Crop circles are patterns that appear or are created in crop fields. The term "crop circle" was coined when most of those that appeared were circles of flattened corn, wheat, barley, or some other crop.
As the years passed these circles developed into complex geometric patterns and pictograms.
Crop circles have appeared for tens and perhaps hundreds of years all over the world but it was the proliferation and variety in those that appeared in Southern England during recent decades that has created a huge upsurge of interest in this phenomenon.
A crop circle industry has been generated. They have sparked the interest of amateur and professional researchers, the media, and the Ministry of Defence. Books, films, and lecture tours are available for anyone wanting to know more. I have included some links to useful websites in the description area below this video.
Who is creating them? Well, you tell me. Personally, I don't buy the story that they are all made by hoaxers and artists. There is more to this than that. There is ample scientific evidence that suggests other forces are at work.
Let's just say non human intelligences may be involved.
But enough of that for now. Here are my suggestions for how to use a drone to capture images and film.
First of all we have to adhere to The Law and make safety our top priority.
You can't fly over the land without the land owner's permission and you can't fly higher than 400 feet.
So your first task is to obtain permission to fly over the field. This may involve a certain amount of detective work either online or in the vicinity of the crop circle. Ask in the nearest shop or pub, or stop and ask anyone who looks like they live and work in the area.
It shouldn't be too difficult to find out who the farmer is as he or she will probably already be alerted by the buzz of activity that the crop circle generates.
The land owner may also make themselves known as they might spot the opportunity to make some money charging curious visitors a small fee for entering the field.
If you can't obtain permission from the land owner of the field in which the formation appears you might be able to take shots from an area nearby for which you have obtained permission.
Once you have the required permission and you've carried out all other legal and situational awareness checks you may begin you pre flight checks.
It's highly advisable to work with a spotter. The drone pilot can concentrate on safe operation of the aircraft and operating the camera.
The spotter can keep scanning the skies in all directions for any other aircraft, manned or unmanned.
The spotter can also keep a lookout for wildlife e.g. hovering birds, and answer any questions posed by curious onlookers.
Another thing to be aware of is the fact that some recording and other electrical equipment has malfunctioned when close to or within a crop circle.
You should include this fact in your risk assessment before flight.
If your drone shows any sign of abnormal flight then land it immediately.
Keep in mind that you might not be the only drone pilot operating in the area. Other pilots, with or without permission, may also be flying drones in the same airspace.
Acknowledgements ---------------- This presentation contains images that were used under a Creative Commons License. Click here to see the full list of images and attributions: https://app.contentsamurai.com/cc/42227
