My CRAZY DRONE LIFE after 20+yrs - “The First Drone”

My CRAZY DRONE LIFE after 20+yrs - “The First Drone” - 001 - (videos below)

Hello Steemit!

Over the past 20+years I’ve had a wild and crazy drone life, from the first TV News Interview in the US, to filming the “Running of the Bulls” in Spain, working on major Oscar winning films like the “Revenant”, to tv shows “Fear the Walking Dead”, and winning a bunch of awards along with way.

Im hoping to bring you all of my past and future adventures but before I can do that, you need to know how it all began.

In 1996 after graduating high school I enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a infantry paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne (3/325 PIR 11c2P) at Fort Bragg NC. In the summer of 1997 after jumping out of a perfectly good airplane I headed over to a dirt mount and waited for the rest of my battalion (the chalks) to jump.

While looking up through my night vision goggles I had spotted a “Predator Drone” flying around and blurted out “I CAN BUILD ONE BETTER THEN THAT” …. Well little did i know that my Captain (Captain Cass) was on the other side of the dirt mound and said back “Well then Clary, lets see you make one!” (Clary is my last name)….

Obviously at the time I was not serious but knew that disappointing my Captain was not an option. So after the rest of the week had gone by and getting constant gabs from my captain like “Where is the wannabe great UAV builder” and feeling defeated, it was finally the weekend.

During the week my Sargent (Sgt. Bush) had asked me if i could babysit his kid while he watched his wife at the strip club, and it was at this time my life would change forever.
(Photo of Mr Olympia Phil Heath and Me while filming the movie Generation Iron)

Sargent Bush, three months before had just finished up a tour in Japan and had brought back a wireless baby monitor for his newborn. When I had gone to babysit his kid and he had brought out this wonderful little piece of technology a HUGE LIGHT went off in my head and It was then, I knew maybe I would have a chance to make a mini predator drone.

When My Sargent arrived back home with his wife from the strip club, with a couple friends and pretty drunk, I was able to get him to let me keep the wireless baby monitor in exchange for him keeping the money and I would watch his kid for the next month for free. (He had one of his friends from Japan send him another one)

—— Back story.. As a kid growing up in So. California during the 80’s and 90’s I would hangout at a park called “Mile Square Park”. At this park was a huge RC Airfield where some of the coolest rc jets and airplanes would fly. It was at this park I learned how to build and fly RC airplanes. I was also big into computers and one time hacked my High Schools (Loara HS) computer system and changed my grades so i could stay on the swim team and “letter” in my first sport (changed it from a .83 to 2.83 lol… Now back to the story.. —-

So for the next week I disassembled the wireless baby monitor, converted the voltage to DC, relocated and made a longer receiver (rx) and transmitter (tx) antenna, bought a friends busted up 60size rc Trainer (telemaster) airplane with tx, servos, nitro motor, glow plug, starter stick, etc…, and started putting it all together. After about a week of assembling the airplane and incorporating the wireless baby monitor system into the fuselage it was ready for its Maiden flight…

(Adventure Drone filming in the Valley of the Gods)

So that following monday morning (i think it was monday) I had notified Captain Cass that after PT (physical training) I wanted to demo my UAV drone i made, for him..

After he stoped laughing he told me that PT would have to wait and that he wanted me to fly it right then and there, in front of the barracks, in front of all of Bravo company and the rest of A,C,D company doing PT, my stomach sank!

I had not test flown the aircraft, had not flown a RC airplane in over a year and was at least hoping we could go to a nearby field and even suggested this but Captain Cass was not hearing any of it.. He said “Well if its better then the Predator lets see it takeoff right here and show me Alpha (Alpha company doing PT)”…

So i hustled back into the barracks with my mortar platoon, up to my room and we brought down the airplane, controller, fuel, starter stick, glow plug, my 32inch tube TV (which was super heavy) and got a long extension cord from the supply room.. I hooked up the rx to the tv, switched on tv and electronics on the airplane and the video was live. It was at this time i noticed my captain started to get interested..

(Camping in the Adventure Vehicle on the Florida Coast)

It took a while to get the motor started and i remember hitting the prop so many times and so hard I was worried that the motor was going to break loose from the firewall, but then thinking “if it broke loose then i wouldn't have to fly and make a complete fool of myself”..

So basically I was like F-it, im going to hit this propeller and its either going to start or break the motor off, and low and behold the motor started, it actually scared the s-it out of me and i grabbed the back of the tail so hard that i remember feeling the balsa wood cracking..

After tuning the mixture needle, making it as rich as possible without cutting off when pointing the aircraft vertical, I then put the telemaster back on the sidewalk and asked my sergeant to hold the tail while i increased the motor to full throttle and screamed for them to let it go..

The telemaster started rolling down the sidewalk pretty fast and started to ver towards the grass on the left when i gave it pretty much full elevator and it took off.. Surprisingly the plane seemed pretty balanced and it just needed a little bit of trim.

At this point i had completely forgotten why i was where there and was super focused on not crashing the airplane into the barracks or the squads doing PT, I almost tuned everything out when I heard my Captan say “Clary thats pretty cool” and when I took a quick glance at the TV I could see the live aerial video from the airplane.. IT WAS F-ING AMAZING!! Although the picture was shitty I could see everyone looking up at me, and I was even able to chase a coupe guys just flying off the live video on the TV..

(filming alligators in Louisiana )

It was an amazing sense of freedom and as soon as I realized what I had done. I thought to myself “The sky is no longer the limit, I want to get out of the Army and chase people that want to be chased!”

After I had been flying around for around 5-10minutes my Captain said “Clary, land that airplane, pack this shit up and meet me in my office after PT”

After we finished PT I headed over to Captain Cass’s office where he told me that i was being transferred to 82nd HHC Headquarters Command. —— The rest of my Military adventure is Classified, but I remained in the army for 2more years and then once my first enlistment was up, i got out of the Army with a Honorable Discharge and have been “Chasing People that want to be chased ever since”

(When filming the Running of the Bulls in Spain)

The technology has vastly improved since 1997, and its been a absolute blessing to be on the forefront of a new industry and bring UAV’s/drones/etc…,to the world.

Im an inventor at heart, one of my favorite inventions is the first (civilian) “Remote Head Tracking System” that allowed a persons head movements to be relayed to a UAV/Drone, camera platform, remote gun system lol.., etc.., Video Below… (original video on my MySpace page)

In regards to drone cinematography, I’ve had basically only one goal, and that was to bring views of GODs creation to those that would otherwise never see or experience the amazing and far reaching places around the world, “Like Never Seen Before”

Im currently editing my first couple vlogs and they range from my favorite shoot to my worst shoot, my adventure vehicles and the drones I use to film.

If you have any questions about drones, interested in getting one, suggestions on vlogs, or anything else please let me know

Below are some pictures and fun videos Ive made and edited throughout my career. I hope you enjoy!

MY 2017 drone showreel

The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

Worlds first Remote Head Tracking

Drone Surfing video

When i cut my face open during the development and programming of the newer multi-rotor platforms.. by the grace of GOD the props did not cut my neck, eyes or even my facial nerve..