Flight over Fairchild Gardens

[Palmarum]

The South Florida Palm Society had their spring sale last weekend (May 3rd & 4th) at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens. Travis Searle brought out his Phantom drone once again to take as many aerial videos as batteries would allow. At first we thought it would be too overcast and rainy, but by around 10:30 on Saturday morning it began to clear up, slightly. The drone took off from the edge of the tram trail and did a loop through the sales area, landing close to where it started. You can see just about every vendor booth in the video, and most of the vendors. The video was taken after the very brief morning 'rush' of customer traffic had ended.

http://youtu.be/t-dbclo_Kuc

Ryan

[Palmarum]

The second, and unfortunately the last, video of the day was taken about an hour later. I wanted a long, high view over the palm overlook area starting at the top of the stairs and going to and from the lowlands. About halfway through the video, the drone was hitting some serious crosswind making for some unstable flight. Travis handled it, with some small adjustments but it was making the drone go off course a bit. The silver Bismarck Palms, Bismarckia nobilis, really stood out, even in the overcast light. Near the end of the flight, about the four minute mark, the drone was getting close to the tree with the purple flowers, Jacaranda cuspidifolia; for a close up inspection when we got interrupted...

A Fairchild employee came over and ordered us to stop under threat of police action:

"You have to bring that down now or we'll call the cops on you."

We didn't know it was not allowed, but mentioning such a harsh response right at the beginning of the conversation without a greeting or even a "hello" was a bit rough. Knowing the garden through the years I was not surprised. Apparently, they do not want anything in the air over the garden, balloons, kites, etc. Travis brought the drone down soon after and the video action was done for the day. We had plans to do more videos, including a flight through the rainforest area and some close-up views of the larger palms in the lowlands (Corypha, Borassus), but oh well. Maybe in the future it will be possible.

http://youtu.be/ct3xfaXjTZo

Ryan

[fr8train]

Neat, I was there on Friday when they were first setting up.

Shame about not being able to film more.

[Zeeth]

Very cool!

[Palmarum]

Neat, I was there on Friday when they were first setting up. ...

That is a shot of the center of Jeff Searle's booth, under the tent, before we got the signs up. That is Jeff walking away on the right. We must have been still doing the initial arrangement of the booth after the unloading, as the trailer is still there but the back doors are closed. The society had a Friday night preview party for members and vendors.

Ryan

[fr8train]

That is a shot of the center of Jeff Searle's booth, under the tent, before we got the signs up. That is Jeff walking away on the right. We must have been still doing the initial arrangement of the booth after the unloading, as the trailer is still there but the back doors are closed. The society had a Friday night preview party for members and vendors.

Ryan

hehe I was creeping around there while they were setting up. I was just visiting Fairchild and had no idea this was going on.

Edited May 12, 2014 by fr8train

[edric]

Great work Travis and Ryan, Ed

[Moose]

Neat, I was there on Friday when they were first setting up.

Shame about not being able to film more.

Dang, I was there, too bad we missed connecting.

Ryan - any chance you took any photos of the show winning palms & cycad? They were some exceptional plants!

[Jeff Searle]

Very cool Travis and Ryan. A very new perspective of the gardens like never seen before. The only thing that was missing were customers.

[Eric in Orlando]

That is so cool !

if you can do it again get video in the crowns of the tall Copernicia baileyana and C. gigas! And the 2 massive Borassus aethiopum!

[Cindy Adair]

I really enjoyed the video and am only sorry I couldn't have been there to see all the palms and take a few home!

[sur4z]

Loved it...thanks for posting the video

[Gbarce]

Wow that was awesome I really enjoyed that!

Do you somehow get a live feed of what the camera is capturing?

[_Keith]

Awesome. So what are the details on the bad boy, brand, model, additions and modification. I think I just might have to have one.

[fr8train]

Dang, I was there, too bad we missed connecting.

For sure. Maybe someday, I sure wouldn't mind living in an area where I could grow just about anything outdoors. If not, I plan to go back to South Florida at some point anyway.

Very cool Travis and Ryan. A very new perspective of the gardens like never seen before. The only thing that was missing were customers.

Crazy that there weren't more customers, the palms were large and healthy and the prices were incredibly reasonable. They were practically giving them away.

Edited May 12, 2014 by fr8train

[avanza]

That is so cool !if you can do it again get video in the crowns of the tall Copernicia baileyana and C. gigas! And the 2 massive Borassus aethiopum!

Yes yes please do it.

[Copter Guy]

Hey guys thanks for all the input but unfortunately no more flying there unless we get permission. I'm sure if I paid enough they would let me.......

[_Keith]

Hey guys thanks for all the input but unfortunately no more flying there unless we get permission. I'm sure if I paid enough they would let me.......

Show them what you did, offer to give them a copy to use for promos. Sure more advanced than anything they have today.

[Moose]

Dang, I was there, too bad we missed connecting.

For sure. Maybe someday, I sure wouldn't mind living in an area where I could grow just about anything outdoors. If not, I plan to go back to South Florida at some point anyway.

Very cool Travis and Ryan. A very new perspective of the gardens like never seen before. The only thing that was missing were customers.

Crazy that there weren't more customers, the palms were large and healthy and the prices were incredibly reasonable. They were practically giving them away.

Ah, I see you found Faith's booth. Always some great bargains found on her tables.

[Stevetoad]

That's crazy cool. I'm with Keith. Show them what you can do with it and tell them you'll give them a copy for promo.

[sur4z]

Here is an interesting article on drones in national parks...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/05/05/park-service-ignores-law-says-flying-a-drone-may-mean-six-months-in-jail-5000-fine/

[_Keith]

Be careful with the drone depending on which state you are in.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/unmanned-aerial-vehicles.aspx

[Palmarum]

Ryan - any chance you took any photos of the show winning palms & cycad? They were some exceptional plants!

Ron,

I took photos of the award winners as they were receiving their ribbons, but I didn't photograph all the plants. I was planning to at one point, but I got all distracted and forgot. I did look for them on Sunday and they were some nice plants. The Croci's had a huge C. borhidiana in a 10 gal. pot that won Best Palmate and Botanics' had that massive coning Lepidozamia in a 25 gal. pot that naturally won Best Cycad. The other winners escape me at the moment.

- The only photos I took were of Jeff Searle and his double award winning and very old Voanioala gerardii. It won both awards for Best in Show and Most Rare.

- The palm came simply for the show and was not for sale, but that didn't keep people from trying to get it. Let's just say their bids were rather low. We didn't have the detailed nursery records with us, so we estimated the palm's age at 15 years.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

That is so cool !

if you can do it again get video in the crowns of the tall Copernicia baileyana and C. gigas! And the 2 massive Borassus aethiopum!

Eric, that was one of the key areas for filming I wanted to fly over for the entire day. We were working our way out there when we were shut down after the second video. I didn't want to go there first as I was hoping the sun would come out later for better light. The female Borassus was forming near mature fruit at the time and I wanted to see them in the video.

Wow that was awesome I really enjoyed that!

Do you somehow get a live feed of what the camera is capturing?

There is tech you can get that would allow POV piloting that attaches to the existing model. It is a small, live streaming camera that attaches to the drone (and battery, as short as the life is already) that sends video back to special glasses. Travis has been considering it, but the tech is constantly changing and updating so better to wait and see what comes out next month and so on. Newer and larger drone models come with POV piloting video but they are significantly more expensive. Now we just keep line-of-sight on the drone and think ahead of time on how to direct it.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

Awesome. So what are the details on the bad boy, brand, model, additions and modification. I think I just might have to have one.

The drone is a DJI Phantom 1 quadcopter that came with the standard mount, controller, charger and a single battery. With one charged battery, you get between 6 and 10 minutes of flight time. It varies based on how much full power flying is done vs. just hovering, the load on the drone (with or without camera, mount) and the ambient temperature. Additions include three more batteries for a total of four, which take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour (rarely) to charge. With an available outlet to plug the charger into, and with normal charging time, the four batteries can be used in a loop to maintain regular flying; (1 in use, 1 charging, 2 more ready to go). We have made video segments from different flights and used a video editor to stitch them together.

The camera mount was upgraded from the standard shock-absorber type to a FeiyuTech powered gimbal. The gimbal maintains a steady to still position of the camera while cancelling out the motion, shaking and vibration of the drone in flight. The gimbal also tilts the camera from level to minus ninety degrees. This modification makes a huge difference in video quality. If you remember the first Searle Brothers Nursery video posted earlier and compare it to the ones taken during the last 'Ganza and the ones posted here, you should see the difference. The gimbal is tied into the power supply drawing on the battery and adds weight to the drone, thus reducing flight time. I am not sure as to the percent in reduction, but it is well worth it.

The camera is a GoPro Hero3, which is a fun device all onto itself. It makes for incredible video as you have seen. If it reaches the point where the requirements of recording aerial videos exceeds that of the GoPro, we would get more batteries and memory cards for it. But for now, one battery and one 32GB memory card has been sufficient. Travis uses the GoPro camera for other types of video, in addition to the work with the drone. Hard to say if the drone is an accessory to the camera, or the other way around.

- Before the filming of the first video, FM. Travis Searle (Copter Guy) shows the drone to Vendors Ellis and Rusty Brown. The prop guards are another addition that are designed to obviously protect the propellers from contact. They can appear in the video and are entirely optional, but we usually fly with them. They do save on wear and tear and can shield the frame from damage if you fly hard into an object and they are easily replaced.

- The drone in flight during the first video through the sales area. The taller and wider landing gear was another modification. With the use of the gimbal, the standard struts are not tall enough to keep the camera off the ground. They can also appear in the video when viewing down, but it is a minor issue. We have thought of ways of possibly launching and landing the drone without gear, but in the case of an emergency landing or a loss-of-contact auto-return landing, it could put the camera in danger.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- One added side note to the topic and the sale involves this old specimen of Normanbya normanbyi. It has been growing in a small plot within the sales area for a long time and many do not even know it is there. It is sheltered and obscured by other nearby palms and trees. I know it has been flowering for a while, but this past weekend was the first time I noticed it with full-sized, ripe fruit. The species is not as rare in cultivation as it once was, but a mature tree producing fruit in S. Florida has to be of significance to the local palm world.

I was not the first to notice the fruit, including the ones that had already fallen to the ground below. With the abundance of palm growers around in the early morning, the fallen fruit were not touching dirt for long. Some may had fallen into a nearby clump of a spiny bromeliad so we expect to see some seedlings popping up in a little while, unless someone else get's to them first...

(over my left shoulder I saw)...

- ... Palm seed are always in jeopardy as danger is never far away.

Ryan

[Pando]

(over my left shoulder I saw)...

- ... Palm seed are always in jeopardy as danger is never far away.

Here's a trick I learned about keeping squirrels away - tinfoil. No, not on your head. Wrap some aluminum foil semi-loose around the flower stalks so they can't get to the seeds. Squirrels don't want to touch tinfoil as it reflects light and makes sharp noise. This works pretty well for fruit trees also (wrap some around the trunk and around branches so they can't reach the fruit). It's cheap, easy to apply, and won't harm the tree. Tell the neighbors so they will stop laughing...

Edited May 13, 2014 by Pando

[jglock1]

It is sad! I remember the day when Fairchild cared about their palms and plants than the do about weddings and bar mitzvahs. I was a member for years. I dropped my membership years ago when their focus changed.

My membership now is with a garden that does not worship the almighty dollar.

My father was a member years ago. If he were alive today, he would be disgusted with Fairchild.

Travis they should pay you to fly the drone!

[Copter Guy]

It is sad! I remember the day when Fairchild cared about their palms and plants than the do about weddings and bar mitzvahs. I was a member for years. I dropped my membership years ago when their focus changed.

My membership now is with a garden that does not worship the almighty dollar.

My father was a member years ago. If he were alive today, he would be disgusted with Fairchild.

Travis they should pay you to fly the drone!

Yeah I wish I would charge them so much on purpose.

[WestCoastGal]

Sadly with the cost of everything having gone up since you and your dad were members, I'm sure they are forced to look for all kinds of fundraising for supporting the gardens thus the weddings, etc.

[Moose]

Ryan - any chance you took any photos of the show winning palms & cycad? They were some exceptional plants!

Ron,

I took photos of the award winners as they were receiving their ribbons, but I didn't photograph all the plants. I was planning to at one point, but I got all distracted and forgot. I did look for them on Sunday and they were some nice plants. The Croci's had a huge C. borhidiana in a 10 gal. pot that won Best Palmate and Botanics' had that massive coning Lepidozamia in a 25 gal. pot that naturally won Best Cycad. The other winners escape me at the moment.

- The only photos I took were of Jeff Searle and his double award winning and very old Voanioala gerardii. It won both awards for Best in Show and Most Rare.

- The palm came simply for the show and was not for sale, but that didn't keep people from trying to get it. Let's just say their bids were rather low. We didn't have the detailed nursery records with us, so we estimated the palm's age at 15 years.

Ryan

That is a very rare palm, even rarer that size in a container - simply outstanding!

Curious how many zeros would have to be filled in on a check before Jeff would part with it.

[Jeff Searle]

Ron,

Honestly, it really isn't about selling this palm for good money and then moving on to the next. I thoroughly have enjoyed growing this palm, even though at a very slow rate of growth. It is extremely rare to have one, and nearly impossible to bring seed in, due to permitting. I killed the first two when they were planted at the house in almost all day shade, so I blame myself for this, not the palm. But I get much enjoyment in having this very endangered palm and some day hope to find the perfect home. MY HOME, I hope!