My Story for Creating a Drone Academy

I have always been very curious by nature, so when my entrepreneurial 8-year journey into silent computer cooling ended with the financial crisis in 2010, I had to find a new job that could satisfy my curiosity for technology and also provide me with a living. Therefore, I got a job in a technology company in the golf industry, which was my big passion at the time.

It was as part of that company I met a really smart guy named Jesper. He was hired to handle quality, and we were stuffed into the same office. Here, I gained insight into his great passion, which was flying drones. What was truly mind-blowing was that he built them himself, and they could actually fly independent missions without the pilot's intervention. At that time, there wasn't much drone technology that could do all the things we take for granted today.

My curious child was sold, so I had to get involved as well. I was particularly fascinated by the idea of flying around and filming from completely different perspectives than those you could get from the ground. As I said, the technology was completely hopeless at that time, so we spent a lot of time searching various Chinese websites to buy and order all the parts that were needed. The build-it-yourself RC hobby was big back then, and it was easy to find parts, but the challenge was, of course, to find parts that actually fit together.

There were several problems with that approach: the cameras were not very good, and there was no form of stabilization, so the video part didn't look particularly good. There was also no direct video transmission from the drone camera itself, so there was no guarantee that what you recorded was worth anything. But it was super fun and challenging for a while, and it produced many crazy projects, but basically, I spent more time trimming and optimizing and, not least, crashing my drones instead of actually recording video and taking pictures, which was what I really wanted.

The day I got the opportunity to buy a Phantom 3 Advanced with a gimbal-stabilized camera, I stopped building myself and haven't looked back since. It opened up a whole new world of video and photography that had previously only been possible through equipment in a completely different price range.

After flying for 3 months, I decided to create a YouTube channel that would document my journey and learning with drones since there weren't really any channels with

what I was looking for. I have used all my free time since 2016 flying camera drones and learning what they can and, not least, what they can't do the hard way. I have flown and owned most consumer drones from DJI and Autel, which are the biggest brands, and gathered all the knowledge I have for free on my YouTube channel, TECH DRONE MEDIA. The channel is now on its way to 100,000 subscribers and more than 14,000,000 views and is a solid brand in terms of knowledge about drones.

For many years, I have wanted to make TECH DRONE MEDIA my livelihood, as I don't really thrive in my job as a project manager and much rather want to do something I am passionate about. Unfortunately, the economics of YouTube has not made it possible, but I couldn't let go of the idea of making my passion my livelihood. I have flown with several people where the decision to buy the drone is the least of their concerns, but when you come to use it, and especially when the drone is in the air, many lack confidence, knowledge at their fingertips, and the flying experience required to get some nice shots that are professional and maybe sellable.

So the need is there, and instead of you spending time learning everything yourself and repeating the same mistakes I've made, I can certainly help accelerate the transformation

That's why it made sense to create a beginner's course that can assist you, who have just bought a new DJI Drone in a structured way, where you can learn and practice everything you should know to be able to fly confidently without fear of losing your investment and make a stunning video, you even might be able to sell. It's important the learning is done in a safe environment at your own pace without fear of asking questions, and you will experience clear progress in the process

This is something I know about and can teach you. So that's why we're here now with the newly founded 1st Drone Academy."

Are you a new Drone Pilot? Join here

I must say I'm highly motivated by this project, after making more than 1000 videos on YouTube mainly talking to you, It's really fantastic to get to know some of you :-) YouTube is a lonely place, so this is really encouraging and will be so much fun

Finally, It's no secret that I am currently exploring different strategies to make this project sustainable from a financial perspective to keep this going. I strongly believe that I should create something that provides value to those who choose to invest their time and money into it. That's why I'm asking the community to help validate my offerings through posts, group calls, emails, and so on.

Have a nice day :-) and don't hesitate to share your thoughts

/Henrik Olsen