The STEAM club’s drone launched Wednesday for its second flight after going in for repairs in October.
The Phantom 3 took aerial footage of the campus and will allow community members to watch athletic events from multiple perspectives. The drone is equipped with four sets of helicopter blades, a high-resolution camera, and a gyroscope which gives the device the ability to automatically stabilize itself. It also comes with flight simulator software, allowing students to practice without putting the drone at risk.
Photo by Noa Schabes ’17
Photo by Noa Schabes ’17
Photo by Noa Schabes ’17
Photo by Noa Schabes ’17
Photo by Noa Schabes ’17
The drone was donated in October by a lower school parent, but the School had to send it in for repairs due to a glitch in the controller software. Even after the club got the drone back, bad weather and the alternating schedule of club meetings delayed its use even further.
“I’m excited to fly [the drone] when the weather gets warmer,” says STEAM club member Sean Lee ’16, who also hopes to fly the drone off campus.
STEAM Director Chris Hardman, under whose name the drone is officially registered, wants students to use the device to make a time-lapse of the upcoming construction to the Chase building. The drone’s GPS flight system will allow the camera to provide footage from the same location every launch.
“When the drone took flight, everyone looked in awe,” says STEAM club member and drone enthusiast Michael Finn-Henry ’18. “It was pretty awe-inspiring”
In addition to the Phantom Three, the STEAM club has also purchased a few smaller, less powerful drones.
