Drone News Roundup: Drone Tour of Iceland with the Mavic 3, Alex Vanover’s FPV Drone Footage Used by Justin Bieber, and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
2 March 2023This week we’re covering a new drone video of Iceland shot on the DJI Mavic 3, highlighting just how much the drone can do with footage shot in one of the most cinematic places in the world.
We’re also covering FPV drone footage shot by DRL world champion Alex Vanover that was used in a Justin Bieber music video last year, a drone light showed used for advertising in the night sky above the Santa Monica pier, Freefly’s temporary grounding of its Astro drone, and DRL’s first live race in Miami at loanDepot Park.
Now on to the links!
Take a Drone Tour of Iceland with the DJI Mavic 3
This drone tour of Iceland was made by Denis Barbas, a drone pilot we’ve covered before who has a great eye and a lot of skill when it comes to editing. The video was shot on a DJI Mavic 3 using a Sony A7IV camera over a period of ten days driving through various sites on the island. Footage in the video includes epic green landscapes, glaciers, and inspiring shots of the massive waterfalls found there.
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DRL Champ Alex Vanover’s FPV Drone Footage used in Justin Bieber Music Video
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When FPV drone videographer and racing pilot Alex Vanover won the Drone Racing League (DRL) world championship in 2019 a world of opportunities opened up for him. One of those opportunities was the chance to work with Justin Bieber, shooting FPV drone footage for the music video made to accompany the launch of his hit “Hold On.” The footage was all shot on the Red Komodo—watch the clip above to see what Vanover captured to help make the music video come alive.
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Drone Light Show Used as Digital Advertising for Paris Hilton
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11:11 Media recently put on this drone light show over the Santa Monica pier, using 500 drones to write the word Slivingland—a phrase associated with sliving, which is a catchphrase of Paris Hilton’s—in the night sky. 11:11 Media is a media company co-owned by Hilton that puts on drone light shows to help companies promote their brands, creating events that draw attention both to the live event and to the footage after the event is over. The practice of using drones as digital advertising has been growing lately, with companies like 11:11 Media offering drone light shows to highlight company brands and generally bring attention to them. (Fun fact—sliving is a mashup Hilton created of the phrases slaying and living your best life.)
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Freefly Issues Urgent Grounding for Its Astro Drone
Credit: Freefly
Freefly recently issued a Service Bulletin recommending users of its Astro drone to temporarily ground their Astros pending an investigation into the cause of a recent crash. The bulletin was issued after a Freefly customer had an in-flight software failure that resulted in a crash early in February. The Astro that crashed was flying with firmware version 1.1.14 and had a “temporary hang: for 1.1 seconds. The hang caused the flight controller “to either cease or function improperly . . . despite the flight controller appearing to regain control based on the log data analysis, the aircraft did not have enough time to recover and gain altitude before it crashed.” In the bulletin, Freefly emphasizes that it’s working to figure out why the crash happened with “the highest urgency” and recommends that those using the Astro should keep it grounded until the investigation is finished.
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DRL Hosts First Ever Live Race in Miami
The DRL Race Course at loanDepot Park
Last weekend, the Drone Racing League (DRL) held a race at loanDepot park, the home stadium of the Miami Marlins baseball team. For the race, the stadium was transformed into a video-game inspired, neon-colored aerial course designed specifically for loanDepot park. The Miami race is called “Miami 3-0-FLY.” 12 of the world’s top drone racing pilots will be competing in the race, reaching speeds of up to 90mph as they fight to win the event. It was the first live-audience drone race DRL has ever hosted in Miami. In honor of the occasion, Miami mayor Francis X. Suerez announced his appointment as DRL Miami Drone Commissioner, a role he’ll use to advocate for tech innovation in the city.
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