a ready to fly drone that you are able to attach a Gopro to for aerial footage or just fly around for the fun of it. It runs off 3s LiPo batteries that claim to get 10-15 minute flight time but I'm yet to see that. It comes with everything you need but I would recommend buying a few extra batteries to extend fun time beyond 10 minutes. I went the whole hog and got myself a tarot 2 axis gimbal to attach the camera to the drone, It does come with a basic mount but the footage is a bit erratic due to the camera pitching with the craft. The gimbal self levels and enables even the beginner pilot the chance to capture some reasonable stable footage, The gimbal will set you back another $150 but well worth the investment.



When It come to the flight, It's really quite easy to navigate and before long you'll be buzzing around like a seasoned pilot. I've got no experience what so ever with any sort of flying craft and I've managed to get my head around it within a few minutes. I would recommend placing yourself in a wide open field for the first few flights until you get use to the flight characteristics before you see if you can zip under that low hanging tree. The Phantom has heaps of nifty inbuilt features that make it easy to fly and even bring home if your in trouble. There's a GPS autopilot as well as several flight modes that make it all a piece of cake. To start with fly out in the open in GPS mode until you get the hang of it, In GPS mode if you let go of the sticks the Phantom will come to a stop and hold position. The GPS mode really helps you learn how to fly the craft with confidence and you'll soon be looking to use the more advanced flight modes that are available at the flick of a switch, These include an attitude mode and manual mode. Attitude mode gives you the ability to fly the Phantom more freely giving you the ability to drift through turns and just glide along under momentum. The manual mode it an advanced flight mode that give you total freedom including the ability to do trick, Flip and loops and other crazy stuff. Once you got the hang of it I'd fly in attitude mode, It gives the more stable footage. While in GPS mode the craft wobbles around a fair bit while trying to hold position, Especially when in higher winds. Speaking of wind I've tried it in 15-20 knots and it seems ok, But I think I was pushing it. There are other modes like course lock and home lock but I'm yet to play with these.



The gimbal was a must in order to get stable flight footage, Easy to build even for someone that doesn't have electronics experience. The first time you power it up is so cool, The bright blue LED lights up and you see your GoPro self levels and just sit there. Trust me your forced to pick up the Phantom and wobble it about in amazement as the camera stay perfectly level....Cool as.



This was my first flight and I was flying in GPS mode so there is a bit of wobble due to the Phantom fighting the wind, From what I've seen today flying the drone in attitude mode the footage is going to get a lot better. This was captured blind, You've got a rough idea where the cameras pointing but it is a big guess. I'll fix this but adding an FPV system with a direct video link back to a monitor attached to the controller...Well that's the plan, We'll see.

Really a fun toy that opens up some great possibilities when it comes to shooting aerial footage.

does it come with a follow me mode - ie jump on windsurfer and it will follow you out and back ?

Drones are becoming much more advanced every day. It will be interesting to see how it goes with a 20 knot cross wind. The gimbal in itself looks amazing.

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Roar said...
does it come with a follow me mode - ie jump on windsurfer and it will follow you out and back ?

This one doesn't but I've seen others that can, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. But with the limited flight time I would still want someone in control rather then chancing $1000 worth of gear diving into the sea. When the battery gets low is automatically starts to land so that it doesn't fall from the sky, So i guess if you had on option to switch on a tracker to follow someone then switch back and take control agin to return and land would be a cool option.

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Mobydisc said...
Drones are becoming much more advanced every day. It will be interesting to see how it goes with a 20 knot cross wind. The gimbal in itself looks amazing.

It's seems really good in 10-15 knots, with the 20 knots gusts it was working hard. I think it will be ok at Gerroa with the x-off conditions, in GPS mode it can hold its position fine and the you can switch to attitude mode and just let it drift in the wind DTL. If you keep it low it seems to handle the wind ok, thie higher you go the more the wind comes into play.

Awesome shots.
You're flying it quite well. It's not that easy to keep it smooth and steady.

Looks awseome Jase, short flight time though :/

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CJW said..

short flight time though :/

yep, Came very close to dropping it in the sea today....Very close. I basically glided it in and caught it at the waters edge as it was dropping under power loss. Could have been bad but I hope to learn from this near miss, You can run a double battery but I've not got around to setting it up. I don't think I'm not going to use it for a lot of windsurfing action but more the artsy nature shots and the like, But it's still fun to fly like a madman

Here's a few screen grabs from today...

Looking great Jase - can't wait to see your first edit.

Well done Jase. You're an inspiration to us all when it comes to going hard at new toys. Only $500, tempting!

don't want to be a spoil but DJI just announced the new Phantom Vision. Bigger battery (aka longer air time), better wireless range, dedicated onboard camera with auto levelling gimbal, as well as onboard flight controller + GPS.

That said, there are some people that have flown' the Phantom over water in wind. Here is a kiteboarding video:

^^ Could not spoil my fun at the moment no matter how hard you try, Knew that the vision was coming hence the price drop on the Phantom. I think you'll find that the new vision camera and mount has vibration damper and tilt control but no self level like you get with the gimbal. Longer battery time would be nice but you can buy higher capacity batteries to give you a bit longer. The new one uses a different frequency so that you can use wifi at the same time and stream back to your smart phone. Since I've already got the GoPro this was the better option for me. Plus when I drop it in the sea I'll have to buy a new one anyway....Perhaps the new one will be super light as well.

Cheers.

Awesome Jase. Would love to see this in action some time

I can't wait to see what you will produce in the future. GO JASE !

Here are a few clips from another buddy of mine at his new windsurf centre on the island of Naxos.

Think I've got it sorted, I'm getting some nice smooth shots now....Time to put it to work on some windsurfing

nice footage! love how smooth the tracking shots are.

Awesome, I want one !

Hi Jase,

Does the quad float if you run out of battery over water?

Awesome footage, will be great for SUPsurf footage on remote reef breaks.