Droning for Mental Health

Most of us want to fly like a bird at some point in our childhood. Most of us still wants to fly like Superman if it was safe. If we live 20 more years, I’m almost sure Superman-like flight will be available for the adventurous. It wouldn't be too different from a motorcycle in the air, like we all saw on Endor with Ewoks.

My first business was trying to make drones a reality in the US. It was 2008, and there was only a little activity happening around the idea of a micro-copter coming out of Germany and a few other places. I spent $8k on a setup of a carbon fiber octo-copter, and during our first outdoor test, it ended up on the first base of a little league game. We grabbed the alien tech and got out of there before cops were called.

I couldn’t ever figure out how to make a business around this technology that wouldn’t cost more than it made. It was just a few years later that DJI out of China made such a good debut with their consumer drones that the writing was on the wall. This was not a place to launch a company for consumers, and many have failed that try to go up against DJI unless they sell to the US Military or something.

So, today, I use drones religiously for my own mental health. I fly around my backyard and watch life below and feel like Superman. I put my favorite sounds into my ears. I get 20 minutes of flight per battery. That’s about all I need, and it serves as my daily meditation.

I'm considering setting up a YouTube channel soon, where I'll go live through my drone. The audio and everything else will be set up, so you all can join me for an aerial spectacular. Below is a shot of my neighbor's home early in the summer morning. The next is dead of winter at Deer Creek area, and the last photo is of Zion NP.

Ok, I was literally flying my drone when 4:20 hit today and my message didn’t go out. I must figure out why Substack things I am in California still. Hitting Send now.

From Above with Love,

SP