Solo Euro Hoon. Car, Guitar, Drone!!!

[Pericoloso]

The potato phone isn't as bad as it may seem.

[br d]

SydneyBridge said:

How does the Mclaren sound in the tunnels, compared with other cars you have taken in previous years?

It actually sounds pretty damn good Syd. It neeeds to be on Track/Track mode and you have to get it spun up (plus I have a sports exhaust) but yeah it does the job. I'm not going to pretend it howls like the V10 of my Lambo, that thing didn't need tunnels to make your hair stand on end!

The 650S was pretty weak in that regard to be fair.

[br d]

Pericoloso said:

The potato phone isn't as bad as it may seem.

I could try the potato on a higher res, it's on the lowest, but then there is an upload limit on here and I think it would go over.

Maybe I'll just start drawing stuff. Here's the mountain from my balcony with guitar leaning casually ready.

[seiben]

Epic stuff, as ever. I love these threads

[cherryowen]

Ditto

Three of my favourite things : cars, guitars, euro road trips

I managed to combine all three back in 2013, but certainly not in a McLaren whilst toting a Jellycaster that's for sure

Another great read, this is

[CS Garth]

Thanks for sharing Brad, vicarious enjoyment is high.

A request. In the name of science if you will (sorry Sharon).

Last year you posted after a night on the beers. Go forth and get well refreshed and tell us what happens please. Drone based hangover footage whilst breakfast in bed optional.

[DannyScene]

Swampy1982 said:

br d said:

I do have a balcony and I'd actually got the guitar out tonight to sit out and play becuase I thought no one else was up on this floor. But the next balcony along now has 3 American girls on it in their bathrobes who've just come up from the spa and I'm too embarrassed to play out there. They'll think I'm a fking hippy!

I'll check that location thing, sounds like that could be used for all the wrong reasons

go out there and strum until your heart is content...

err maybe don't let them see you 'strumming away' it may be easy going on the continent but I still don't think that's allowed in public

[Davey S2]

br d said:

Citroen Visa.

My mum used to have one of these in pi$$ yellow.

Horrible thing.

[br d]

Went up a mountain today, this one.



Had a back pack with 2 bottles of water, my glasses and Dave (the drone).
Was determined to both get to the top and get some good sweeping Dave footage, failed on both counts.

While it's not ropes and crampon stuff it is a tough climb, very rocky. Quickly became apparent that unmelted snow was going to be a problem, with large drifts of it blocking the route.



I got lost went the wrong way and when I realised this rather than backtrack I thought I could "just pop up to where I see the line if the path there". Big mistake, was very tough climbing of rocks, downed trees and gorse.
So I was knackered before I even started!

Dragged on for another couple of hours in the heat but cos my lungs are fked I had to stop every 100 yards or so.

Got a pic of the car! Did something similar last year but I'm doing it again cos I find myself amusing!



Near the top I was taking one of my gasping, coughing breaks when 2 German blokes appeared from further up the trail and I could have sworn one of them said "Too much smokes" Through gasps I said "What?"
He said "Too much snow". Ah

They said there were large drifts above that were too dangerous to tackle. I thanked them and carried on anyway.
They we're right, another couple of hundred yards and the path was cut off with sloping drifts that ended at the edge, too risky in trainers and a t-shirt. Pity because it was only another 300 yards to the top.

So I thought well let's get some footage with Dave, I'd carried the bd all the way up there after all.
There was only one big enough flat rock to launch him from and the edge of it was a sheer drop so I was pretty nervous anyway.
Was having a lot of trouble seeing the screen in the bright sun but I thought I could manage to just buzz him up to where rivers of water were cascading from the sheer cliff above which looked really impressive. What could go wrong?

I really must learn to listen to those quiet nagging voices.

All the updates were fine, I calibrated the compass which went well, took a deep breath and swiped take off.

Dave lifted 4 feet of the rock and immediately the cross wind started shoving him sideways toward the edge. At exactly the same time the handset thing went batst and started going BEEP-BEEP BEEP-BEEP very loudly. 'Oh st!'

I looked at the phone screen and it had some message on it which I couldn't read properly because of a combination of the sunlight, the tiny font in blue fking text and my crap eyesight. It was obviously imploring me to do something urgently but I couldn't see it!
I desperately tried the landing tab before Dave was pushed out over the 1500 meter drop but it was one of those dialogues that won't let you do anything until it's dealt with.

Proper panicked, tried grabbing my back pack and shoving the controller in it out of the sun but still couldn't read it. By now my brains screaming "What was you thinking you fking idiot! Launching it off a rock at the top of an Alp!"

Dave appeared to be fighting to get back in position but was losing against a very strong breeze which I had completely failed to take into consideration. He was doing lots of scary bobbing about movements that took him lower and closer to the drop.

So I just resorted to bashing every part of the screen with my finger in blind panic. After an age I must have hit something because the beeping finally shut up and the screen came back on. Dave was way too far over to do an auto land at this point (Or was he? Would he have gone up and re positioned? They are pretty clever these things) so I had to try to remember which joystick made him go sideways and got him slowly back over the rock.
Finally getting him down very close to the edge, about a foot away from the drop. I ran over quick and gently picked him up like you would an injured bird and got back to terra firma.

What a fking nightmare! I need a lot more time with this thing before I get it up there.

Edited by br d on Wednesday 30th May 16:54

[seiben]

...but Dave was recording, right? Right?

[dibblecorse]

Brilliant update ....... sorry for laughing ....

[br d]

Got back down after another couple of hours.
I broke this stick off if a felled tree right at start and it got me all the way up and down again.



Went back to the hotel and had a couple of hours in the gym and pool but ruined now. Will probably polish off the bottle of champagne the hotel gave me when I arrived and crash out. Got a long drive to Lake Como tomorrow.

[MFR_TT]

That camera you are using is hilarious!

But seriously, this is a cracking thread, with some interesting cars. I am also in love with the 720s and don't understand the hate for the looks, this is a car that will age well.

[br d]

A pic from the top.

[pomodori]

Just found this,looks fun.

I'm sad for Dave.

[rasto]

I suspect the text on Dave's screen said something like "I'm sorry BRD, I can't do that"

Great update and I can almost picture the scene with Dave at the top of the mountain.

[br d]

CS Garth said:

Last year you posted after a night on the beers. Go forth and get well refreshed and tell us what happens please. Drone based hangover footage whilst breakfast in bed optional.

Did I do a drunken night last year? I remember the one with the goat with a hat on but that was ages ago. I'm drinking a lot less these days but there will no doubt be a wrong night out along the way somewhere!

[br d]

rasto said:

I suspect the text on Dave's screen said something like "I'm sorry BRD, I can't do that"

Great update and I can almost picture the scene with Dave at the top of the mountain.

I think it was something to do with a local air space warning, I had to confirm I agreed or something but I couldn't see a bloody thing on the screen. It'll probably do exactly the same thing next time.

[br d]

MFR_TT said:

That camera you are using is hilarious!

I have to admit I don't really get the fuss about photography. When I take pics they look like a car, hotel or mountain to me!
I'm sure they could be better but to my eyes they look okay.

Mind you, my eyes ain't that good

[br d]

Re the pics I just did a little test. The pic I uploaded today with the car miles away if I zoom in on the pic on my phone I can clearly see it. If I try the same on the Thumbsnap image on PH it's just a mess. So the pics are getting badly degraded when I upload them.

Anything I can do about that? What if I link then from Onedrive, will they still show in the thread?