Skyshot Drones: How It Began
I purchased my first drone as a gift for my husband. He flew it twice, put it in a corner, and called it boring. If you’ve ever seen my husband and his friends fly Thursday Night Combat you would understand. They build giant EPP foam aircraft with 5’ wingspans. Each pilot lights their wing with LED lights in a signature pattern, so they can tell who’s who. Then they all try to crash them into each other to take them out of the sky. Traffic routinely sees the lights from the freeway and stops to see what all the excitement is about. Chains of bikers, families with children, everybody stops to watch Thursday Night Combat. It’s the most fun that can be had in Sacramento on a warm summer night.
Gathering Dust
This expensive drone had been sitting in the corner for 6 months and my curiosity got the best of me. I drag it out, charge its batteries and update the software. YouTube is my new best friend. First, I practice solo at nearby parks. Later, I joined the crew of pilots at sundown. My husband flies with a really great group of guys of all ages. One by one, they all helped me. Sometimes it was just a shout to “Never turn your back on the flight line.” We’ve all been hit by more than one wing and it hurts.
The Wild West
These were the Wild West Days of drone flight. The FAA and the public at large didn’t quite know what to do with us. We flew however and whenever we wanted. The FAA put us in manned pilot training because that’s all they had.
“Is that your drone?”
Fast forward to Christmas and the annual ‘Santa In Natomas’ event. Santa boards a Fire Truck and with a parade of carolers, blasts Christmas music as he rolls through our streets. I began chasing the fire engine down the street with my drone. This year, a woman walks up to me and asks if I’m flying the drone. Controller in hand, I tell her ‘yes’. I’m prepared for the usual accusations of spying and safety lectures I get from the public. “I need that film”, she shouts over the Christmas music, and shoves her card into my hand. She ends up being our Councilmembers press secretary and works for the City of Sacramento. They liked my film. I had landed my first contract to work with the City of Sacramento.
The Evolution of a Female Drone Pilot
I’ve been flying for 9 years now. I’m a 3rd renewal FAA Licensed Part 14 CFR, Section 107 Commercial Drone Pilot. I have been sunburnt, smoked by California fires, chased by a guard dog, twisted my ankle in a foxhole and mosquito bit endlessly. I go by the moniker #DroneMother. Assigned by the same pilots that taught me to fly.
Provenance
I have flown large commercial buildings, Master Planned Communities, Easter Egg Drops, Protest Rallies, Santa in Natomas, construction sites, wildlife habitat and sacred Native American sites hidden from the public. I love to fly. It makes me feel alive. My profession challenges stereotypes of age and gender. I encourage everyone I meet to step out of their comfort zone. For me it was flight. For you it may be something else. Just do it.
