A drone operator decided to get an up-close-and-personal view of an erupting volcano. Joey Helms traveled to Reykjavík, Iceland, where the active volcano Fagradalsfjall has been erupting since March.
“I flew there for a long weekend just to witness my first volcanic eruption and, as a filmmaker and video creator, capture the beautiful spectacle nature put on,” Helms told Hyperbeast. “Drones provide an unusual angle and let you shoot from places you cannot get to — like a hot lava river.”
Helms used a DJI FPV (first-person view) drone to fly right into the mouth of the volcano, while he remained a safe distance away. The video, which he shared on his YouTube channel, shows the drone buzzing over a lake of molten lava as it approaches the top of the volcano. Helms then lost control of the drone and watched as it crashed into the lava. While the drone was destroyed, it did provide amazing footage in its final seconds.
“I tried to push it as much I could to get spectacular footage, but I reckon I pushed it a little too far,” he said. “The silver lining is that we got some really amazing-looking footage.”
Helms said he only recently started using first-person view drones, which can be difficult to fly.
“I’m new to FPV drones, and in my defense, people crash and lose them all the time,” he explained. “Around the volcano, where you have the hot gasses emitted that cause turbulence and hot rocks raining down onto you, flying these things is even more tricky.”
Photo: Getty Images