We took our latest and greatest out for a spin and the “Big Drone” octo-copter is looking good. Maybe it’s not an incredibly creative name, but when you see her next to the other birds in our fleet the name surely fits. Final testing is ongoing, but we’re excited about what we’ve seen so far… She looks good in RED (EPIC) - she can easily lift up to 55 pounds (drone + payload), which enables us to fly the RED EPIC and all the add-on lenses and components that make it the gold

This week, a recreationally operated drone got a little too close to President Obama’s motorcade, drawing the attention of the Secret Service and illustrating the challenges to security that drones represent. The operator immediately landed the drone when requested by agents and it looks like the Secret Service is treating the “incursion” as inadvertent and the man was not charged. Hopefully, he was at least allowed to keep any footage he captured…it might be worth the i

This story has been making the rounds over the last day or so and it illustrates how, even in a controlled environment, drone flying can be dangerous. When you see the impact of the drone when it hits the ground and think about the forces involved, Marcel Hirscher is a lucky man. Based on the race director’s comments, pilot error/carelessness played at least a small part in the incident. When we operate on a movie shoot, we carefully plan the area in which we’ll be flying o

Owners of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds are required to register their drones via a new web-based system that went live recently. Registration will make enforcement of the current regulations easier and will also enable the FAA to investigate any drone-related incidents that may occur. In general, all drones must be registered within the following timelines: * If you operated your drone before December 21, 2015, you must registe

Personal drones will be topping many holiday wish lists this year and the FAA is trying to get ahead of what could be a significant increase in the number of small drones in the sky. This week, the FAA announced a set of proposed regulations that include registrations of drones weighing between a half pound and 55 pounds as well as displaying a government-issued registration number similar to those found on private and commercial aircraft. There is an glaring issue with requ

As another wildfire burned in Southern California, the attack from the air was hampered by the use of private drones to record the event. This is the second time in a month that drones were blamed for interfering with efforts to contain a forest fire. In June, fire officials blamed an overight expansion of the Lake fire in the San Bernardino Mountains on fact that aerial firefighting operations had to cease two hours early due to drones operating in the area. Even if the FA

The story of a drone operator going to great lengths to save his Phantom 2 is entertaining, especially when the video is set to the right music. But it also underscores the importance of safely and responsibly operating unmanned aerial systems, no matter how large or small. Had the same incident taken place over someplace like a populated area or highway, the end result and repurcussions may have much more severe ranging from property damage to serious injury. There are som

Last weekend, a drone being used for a holiday promotion at TGI Friday's injured a reporter covering the event. While flying a sprig of mistletoe around the restaurant may have seemed like a good idea but the choice of equipment and where to fly it, demonstrated a clear lack of understanding of drones and their safe operation. #dronesafety #droneaccidents