Quadcopter Rescues Kid’s Stuck Rocket on Roof

This is geeky beyond measure….

I’m in the “laboratory” getting ready for an aerial shoot tomorrow.  My hexacopter is good to go, but in case I need another flight or backup I was getting my DJI Phantom ready to fly.  I had just balanced some new props and was walking up the stairs when the doorbell rang.  Quad in hand, I answered the door.  It was a neighbor kid.

“My rocket is on your roof.”

He had launched a rocket from his yard and miscalculated the wind.  The parachute was hanging off the edge of the roof and the rocket was on the roof.  I told him I’d be happy to try taking the Phantom up there and seeing if I could get close enough for the wind from the props to blow the rocket down.  He, his father, and three other neighbor kids thought that was a brilliant idea.

I was a little worried.  I just spent a bunch of money on new props.  I’d hate to break them AND leave the damn Phantom on the roof.

I piloted up to the roof and positioned the quad above the rocket.  It was a bit breezy so I had to manipulate it a bit to keep it in position, despite being in GPS mode (that’s another discussion).  I lowered to the point where the prop wash hit the rocket and voila!  The rocket blew down and I was the hero of the neighborhood.

The neighbor kids raved how cool the Phantom was to which I said, “you should see the BIG bird!”

I then busted out the big hexacopter and did a neighborhood flight with a very attentive audience.  They loved it, and I got a test flight in on the big bird after having to reset the gimbal settings.