Backwoods Blog

FIRST SNOW

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

Overhead first snow…

The first snow fall of the year always generates interest in the north country. It may only amount to a couple of inches, but it gets our attention and kick-starts any of the pre-winter preparations we haven’t gotten around to as of yet. The forecast called for first snow on Sunday night (October 29) and it was the topic of discussion all week-end. Even though it was 70 degrees at the time, we Mainers can make the shift quickly if we have to. Sure enough, when I got up Monday morning there was snow in the air and the white annual marker was duly noted. It only amounted to a couple of inches, but enough to cover grass and rooftops white. 

Tuesday morning I decided to take the drone for a flight and check out the overhead view of the river after the storm. We have a handy app that we use to determine if it’s “safe to fly” or “not safe to fly” on days that are in question. It’s called UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) Forecast and the primary categories we check are wind speed, temperature and weather conditions. Drones do not like to get wet, cold or fly in unruly wind situations. You can set your own default numbers based on your particular drone model, personal research (or opinion) and how aggressive a pilot you are. Since I still consider myself a rookie pilot, my settings are moderate to cautious. Our drone is a DJI mini 3 weighing in at just under 249 grams which means it does not have to be registered with the FFA, and for a drone its size, it can handle quite a bit of air turbulence. While we haven’t tested its edge parameters ourselves, there are plenty of videos on YouTube where (non-risk adverse) people have done so, so we don’t have to. The number 24 is our default setting, which coincidentally covers both wind velocity and low temperature rating (and also makes it easier to remember). It can handle gusts of wind up to 24 and fly in temperatures as low as 24. I watched a guy on YouTube successfully fly his DJI drone across his hometown in Michigan in January, at 24 degrees and made it back to his landing pad. Conditions at the cabin on Tuesday morning were 28 degrees and sunny with a 7 mph windspeed. I was good to go! The bright sunlight and shadows made photography difficult, but no concerns about wind and after fifteen minutes of flying my hands were cold enough to call it quits for the day. I’ve included a couple of photos from the shoot and a quick video of the drone heading downstream. Keep warm everyone…

In the woods,

Dave

November 1, 2023

North Branch Meduxnekeag in first snow

Sunlight and snow

Photo of our DJI Mini 3 Drone