“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

Today i'd like to invite everyone to take a 'ride' with me as I pilot my drone over London and Cambridge. Spring time in the UK is the perfect opportunity to get some nice shots from the sky as the weather picks up. I was quite surprised at the recent turn to pleasant weather and just had to take my drone out for a spin. Let's go and conquer the skies!

This is my drone, the DJI　Phantom 4. Some people have praised it as the fighter jet of drones, but it's actually a really user friendly consumer level drone that is so easy to fly! The company that produces these drones - DJI, is actually headquartered in my home town Shenzhen. Although they primarily focus on the research and development of drones, you might have also heard of them for their photography and video accessories like the DJI Osmo, Ronin etc. As it stands, DJI has the largest market share of the drone market, in America, it stands at about 47%.

The first time I saw the DJI Phantom 4, I was just in awe at how cool this little gadget is. I really love the pure white colour scheme which makes it look very simple, elegant and clean. It's also hidden all of the circuitry within the shell. My favourite part is probably the little protective carry case that it comes in, DJI have done a really good job understanding the needs of it's customers by providing this protective carry case which can store two additional spare batteries, two sets of propellers and the remote control. Although it is still rather large, you can atleast trust that everything you need is right there inside the box.

DJI Phantom 4 boasts a top speed of 72km/h and comes equipped with collision sensors that operate with the included software to help inexperienced pilots like me avoid flying into big objects like buildings or trees. One battery typically lasts about 21 minutes and in my experience, that is a very accurate figure. It's quite a short time so having a spare battery or two is definitely advisable.

Flying a drone in the UK and London will mean you are subjected to some rules and regulations. There are certain areas which are completely off limits without authorisation, for instance Buckingham palace, and the area's around Westminster and the London Eye, and other places will require a license . For the most part, checking where you are allowed to fly is pretty easy and the app will also remind you if you are at a no fly zone. Of course, there are basic rules to comply to anywhere you fly, and that is for your own safety as well as the people around where you fly.

If you just got your hands on one of these drones, don't rush out to fly it. Check first if the area is a non-fly zone. Flying there could get you in trouble. Nowadays security and police have anti-drone weapons and can literally shoot your drone down from the sky.

The afternoon is very pleasant and time seems to have just slowed down.

Entering the park, I chose a spot which is very spacious and empty of people for atleast 150m around. This is the distance requirement for safety reasons.

The grass is really beautiful, there are these pretty little daisy's everywhere. I try to avoid stepping on them because it seems such a shame otherwise!


Next up, the video I made of some of the drone footage! I'm still not very good at video editing or even piloting a drone so you'll have to excuse the non-professional look, but I hope you guys like it! In the video you'll be able to catch glimpses of the London Eye, the Shard, both landmarks of London as well as some clips of the famous river Cam in Cambridge. Let's fly together and conquer the skies !


今天我想带大家跟随我的无人机一起感受一下俯瞰伦敦和剑桥的感觉，春天的英国拥有各种颜色的花朵，它们美丽的颜色可能会惊艳到你。春天把伦敦和剑桥的大雾天和下雨天赶走了一大半，剩下的每一天都是好天气。下面我们一起征服天空吧！

这个就是我的无人机，DJI Phantom 4，被誉为无人机里的战斗机。这是一个总部位于我的家乡深圳的无人机品牌，它主要是生产和研发无人飞行器还有飞行影像系统。在全球商用无人机市场占据领先地位，占据美国市场份额达47%。第一次看到DJI Phantom 4，我感觉超级酷。纯白色的机身看起来干净整洁，并且全新的设计让零件不外露。我最喜欢的还是这个小箱子，公司似乎已经为使用者考虑好，为我们配备了一整套装置的泡沫小灰箱，箱子里电池，翅膀，连接线，手持遥控，还有一系列备用品都安置好。这样出门的时候就可以一提就走，再也不用担心忘记带了什么。DJI Phantom 4的特点是可以72km/h的逆风而上，并且带有障碍物感知系统，所以新手们不用担心会撞击，它会在树枝，屋顶，墙面前骤停，表现得很可靠。不过一块电池只可以飞21分钟，所以如果非常迷恋天空，记得多准备几块电池。

在伦敦飞无人机有它自己的规定，在市中心某些重要的地方，例如白金汉宫，伦敦眼附近需要飞行许可证，同时你可以考一个证书，能够允许你在更多的地方飞行，我想这些严密的规定，一是为了维护安全，二当然是害怕无人机误伤到陆地上的人们了。所以如果你刚拿到无人机，可不要太冲动的起飞，因为在市中心的天空，会有警察监控，如果你的无人机引来警察的直升飞机可就不好办了。还好无人机上有地点定位模式，在禁飞的地方系统会自动提醒你。今天我带着我的小箱子来到了伦敦的摄政公园，是皇家公园之一，也是伦敦最大的可供户外运动的公园，公园的边上还有一些漂亮的住宅区，环境好极了。午后的周日很悠闲，时间变得慢下来。我走进公园，选择了一片空旷人少的地方摆放无人机，在英国，无人机与人必须保持xx米的安全距离。草地上的小花开得好美，走路的时候要特别注意，踩到它们就太可惜了。接下来请大家一起来欣赏我制作的无人机视频吧，因为是第一次制作，可能不是太专业希望大家喜欢哦。在视频里，你会看到伦敦眼，碎片大厦等一系列伦敦的招牌建筑，在剑桥的部分，你将会看到魅力的康河。现在请大家和我一起飞上天空，俯瞰地面吧！