Photographer Casey Ryan always has his drone with him. He tells Inside Edition how it saved his life when he became stranded on a snowy mountain.
Photographer Casey Ryan was stranded in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon's Cascades Mountain Range with no cell phone service and no way of calling for help.
And then he came up with an idea that he credits with saving his life.
The 37-year-old typed a text message into his phone, attached it to his drone, and sent the device flying high into the sky. And it worked.
Ryan, who became a bit famous for his pluck, explained to Inside Edition how he was able to summon help.
"Hi sweetheart," he texted to wife on his cellphone. "I'm sending my phone in the sky with my drone. Hope to get this message through." Then he added, "I just keep praying by the moment I have enough gas to get me through one more night."
He showed the drone to Inside Edition. "Oh yeah, this is the lifesaver right here," Ryan said.
"A lot of people were concerned because they were thinking there is no way he just has a drone. It is actually one of the reasons I go to the mountains is to do photography, and this is one of my favorite cameras," he said.
He demonstrated how he got the drone, and his phone, into the sky.
"As the propellers went, I gave it a little boost ... and I got it going and I shipped it up to the sky," he said.
When rescuers reached him, they were also able to save another motorist who had spent days stranded in the snow.
