With minimal investment, almost anyone can become a drone pilot. A high quality drone can be purchased for less than $3,000, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) required commercial drone Part 107 license costs $175. After obtaining his Part 107, 25 year old Andrew Weinzierl began offering drone related services throughout the Mankato, MN region as what he calls a side hustle. When he isn’t using his DJI drone in a commercial capacity, Andrew enjoys using it to explore his community recreationally. Recently, while out flying his drone recreationally, he had the opportunity to bring attention to a local tragedy.

After a season of heavy rainfall, flooding throughout Minnesota has been on the rise. The Blue Earth River was significantly affected by the flooding as its Rapidan Dam became backed up from storm debris. Built 115 years ago, the dam and surrounding campgrounds, a popular destination for locals and tourists, are owned by Blue Earth County. Overlooking the river on the edge of a cliff was the Rapidan Dam Cafe, a beloved family-run store and eatery.

On June 23, 2024, Andrew headed out to photograph some of his favorite local sites with his drone, including Rapidan Dam. Since the dam had begun to back up, many locals had been gathering along its banks to see what would happen. But Andrew knew his drone would be able to capture what was unfolding at the dam site in a unique way. “Six hours before the dam partially failed, I was right down there standing where the ground was stripped away,” Andrew said. “I thought after that occurred, ‘Wow, I have this incredible footage, let me share it online.’ And I did just that.”

What hadn’t occurred to Andrew was how people viewing his footage online would respond. “I shared a little bit of drone video online,” he said, “and people started picking it up, and people started asking me, ‘Hey, could you go back out? You know, could you provide an update?'” However, Andrew had reservations about doing so. The Hruska family had been the owners and operators of the store for more than 50 years. He was worried that by sharing what was unfolding as a tragedy for the family would be exploitative.

Andrew contacted the family to gain their permission to post further images of what they were dealing with. He also licensed the images with the Associated Press so they could be used for monetary gain by news stations like CNN, Fox News, and News Station. As the owner of the drone footage, Andrew would receive payment anytime a news outlet used his footage. He decided to donate all the proceeds from the licensing of his drone footage to a GoFundMe campaign that had been established for the Hurska family.

On June 24th, local officials closed off access to the surrounding area of the dam for safety. The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office then posted the following announcement, “The Dam is in imminent failure condition. We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place, however, we determined it was necessary to issue this notification to advise downstream residents and the correct regulatory agencies and other local agencies.” The following day, Andrew was granted permission to stand at a safe distance and film the dam with his drone.

As per FAA regulations, he had to keep the drone within visual line of sight and below 400 ft at all times. At around 9:30 pm, the Hruska family home that is attached to the store collapsed into the raging river below. Local emergency workers quickly moved in to assist the family in removing whatever could be salvaged from the property and safely evacuate the family. On the 28th, after first purchasing the property from the family, Blue Earth County demolished the store in the hopes of preventing further cliff erosion.

With the Hruska’s permission, Andrew shared with the world a breathtaking view of the demise of the Rapidan Dam Cafe. “Everybody’s been watching it,” David Hruska said of Andrew’s drone footage. “We’re very appreciative of what he’s been doing for us.” The Hruska family may have lost their home and business, but they are safe and receiving the help they need. Because of Andrew’s drone footage, knowledge of what the family has faced has gone viral. As of July 9th, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $81,000. It will never be enough to replace what the Hruska family has lost, but the generosity they are being shown is the start they need to move on with their lives.

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