One of our Cooper’s stars Alan Chiaruttini works as a Windows Engineer at a large pharmaceutical company in Basel and loves flying drones. For everyone who is not familiar with drones, a drone is a device that flies through the air and has a camera on it that can take footage in a 360-degree format. A person standing on the ground steers it by using a remote control. Owning a drone is becoming a trend as more affordable models of drones are coming on the market. The growing interest in drones is understandable; why take a simple picture, when you could have a drone that flies miles away and takes amazing footage of your surrounding area, right? In this interview Alan will tell you about this fascinating technology.
Alan, what triggered you to buy your first drone?
Well, I am a trained pilot as well as a Windows Engineer, so the drone combines my passion for technology and flying beautifully. You know, when I used to look at the cockpit of an aeroplane and see all the buttons and flashing lights it made me feel really emotional. Flying my drone lets me relive these memories in a way.
Is it easy to fly a drone?
Yes, the newer versions are very easy to steer. You can even leave the remote control on the table and the drone will hover next to you, that would not be possible with the older versions! It is also much more difficult to fly older drones. I built myself a simple one without a camera so I could practise flying it before I invested in mine.
What imagery do you take?
Mainly landscape sceneries of mountains. My family owns a holiday home in Mörlialp in Obwalden, and that is where I use my drone most. The guy who drives the snow groomer on the local ski resort asked me if I would film him at work on the piste, so I did, and he was really happy. One day I would really like to take a film of the whole ski resort and blend in the name of each ski piste. Maybe the Marketing department of the local tourism office will be interested in it when it is finished.
So mainly you use your drone to take videos.
I use it a lot for photos too. There is also another way to use a drone which is more of an “experience” and has nothing to do with taking photos and videos: You put on First Person View (FPV) goggles which look like a diving mask and allows you to see the view from the camera directly. When you wear them it feels like you are flying. If you have ever seen someone do this it looks really funny because they often sway back and forth or duck down when the drone flies close to a tree.
Are you happy with your DJI Inspire 1, the drone you own?
In principle yes, it is a great model. However, I am thinking of buying myself a smaller, lighter version of the DJI. The newer versions have an “automatically avoiding obstacles feature built in”, this would be really useful! Also, they only weigh around 700g. My current drone weighs around 3kg and comes in a big box. I could carry it in a backpack, but it is very heavy, so I usually have to drive somewhere and fly from there. It would be nice if I could take it on a hike and then fly it on a good spot wherever I feel like.
What programs do you use for editing your videos?
On my tablet and iPhone I use an app called “Quick”, which does the basic job. For more detailed editing I use the Apple tool “Final Cut Pro” on my Mac.
What rules and regulations are there for drone pilots?
In Switzerland every drone that weighs more than 500g needs to be insured. Many people don’t know that. And of course, I cannot fly my drone anywhere I feel like, for example it is not permitted to fly drones over a crowd of people. All the information about the rules and regulations are published on the website of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).
You seem to be well-informed, is every drone pilot as responsible as you?
Unfortunately, not. Drones are so easily available and there are cheaper models on the market, so anyone can simply go out and buy one and start flying. I always act responsibly with my drone, because I do not want there to be too many rules and regulations, which would restrict my hobby.
However, once when I was taking a film of my friend’s house, which is located on a hill, his neighbours came out and complained. I had to show them the harmless video to calm them down. I think it in future every drone owner will need to have a license, similar to a car number plate, that is unique to each drone. That would be a good idea.
At the end of the interview, can we ask you a few unconventional questions, which we ask all our Coopers blog interviewees?
Sure.
Mac or PC?
For personal use Mac. 100%.
My favourite mobile app is:
“Meteosuisse” and “DJI GO” (my drone app).
Which three things would you take with you to a deserted island?
1) A truck with a big watertank.
2) My drone of course.
3) Pasta.
Complete this sentence please: “I love working in IT because…"
it’s flexible.
Thank you very much Alan Chiaruttini.
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