Mann with Altitude
£5.95
By Jon Wornham
Magnificent aerial photography of different aspects of the Isle of Man
“Legally [a drone] is an aircraft just as much as a jumbo jet!”
Mann with Altitude, page 4
Most of us like a good view. Which of us hasn’t been out for a walk and turned to face the sea, or a wooded valley, or a range of hills striding across the landscape?
For a really good view you need to be somewhere high. Or at least you need to be able to see from high up. Jon Wornham’s photographs make that possible. When we put the book together it was amazing how many things we could see which we'd never really noticed before: the remains of a WW2 gunnery school at Langness, for example, or the old mill race at Port-e-Vullen.
The hand of nature produces strange effects too: the build-up of pebbles around Point of Ayre, for example, appears to have been inexpertly smoothed out using a giant rake, while the rocks near Groudle look as though they've been stood on end. People have changed the face of Mann too. Ancient civilisations built the Viking community at The Braaid, and the arrangement of the small farm – Celtic sharing with Viking – is clearly visible. Of course, modern buildings abound, but who knew that the war memorial in Douglas acted as the fulcrum for a seesaw with the Villa Marina at one end and the Gaiety Theatre at the other?
From intricate detail to magnificent grandeur, Jon's aerial photographs open a window which gives a rare and beautiful view of the Isle of Man. Visit Jon Wornham's website @www.island-images.uk or click here.
Droning on...
Hands up those of you who have never seen a drone?
No, we hadn’t either. Then Jon kindly brought his drone along for us to see. It’s surprisingly small and light – slightly more than a bag of sugar – and looks temptingly easy to fly.
All this sounds very exciting but before you rush off to try this at home, remember that drones are legally aircraft and so pilots - and yes, drone operators are classed as pilots - have to obey all sorts of regulations. And they vary according to country, so, for example, in Britain you are not allowed to fly over populated areas or within 50 metres of a vehicle, person or building. It's also a criminal offence to fly a drone anywhere near other aircraft or airports. 'Near' means within three miles! There are lots more and drone pilots need to know and follow them all.
Jon, being a former air-traffic controller, is well-versed in the laws covering unmanned aircraft. All of his pictures in Mann with Altitude were taken while keeping well within the law. And they're stunning
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