My name is Brandon, I'm 42yrs old living in Westport, CT. I'm a former Chef turned Circus Artist. The thing I'm most proud about was turning my hobby into a career! It's been the most exciting thing getting paid to travel and perform! I'm hoping lightning will strike twice as I work more on content creation with all my tech toys.
I love technology, my eyes are always open for things I don’t need, but Skydio 2 just works, and no controller necessary! I know, I couldn’t capture the footage Skydio 2 does, with its obstacle avoidance, and excitingly aggressive moves to stay in position.
I've been on the hunt for an autonomous drone for years. For those that don’t remember, back in the day there was a kickstarter for a drone called “Lily” if I remember right. It was supposed to have a tracker/beacon as well, and I knew for what I did, it was perfect. They never panned out in the end and Skydio finally showed up to seize the day!
Like I said…I like tech! I'm also into building high powered DIY electric skateboards… I needed a drone that could keep up into the 30mph + club.
Riding on the east coast with Skydio can be rough with all the power lines so finding the right open space for getting the shots I want comes with research, but when I was in San Diego visiting family it was super exciting not having to worry about any major obstacles the drone couldn’t handle.
I’ve captured some great cinematic shots, but I love the action shots. I recently got some great footage in a tree farm by my house. It's enough space to really cut loose, enough obstacles to keep the Skydio busy, but none that you have to worry about either. That's the stuff that makes shots interesting!
Motion/Fixed Track are my go-to tracking modes, but I've really been digging the Cable skill!
I feel like it gets overlooked and underused but what if you want a dronie that doesn't change altitude? More than 3 seconds to get ready? You’re under a canopy of trees and need a smooth reveal shot?There’s a lot of untapped potential in the Cable skill that I’m starting to explore and hope to share more of in the future!
Here are my best tips for flying with Skydio 2:
- Buy the ND filters, I promise they’ll make your footage look way better (must learn about light control at some point)
- Practice FIRST in controlled or semi controlled environments to understand the drones capabilities better.
- Connect the beacon for the extended range it gives while using the phone.
- Have fun, fly safe, register your drone.
Follow me over on YouTube @ LifeOfAccro, as I like the longer form content and hate having to post vertical videos! So much amazingness lost! I like to vlog and talk about Skydio, eSkate and other tech related things. Ideally I just want to be Peter McKinnon and just be me and post whatever I want... someday!
You can also find me on Instagram, I'm always open to questions and content requests so feel free to message me!
