What a fantastic day to fly. May 15 2014

Today was one of those days where things fall into place. The wind started to die around noon, and most of my work was done. Being a principal in a company does have it’s advantages, as well as the late nights and long days that are the price you pay. Today was a day of opportunity. We had been given permission to fly in the Wonder Shows area as they would be setup near an area called “The Forks” which is an intersection of two rivers here in Winnipeg.  The Red River, and the Assiniboine River. We wanted to get a look at the site as we prepare to do some early evening shots with things lit up.  Getting familiarity is very important so you know if you have anything to watch out for. We never fly over people, so getting some pictures from inside the midway would need to be done before it was open to the public. Mike stayed nice and low and flew around like it was a track, taking video as he did. I took the high road and got the video from above, trying to frame the midway properly so I could see what angle I would need to get everything in the shot.  When you get the chance to do this, it is always easier than just doing things when you haven’t had a chance to visit the site before. After we both landed, we had permanent smiles on our faces. “How often do you get to fly around a midway?”  I asked Mike. “Never” he replied, again just smiles on our faces. Well we still had some time left and the weather was cooperating, so we decided to pop over to the other side of the river and see if there were any spots along the river that we could use to take off from. Well in no time at all we found a great parking space, and a perfect patch of grass to sit on as we put goggles on and flew out over the water to take a look at some of the landmarks of Winnipeg. There are a few landmarks that really set our city apart.  Esplanade Riel, the suspension bridge, and the Canadian Human Rights Museum, dominate our downtown horizon.  The view over the river is one that can’t be achieved with any normal craft, and the advantage we have with a multi rotor is obvious.  Now there is a bit of a nerve racking feeling when you are flying over water.  With a mistake over land, well you can pick up the pieces and build again, usually saving your expensive camera.  A mistake over the river…that is an expensive one, so you need to make sure you equipment is checked over twice and batteries are fully charged before heading out. We had the luck of beautiful skies, blue and clouds in the distance.  The wind picked up a bit but felt cool on the face as we sat back, goggles on, and enjoyed the rush of being able to view the city from angles never seen before.  We truly are in virgin territory with some of these pictures because there was never a way to safely do this before.  There is a pioneer spirit that I get at each new location. Behind us, looking to the east, was the St. Boniface Cathedral, beautiful from the air.  There truly is a different look from that angle, one that is unique to this hobby.  Shots like this before would require a platform or a boom truck.  Even then, getting up to this altitude was not easily accomplished.  Both Mike and I feel privileged to be able view our city in this way and share some of those views with others.

To finish off the day, we decided to go north to the other side of Provencher, and take a look at things on that side.  We it was a good choice as there is a beautiful train bridge that happened to be busy today.

We got some great video from higher up, and Mike was daring enough to get a little closer as the train passed over the river.  We could hear it and feel it rumbling as we watched it from a platform that gave us ample opportunity to again, get footage from angles that had never been done before.

It was a fitting end to a perfect day.  More pictures in our portfolios, more hands shaken as we met others interested in this fantastic hobby.   It is funny how I feel motion when I watch the videos, feeling my body move left and right as I remember how it was flying.  There is still a feeling of vertigo, but not enough to be bothersome, but more than enough to make it exciting.

This summer has just started and already we are seeing the city from a new perspective.  I can’t wait to show more people over the upcoming months, how it feels when you are free to leave the ground.  Let us know when you want to join us.  We will be more than willing to take you on a ride.