A pilot risked melting down his drone to capture impressive footage of the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Svanur Gabriele, 17, flew his drone over lava to capture stunning footage for Airstock after dozens of earthquakes disturbed a number of volcanoes.
The Icelandic team captured a spectacular FPV movie over Geldingadalir and the Meradalir Volcano on August 3. Airstock Founder Gardar Olafs Recounts PetaPixel about the dangers of filming.
“The area can be dangerous because there is gas coming from the crack. If the wind direction changes, it is necessary to have an appropriate gas mask,” says Olafs.
“It is risky to fly over an active volcano because there is a lot of heat which will melt the drone if you get close to the lava, there is also a lot of magnetic interference.
“There’s also a lot of air traffic with helicopters and planes flying over scientists and researchers, so flying a drone over the eruption site can be risky.”
Equipment
The Nordic team used a bespoke five-inch freestyle FPV drone with a GoPro Hero10 capturing the action. Their drone is capable of reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour.
“Svanur Gabriele is the pilot and specializes in FPV stunt flying, he is 17 years old and based in Iceland, he captures footage for us here at Airstock,” says Olafs.
Seismic activity triggers volcanic eruptions
The volcanoes, which erupted on Wednesday, are located near the country’s capital, Reykjavik.
“The lava comes from a crack in the ground,” says Einar Hjorleifsson, natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Bloomberg.
Fortunately, at present, no lives appear to be endangered by the lava flow, according to Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.
The country’s main transport hub, Keflavík Airport, was briefly alerted, as is standard procedure during flares. However, the facility has not canceled any flights and operations are continuing on schedule.
The recent Geldingadalir eruption occurred in the same area where a six-month eruption began in February 2021, near Grindavík, a fishing town of about 3,600 people, Bloomberg reports.
To learn more about Airstock’s work, visit their website and Instagram.
Picture credits: All photos by Airstock.
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