Pasture Lands

It's really hard to *not* find a way to get my Mavic up in the air when the winds are calm and the sky is clear, so when a day starts shaping up this one did the other day I hit the road, visit some of my airports, and fly until sunset. Theese images are probably not the first ones that come to mind when someone mentions Hawaii; beaches, coconut trees, and mai tais come well ahead of ranch lands. But this is Hawaii too... here seen on the slopes of the Kohala Mountain on the Big Island.

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!!!

And Merry Shipmas to you all! I didn't reach either of my 2017 WoWS goals this year; I didn't quite get an elite captain (19 skill pts), nor did I graduate to a Tier 10 ship. Both of those will be easily achieved in 2018 if I don't rage quit somewhere along the way. (For anyone who spends any time at all playing this game rage quitting is always a real possibility. :) With the help of supportive friends (of which we have many online) we may still be interested in it all come holiday season 12 months from now.

The short animation here is all about one of the most special achievement medals the game offers: the Kracken. I don't score a lot of Krackens (5 kills in a match) but I have had a few recently, and none of them came as easily for me as they do for our intrepid animated captain below. I do enjoy the same elation when I get mine as he does however.

So sit back, relax, and Enjoy! And may blessings be on you and yours for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!!!

Kohala Mtn

A stunning day here simply demanded that I put my newly repaired Mavic up in the air. Must say that the camera on this bird is better than before it went in for repair. DJI didn't actually repair my drone, they swapped it for a different one. I noticed the serial number on the unit I got back was different than the original. So it not only works once again but I have a better camera as well! And I'd be remiss if I didn't send props out to the West Coast DJI Repair center. They did a great job and provided a very reasonable turn-around.

Enjoy a brief tour of the ranch land side of the Kohala Mtn and Mahukona harbor!

Hawaiian Pu'u

My Mavic has been out of service (OTS) since I got back from the mainland in mid-October. DJI eventually fixed it for free since the problems were within my warranty. I also had a DJI Care Refresh policy so it would have been free anyway. So it was great that a Friday afternoon coincided with a perfectly clear, wind free day to let me get up in my little bird again. Over time I hope to fly many more pu'u around the island. For now here's a short look at countryside I get to see on a regular basis.

Enjoy!

Maiden Flight

I had just enough time late this afternoon for a quick flight with the new DJI Inspire 1 v2 I bought for the State this past July. There's a lot to learn yet, and she flies a bit differently than my little Mavic Pro. One thing is certain: transport and setup is a LOT more tedious with this than with my little, backpack friendly Mavic. The case and sheer weight of all the gear required to run an Inspire is one factor. More things need to be attached and installed to get up in the air than the Mavic requires. But the Inspire X3 camera is better by far... tho' I still need to dial in settings just like I had to with the Mavic.

But it's a start. And I needed to make a start. Life and work really got in the way these past few months. Now that I've inched a little closer to being caught up I suppose I can afford to fly this thing more. And study for the Part 107 exam... aargh. Please. Don't remind me! :)

Enjoy! More to follow...