Video: FPV drone takes a deep dive down world's tallest waterfall

[Judi Lynn]

Published Aug 17, 2021 | Kara Murphy

Swiss-based remote pilot Ellis van Jason has spent thousands of hours practicing his FPV flight skills. It paid off on a recent trip to Venezuela, where he was able to produce a video depicting a 'birds-eye' perspective of a deep dive down Angel Falls – the tallest waterfall in the world.

FPV drones are paired with goggles that give the pilot a live transmission feed and a sense of being in a virtual driver's seat. Their maneuverability coupled with enhanced speed allows the aircraft to capture dynamic, close-up footage that can't be obtained with any other type of aircraft.

They started out being used for racing but recent developments, including better cameras, have made FPV drones a useful tool for filming cinematic footage. DJI's FPV drone offers and extended range that other models don't. While it isn't clear which model van Jason used, as it isn't mentioned, it had to be sophisticated enough to approach a waterfall with a height of 3,212 feet and plunge 2,648 feet down to the base of the waterfall.

The pinnacle of the video, involving the dive, took roughly 17 seconds to complete. Waterdrops splashed the camera occasionally as the drone flew perilously close to the surface of the falls. Besides flight training, preparation involved rigorous scouting. 'I just returned from a 2 week expedition through the jungles of Venezuela to FPV the world's tallest waterfall, Angel falls (979m / 3121 ft). I had this beautiful country on my bucket list for many years. My friends and I explored the jungle for days by boat, foot, helicopter and drone to show you something unique,' van Jason explains on the video's YouTube page.

More:
https://www.dpreview.com/news/9489301115/video-fpv-drone-takes-a-deep-dive-down-world-s-tallest-waterfall

(Full screen, of course.)