Staten Island drone enthusiast, Johnny Drone, is back with another great video shot with his DGI Phantom III. This clip, shot off the coast of South Beach takes us on a flyover of what Johnny refers to as “a mystery island” We get some beautiful shots of the island, which is actually Hoffman Island, featuring the Verrazano Bridge in the background.
Hoffman Island, along with it’s sister island, Swinburne Island, is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Both island are artificial, and were created by the US Government. In the early 1900s, the islands were used as a quarantine station, housing immigrants found to have been carrying contagious diseases when they landed at Ellis Island.
They were later used by the United States Merchant Marines, who used both islands as training stations; The Quonset huts built during this period still stand on Swinburne Island. If you’re anything like me, the soundtrack to the above video made this all very exciting to learn about.
Learn more about these islands, here.
If that wasn’t enough Drone action of these rarely discussed islands, have no fear. Johnny Drone has one more video of them, but this time with an R&B soundtrack:
Chris is a communications professional with a passion for pop culture, media, and all things creative. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a specialization in Media Studies and has experience in running a pop-culture website, freelance writing, coaching, and speaking engagements. He has worked behind the scenes on music albums and co-founded a boutique web design and marketing firm. He is also an amateur photographer and musician. He is always looking for the next exciting project to dive into.
