It took quite a bit of research to find the answers we were looking for when it came to finding legitimate information for this video on the Travel Inspiration Facebook page. The video features a woman wearing a bikini whipping around her long blond hair and then taking to the air on a wild looking flying machine. Now we know how people must have felt when the Wright Brothers flew an airplane. But I digress. The machine with the woman aboard lifts off, flies over a lake, and minutes later gently lands on a secure platform. The whole time this is happening, the woman is in control of the aircraft while dipping, circling, and rising higher.
Is the “MegaDrone” a real thing? Indeed it is real and training videos are available to the doubters. We read countless comments from keyboard warriors claiming this flight was CGI. We determined that it is real and the “MegaDrone is piloted by none other than Mariah Cain who is known for her Airboard performances. While watching the Travel Inspiration video, look closely at the shadows below Cain and you’ll see the reflection of the craft and the moving water when she hovers just above the lake.
Here’s an excerpt from a piece on Jeff Elkins, the designer of the flying machine.”The board is called an octocopter. It uses electric motors, and large propellers, as well as a stabilization system. It is a proof of concept and we are just getting to the point where a pilot can maneuver around and control angle and direction as well as altitude. Our first pilot was Ben Merrell and then Sonya Eaves. Currently we are working with Mariah Cain. There are a few more names in the pilot pool who will be giving it a shot this year. The goal for this device is safe, easily controllable flight for anyone.”
The Elkins article was posted on March 16,2017. It can be found on the H2RO Magazine site. The Cain flight took place in December 2017. Wonder what she’s up to now that she’s flown into 2018?
Of course it’s legit; it’s an incredible display of human ingenuity and creativity. Moreover, the thing to take into account is that the camera operator is also flying on the same machine, just at a different altitude, which is why the video footage looks so surreal. There are several videos and the one that makes this fact the most apparent can be found here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONyUWirIWfk
As I understand it, the prototype was designed for an aviation competition sponsored by the Boeing Corporation.