Drone News Roundup: Flamethrowers and Drones Featured in FPV Video, How to Update Firmware on the Mavic 3, and More!

This week we’re covering a zany FPV drone video that closes with the drone flying through a flaming hoop while the flamethrower that lit it shoots fire into the sky nearby.

We’re also covering how to update the firmware on DJI’s new Mavic 3, a drone video of humpback whales in a feeding frenzy, recent reporting that finds drones are delivering contraband to Canadian prisons about once a day, and news that Zipline is rolling out a medical drone delivery program in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Now on to the links!

Flamethrowers and Drones, Oh My!

This single-shot FPV drone video is one of the most creative we’ve seen yet. Shot in a cinewhoop style, the video starts with a man riding a penny-farthing—that’s one of those old timey bikes where the front tire is much larger than the rear one—giving you an early indication that things are about to get weird. We swoop inside a home where people are reading and juggling, then continue on a tour through the building, where we soon learn that this isn’t just a place where people live, but also where drones are repaired and worked on.

But the closing shot of the video is where the magic happens. After a tour through the drone workshop we zoom outside, where we see a man shooting flames into the sky from a flamethrower as he lights a metal hoop on fire—which we then fly through, not just once but several times. The flying is impressive here, but so is the creativity, timing, and choreography. This video is well worth watching if you have two or three minutes and need a little inspiration in your life.

SEE MORE VIDEO LIKE THIS

How to Update the Firmware on the DJI Mavic 3

Everyone is talking about the new DJI Mavic 3, which has been one of the most highly anticipated drones of the year. Last week we shared some of our favorite new videos featuring footage shot by the Mavic 3. This week we’re covering a new video from DJI that shows you how to update its firmware. These updates can be made using either the DJI Fly App or DJI Assistant 2—watch the video to get the details.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAVIC 3

Drone Video of Humpback Whales in a Feeding Frenzy

A drone pilot was lucky enough to capture a huge pod of whales in a feeding frenzy off the coast of New South Whales near the town of Bermagui, in Australia. The video features an estimated 150 whales, all eating baitfish together. This kind of event is reportedly quite rare—apparently this footage is only the second time this kind of huge pod has ever been shot on video. The drone footage was shot by David Rogers on behalf of Sapphire Coastal Adventures. Rogers is a landscape photographer—follow the link below to see more of his beautiful work.

SEE MORE WORK BY DAVID ROGERS

Drones Are Delivering Contraband to Canadian Prisons Every Day

Image source

New reporting finds that drones are being used to deliver contraband to prisons in Canada about once a day, on average. Prisoners are reportedly cutting out their windows to receive deliveries of weapons and drugs by drone, with correctional officers seizing packages of contraband worth anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000, or more. From 2020 to 2021, authorities reported and seized 354 drones in Quebec prisons alone. In recent years, these illicit drone deliveries have expanded from large prisons located near urban areas to smaller ones located in more rural locations.

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Zipline to Start Medical Drone Deliveries in Salt Lake City

Photo credit: Zipline

Zipline recently announced that it will be launching a medical drone delivery program in Salt Lake City, Utah in partnership with Intermountain Healthcare. Through the program, Zipline will be dropping prescriptions and homecare products to people who live within a 50-mile radius of its planned fulfillment center in the city. One catch is that Zipline has reportedly not yet secured FAA approval to conduct the program. But it must be fairly far along in the approval process, because it has announced plans to launch deliveries starting in the middle of next year.

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