Lost Drone on Christmas Day Leads to an Unforgettable Flight

By 5 p.m. on Christmas Day, they were up all over the neighborhood — hand-drawn, 8.5” x 11” signs that simply read: “Lost Drone” (with a phone number).

There was something so pure about them that compelled Biscuit publisher, Tim Miner, to snap a pic and share it online. A sad, young drone pilot was missing what was probably his or her favorite Christmas present.

From there, Charlotte responded. People shared their own stories of their own lost presents. Others offered up lost drones they’d found, hoping to make a match. Finally, the mother of the 7-year-old boy behind the signs, named Hayes, reached out through Instagram.

Hayes had lost his drone by 9 a.m. that morning. Undeterred, he grabbed his markers, made his signs and waited for her to take him around the neighborhood to post them. He told his story on WJZY and we shared it, too, on WBTV’s QC@3 last week. Despite searching the neighborhood by foot, car and air (see this WJZY story), Hayes never found his drone. But, he did find a creative friend.

After seeing Hayes’ story online, drone videographer Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project reached out to Hayes’ mom and offered to give a lesson to make sure his second flight went better than the first.

They met up this weekend and made a video to share the experience. Watch this cool video, edited by Sara Kate Baudhuin, below.