We’re launching a new, weekly feature here on FullDrone.com. It’s called ‘Behind the Controls’. We hope to interview outstanding pilots and ‘movers and shakers’ in the drone industry. If you have someone you’d like us to spotlight in an upcoming #BTC feature, drop us a line.
Sally French never intended to get involved with drones. But when she did, she was hooked and she’s shattering many people’s beliefs that drones are just a ‘guy thing’. While Sally doesn’t fly commercially and sell her services, she does enjoy flying various types of drones and speaking about the industry quite often. Today we chat with Drone Girl Sally French.
Sally stands tall at 4’10” and usually wearing a sundress and has a cup of coffee nearby. She’s a southern California native, journalist and “geek girl” who loves drones.
Her work has been published in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, NPR, CNN, The BBC, Forbes, The Economist and the Orange County Register.
She’s just like many pilots in that she’s taken some amazing video and had some disastrous crashes. That’s why we are spotlighting her as our inaugural interviewee for ‘Behind the Controls’ (#FullDroneBTC). Thanks to Sally for telling us her story.
What got you interested in drones in the first place?
Drones flew into my lap in a way. I needed one credit to graduate college and my school was offering a drone journalism course. It was basically the only thing that fit into my schedule. But as a photojournalism major looking for a way to differentiate my photos, the drones had me hooked.
What do you currently fly?
Whatever is in my closet! I go in and out of drones so quickly. At the moment I have seven drones in my house. Among those, I have 3 standout favorites. The Autel X-Star has amazing image quality and is super light and tiny — great for traveling or toting along to the beach with me.
I love the Yuneec Typhoon H for situations where I’m really trying to get the perfect shot. The controls give me so many options in terms of camera placement so it’s the easies for filming.
I’m also having way too much fun with the Blade Nano QX2 FPV racing drone. I fly it between my bedroom and living room when I have free time!
