When crashing your drone into a volcano is worth it…
Apparently, you can never put a price on a good shot.
At least that is according to the philosophy of Joey Helms, a Chicago-based filmmaker who flew his brand new $1,200 DJI FPV drone so close to the mouth of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in the Geldingadalir valley in Iceland – and he did that knowing the bird was surely going to melt into the boiling molten rock.
That is exactly what happened – but Helms did not mind. No one bit.
“Watch the brand new DJI FPV drone crash right into the exploding lava fountain of Iceland’s newest volcano – Fagradalsfjall in the Geldingadalir valley,” Helms said on his YouTube Channel. “This unique HD footage provides a rare view right into the volcano’s caldera and lava fountain during one of its geysir-like eruptions.
“FPV drones are notorious for crashing; it is part of the hobby. So in an effort to get a unique vantage point and perspective into the crater, we flew this remarkably capable drone as close to the lava river and caldera as possible. One of it turned out to be its very last flight. At least the goggles record a great 1080p image allowing us to actually capture the last seconds the drone saw.”
Watching the video, one can appreciate that the sacrifice was worth it.
Currently employed as a creative director for an online advertising company, Helms gravitated towards filmmaking after nearly a decade in photography, and like all photography professionals, he is not averse to sacrificing a few limbs for the greater good.
Others have been more careful, though. Icelandic drone photographer Bjorn Steinbekk was the first to take the DJI FPV for a spin around the volcano when it first erupted; and he was careful to keep his new baby out of harm’s way by avoiding the volcano’s mouth on his flights. He kept a good distance from the hot temperatures and his drone returned home unscathed.
But Helms was looking for something more dramatic.
The only sad thing is that there was no other drone flying along to capture the demise of the brave drone that had to give its life so humanity could learn a little more about a volcano spews lava.
On our next birthday, we are gonna blow the candle and wish to have enough money to melt as many FPV drones as possible if it means society gets a little more entertained.

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