Escape coronavirus lockdown with your DJI Mavic Air 2

Does social distancing to avoid getting COVID-19, drive you crazy? Are you fed up wearing a mask? Are the people in your household getting on your nerves? Do as I did and grab your DJI Mavic Air 2 (or any other drone), jump in your car and escape the coronavirus lockdown, even if it is only temporary, and take some amazing aerial photos or videos!

Escape coronavirus lockdown with your DJI Mavic Air 2

A couple of weeks ago there was a very cool photo opportunity right here in New York. Two tug boats were going to pull the USS Slater (DE-766), a Cannon-class destroyer escort, down the Hudson River to Staten Island in New York to undergo repairs. A friend of mine had sent me the schedule of when this WWII ship would be making its way past West Point and Peekskill. This was a chance too good to pass up on.

After charging my battery, unfortunately, I only have one, for the DJI Mavic Air 2 and making sure both the firmware and app were up to date, I started packing my backpack. At the last moment, I decided to take the DJI Mavic 2 Pro along as well as the sun would be setting by the time the USS Slater would sail past Peekskill.

For the first couple of aerial photos, I decided to launch from a park slightly North of the Bear Mountain bridge. Dozens of other people had the same idea and the place was packed (mask back on). There were even three other drones ready to take off and get some photos of the USS Slater. I counted one DJI Inspire and two other Mavics. It was going to be crowded in the skies!

Though crowded, the conditions for aerial photography were quite good as the USS Slater sailed past the Bear Mountain Bridge and towards Peekskill. After I had depleted my single battery, I drove South hoping to catch the ship again around Haverstraw. By the time the destroyer arrived there, it was already much darker and I used the DJI Mavic 2 Pro with its one-inch sensor (great for low-light) to capture some final shots before the sun would completely disappear.

In about two and a half hours, I was able to get out of the house, get some fresh air, safely keep my distance, and fly my drones to take some cool shots of a very interesting subject. Now, of course, it is not every day that a WWII ship sails down the Hudson River, but my point is that flying your DJI Mavic Air 2 (or any other drone) is a great way to temporarily escape the coronavirus stress, have some fun and get some cool photos to boot!

Stay safe, fly responsibly, and have fun!

Written for The Drone U

FYI - The first photo shown here has only been cropped. The second top-down photo is slightly unsharp because of shutterspeed that was too slow. I applied some light editing and cropping to this one. The last photo from the DJI Mavic 2 has been untouched.

FYI 2 - You can follow the USS Slater on Facebook.