Drone News Roundup: FPV Drone Action Shots in Michael Bay’s “Ambulance,” Win $6,000 from Skydio, and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
14 April 2022This week we’re covering a video highlighting the way FPV drone shots helped take the action in Michael Bay’s new movie Ambulance to the next level.
We’re also covering Skydio’s KeyFrame Challenge, which has a $6,000 cash prize for first place, DJI’s Spring Sale, the Lite and Pro models of Autel’s enterprise Dragonfish drone now for sale in the U.S., and a story about public safety workers in Texas using a drone to save a couple from drowning.
Now on to the links!
FPV Drones Drive Action Shots in Michael Bay’s Ambulance
Michael Bay is no stranger to action movies. He’s the director of five Transformer movies, Bad Boys, and Armageddon, among many others. And in his latest movie Ambulance he turned to FPV drones for the first time to step up the energy for his action shots. The FPV drone pilot who did the flying for the movie is Alex Vanover, who won the 2019 DRL World Championship at just 19 years old. Ambulance is about two bank robbers fleeing a robbery who board an ambulance occupied by a paramedic and a patient in critical condition—watch the short video above to see how FPV drone shots were central to making the movie’s action sequences come alive.
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Chance to Win $6,000 and a Skydio 2+ in Skydio’s KeyFrame Challenge Contest
When Skydio released the Skydio 2+ in early January this year it also released a new mode called KeyFrame. KeyFrame lets you select the key shots you want to capture along a given flight path, the speed at which you want to fly that path, and then push a button and have the drone fly autonomously, collecting the footage. To promote KeyFrame, Skydio is currently running a contest with a $6,000 cash prize called the #SkydioKeyFrame Challenge (along with the cash, winners get a Skydio 2+ Starter Kit).
The contest is open for entries until 11:59pm PDT on APRIL 25, 2022. Here are the details:
How to Enter
- Follow @SkydioHQ from a public Instagram account
- Update Skydio App and get creative with KeyFrame
- Share + Tag #SkydioKeyFrame on Instagram
- Post by April 25 to be eligible
What You Win
- 1st Place: Skydio 2+ Starter Kit & $6,000 Cash
- 2nd Place: Skydio 2+ Starter Kit & $3,000 Cash
- 3rd Place: Skydio 2+ Starter Kit & $1,000 Cash
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DJI’s Spring Sale Ends April 14
April 14 is the last day of DJI’s spring sale. Here are the biggest deals DJI has been offering, all of which will expire after Thursday of this week:
- 23% off DJI FPV ($999 instead of $1,299—$300 savings)
- 20% off Mavic Air 2 Fly More combo ($789 instead of $988—$199 savings)
- 15% off DJI Action 2 camera ($439 instead of $519—$80 savings)
- 7% off DJI Mavic 3 ($2,049 instead of $2,199—$150 savings)
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Autel Releases Lite and Pro Models of Its Dragonfish Drone in the U.S.
The Lite and Pro models of Autel’s Dragonfish drone are now available for purchase in the U.S. The Dragonfish is a rugged commercial VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) that was first released in January of this year. The Dragonfish can fly up to 67 mph, has a max transmission range of about 18.5 miles, and it comes with one-click takeoff and landing, as well as several modes to support commercial applications, including a Point of Interest mode and an AI High-Speed tracking mode. One of the biggest differences between the three models of the Dragonfish is battery life—the Dragonfish Pro can stay in the air for an incredible 180 minutes, while the Dragonfish Standard and Dragonfish Lite can fly for 120 minutes and 75 minutes, respectively.
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Police in Texas Save Drowning Couple with Help from a Drone
The Mesquite and Garland Police and Fire Departments in Texas recently teamed up to perform swift water rescues after sudden flooding occurred in the area. After the Mesquite Police Department received a distress call from a drowning couple they quickly went to the wooded area where the couple said they were, but couldn’t find them. Mesquite officers asked for support from the Garland Police Department’s drone unit, and, using a drone, were quickly able to find the couple holding onto a tree. The drone also helped find three other people that were in danger from the floods. All five were saved from drowning after being found with the drone. The operation demonstrates the life-saving value of drone technology during disasters, as well as the importance of public safety departments within and between cities coordinating with each other to share resources and mutually support emergency operations.
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Wing Launches Drone Delivery in Dallas-Fort Worth Area
Credit: Wing
Drone delivery company Wing has launched a new delivery network in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The new network will primarily offer deliveries of health and wellness products from Walgreens, which will be filled from a Walgreens parking lot. Other items available for delivery include prescription pet medications, first aid kits, and ice cream. To start, deliveries will only be available to residents of Frisco, a suburb of Dallas. To avoid overwhelming the new delivery service, customers will be sectioned into groups until the network is fully operational.
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