ok so yeah this was a whole thing. was out near the south rim last week, technically outside the national park boundary because i actually did my research this time and knew you cant fly inside the park without a permit. found a spot on public land maybe half a mile from the edge and it was totally legal, wind was calm, perfect morning light

anyway sent it up got some amazing shots and then on the way back a gust came out of nowhere, seriously no warning, and the drone just started getting pushed sideways toward the canyon. sport mode saved my life basically. got it back but my hands were shaking for like ten minutes after. the thermals around canyon edges are no joke, warm air coming up off the rock and it just throws everything off

canyon thermals are genuinely terrifying and i feel like nobody talks about it enough. same thing happened to me near zion, not inside the park but near a cliff edge and the updraft was insane, the drone was climbing on its own with the throttle at zero basically. had to force it down manually and even that felt sketchy

wait you can fly near the grand canyon if youre outside the park boundary? i assumed the whole area was off limits. might have to look into that, ive been wanting to go out there for a while