Photos and videos from the volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula have attracted a lot of attention this week, both in Iceland and around the world. Drone videographer Björn Steinbekk has made two trips to capture the eruption and his incredible footage has gone viral.
In one of Björn’s videos he flies the drone so close to the crater of the newly formed volcano that the drone actually ended up being splashed with a little bit of lava. Never before has anyone attempted anything close to this with a drone.
“People do not believe that the drone actually survived this,” said Björn in an interview with Icelandic radio station Bylgjan. Björn says that he himself thought he would never see the drone again, but thought it would be worth it for the footage.
Björn says he took two drones with him to the eruption in Geldingadalur by Fagradalsfjall mountain, but the drone he filmed his videos with is a so-called “racer” drone and is piloted by a special virtual reality headset.
As of now, nearly 2 million people have watched the video on Björn’s Youtube channel and Instagram page. The video has also been circulated by the news media.
“About 40 or 50 TV stations around the world showed my first video of the eruption, that I know of,” says Björn.
Below you can see another video that Björn shot with his drone… and dare we say it might even be more impressive than the first?!
Practiced on a golf course
Björn says he normally practices his drone skills by flying at a local golf course. During his trips to the volcano he’s had an assistant with him who’s job it is to ensure that he does not walk too close to the glowing red lava while he’s wearing the VR headset while flying the drone.
“I also played a lot of Playstation as a kid, it helps a lot” says Björn about how he became so good at flying a drone.