Oh wow Petr, you did what I've been trying to do for months! We have whales going up the West coast near me, traveling from Mexico to Alaska. Palos Verdes Peninsula here in So. Calif is where hundreds of people whale watch from shore, but both times I've been there I've not been able to find a whale close enough to shore to follow with my Phantom. I'm envious, what a great experience. I'm gonna find some whales, I'm not quitting.
I agree, the P4 is the best craft for flight time to do this, but I've never got 25min flight times as you have. I think 21 is as many as I have been able to squeeze out of the craft, but that's about 3 more than my P3P. I'm going to use my Headplay goggles next year during the whale migration. You're right, the bright outdoor sunlight makes is difficult to spot anything. Speaking Headplay, have you tried the
RHO lens upgrade? Oh man, you need to review this lens replacement (sans fresnel lens), it increases the focus depth to really amp up the clarity. Old guys like me can use them now.
As for travelling, I fly on airlines for my work all over the country. I always take my baby, backpack stowed above me in the overhead. Never had a problem, but I only fly domestically. I think a good quality backpack (I use the ThinkTank Heliport) is a great investment for anyone that travels, hikes, or bikes to flying locations. I personally couldn't use a hard case for travel, too much hassle, but I don't take redundant backup systems either like you.
BTW, you mention you left the VPS turned on the P4 while following whales. I wasn't aware you could turn it off. Have you found a way?
Good episode, I liked the content!
