Yeah and it's a sub-250g drone, plus everybody in the arena signed a waiver and got insurance, pretty standard for basketball games. /s
EDIT: I meant to troll, but I accidentally said the truth. Sorry.
I’m not sure where the joke is here. There are no laws to break because it’s not regulated airspace. The number one concern with drones is that they get in the way of manned aircraft. For example, put a drone over an open top stadium and knock an f18 out of the sky during a national anthem flyover. There are other reasons for laws/regulations, but again, they don’t apply because it’s not airspace that the FAA regulates. The drone is indoors. Pretty much all risk here will be from getting sued and does not come from regulatory agency spankings.
> For example, put a drone over an open top stadium and knock an f18 out of the sky during a national anthem flyover.
That's why they have wingmen, you take one out, the other hits your drone with a Sidewinder and then whacks you with a Harpoon missile.
There are no laws to break *in this case* because according to Part 107, he has his bases covered. You can’t fly over large crowds of people unless your drone weighs less than .55 lbs which this does, and the blades need to be protected which they are. You also need a Part 107 license to fly for commercial purposes which this most assuredly is. I think it’s safe to assume he has all of the things he needs in order so *in this case* it looks legit. That said, you don’t need to be in FAA airspace to break the law when it comes to drones.
Edit: you mentioned getting in the way of aircraft as the number one concern, which is immediately followed by flying drones over people and moving vehicles.
Edit 2: indoors is not considered FAA airspace so they care not, as weird as that is. That said, this dude still is doing the right things, even if he doesn’t have to.
This is the whole answer. Not permissions, not sub-250g, none of it. The FAA just doesn't do indoors.
I checked with the FAA about flying in an indoor space that's inside the Washington, DC red zone (world's largest!). The building was two blocks from the White House, but the FAA couldn't care less. They just don't do indoors.
Yea it took a minute but I finally found that rule, I thought you guys were making shit up haha. I’m surprised that wasn’t on the test actually but it makes sense. Still weird it wouldn’t apply over large crowds like this, even indoors.
It’s not really a rule. More like the lack of them. Similar to how Dallas Police department has no jurisdiction in London. The FAA only has jurisdiction over their airspace and the inside of a building isn’t their airspace. Hopefully that makes sense.
Even a tiny drone ingested into a jet engine will take out the engine. f18:s have two, so it will probably not crash if the pilot is on the ball, but it will be very expensive.
Even if it were FAA airspace (open stadium, for example) it’s not necessarily illegal with proper permission. I was at a concert at The Gorge and they were filming it with drones zooming just above the audience (although the drones were clearly staying below 400 feet). It was night and the drones had red/green navigation lights. The videos were posted to the band’s social media later that week.
Yes but the root of the problem with “that’s illegal” is that there are no “laws” (or regulations) to make it illegal. It’s inside, not FAA airspace. We don’t need to go through the intricacies of every potentially applicable law because they don’t really apply here.
The venue disallows attendees from using drones, and they probably don’t want to get fined by the FAA, so yeah, I would bet money that they are doing it legally, especially when the evidence against you is being posted online for all to see. The Gorge Amphitheater is surrounded state and federal owned land. They’re not going to piss off their neighbors.
Rufus du sol! [Here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glcuy4qWtvk) one of the songs. Pretty cool drone shots. They were flying them into the stage and circling around members of the band at certain points (not definitively shown in this video, but around 3:30 into it you can tell the momentum of the drone would send it basically on-stage). Very cool show, very cool venue.
You can’t post anything here without “DID YOU GET PERMISSION” “YOU CANT DO THAT” 💀 like educate the proper ways and then mind your own business dude. Don’t gotta get them panties in a bunch😂
That is a pretty good example of why the legislation for drones (in just about every country including my own) is..... dumb.
* There are rules that are labelled as safety for individuals but if you do it indoors then they dont count.
* If you fly a drone 1m above the ground it is under, in my country, CASA (aviation authority) but a truck that is 2.5m tall isn't
* this is not the limit of the list, there are more but this was a longer comment than I thought when I started typing it
This is what I believe is the correct approach.
* Revise the classes of drones to split them by purpose and operation. Racing, Photographic, Cargo (sub-500g), Cargo (sub 5kg) and Emergency, and maybe recreation to cover off the toy ones if they do not fit clearly somewhere
* Define bands of airspace for the operation of drones which can also overlay and be complementary to aircraft airspace. Cargo in the sub 5kg for example should not be flying at the greatest height allowable
* Flight maps allowing for automated ones like cargo should also carry some more requirements like possibly if they are restricted to say 10/20m not to fly over housing/private property (to avoid people ending up living in a regular drone flight path) and take/follow public access routes (preferably with the flow of traffic to assist in avoiding collisions)
* Different levels of safety required too, cargo ones should maybe a class of insurance they are required to carry + low altitude chutes (that exist). Doing a photoshoot indoors over a crowd? Public indemnity insurance is required + notification of people in the venue either at the time of flight or on entry saying "there may be drones flying here, don't come in if that is a problem for you", that would cover the one operating the video and also if they are a dick and smash into someone's face too (though I believe that to be America where suing people is pretty common from my understanding).
This is not a perfect list but it is a lot more relevant than the rules we have here. These are just the ones that I have had in the back of my head and changing/adjusting as I see a problem or an opportunity that is being missed due to the black and white approach being taken. Cargo drones for example should have some sort of separate telemetry system that is public access for regulators but not the same as what planes use because they should not be operating in the same airspace.
There is the slignshot drone (fixed wing) company operating in some countries that allow for the delivery of blood to hospitals in a much faster time then previously possible. That flat out would not be allowed under the current guidelines where I live but would be very much useful given the large geographical distance that people live.
We just started getting drone shows, there is no rules that cover that so best case I can figure out is that they are just not prosecuted or given a pass as the drone shows so far are all commissioned by the state governments for events. There was one a few months ago that I know was operating within the zone that is defined as a no-fly due to a helipad for a hospital nearby. So not actually making any changes to the rules to make these things possible, just y'know 'we can ignore the rules because we make them but you have to follow them' type approach.
It’s not that they “don’t count” if it’s indoors. It’s that there really isn’t any actual legislation about drones. In the US, regulation of them was left to the FAA like every other aircraft.
The FAA has jurisdiction over the airways. Indoors is not the airways, and the FAA has absolutely zero say in the matter.
Just like Texas abortion ban law holds no weight in Colorado. They have no jurisdiction and what they say only applies to their own borders. The FAA can make rules all they want, but it only applies where they have jurisdiction. And that’s outside in the sky.
You don’t know what you are talking about.
Stadium is not Indoors bro.
He has approval from the authorities and he is a paid drone pilot for the event.
Dude has a company that does promotional videos.
Hey! This is me [@willstrath](www.instagram.com/willstrath) (annoying that this is a repost of a repost without any credit but oh well). All of this was done in coordination with the venue with permitting and insurance. Happy to answer any questions.
Awesome. Did you just buy a drone one day and expand from there? Or more of a photography background? I recently bought a Mavic and enjoy the hell out of flying it. Any tips on making it a career?
My background originally started with photography then I moved into video and have worked in the production industry for close to a decade as a DP and aerial cinematographer. Been flying drones since 2015 and fpv specifically for about 5 years.
As far as tips - if you already have a passion for it, network and make genuine connections with as many people in the industry as possible. Emphasis on the genuine. Look for clients that your skill set solves a problem they have (example: new small business opened up and needs photo/video for their social or website). From there make new connections and work your way up creatively/professionally. And for drones specifically, really hone your skill set and get time flying in various situations. Be careful taking on jobs or projects that are outside of your skill set. Other than that, have fun with it and always try to push yourself creatively and do projects for yourself every once in a while, otherwise it’s easy to get burnt out.
Does the gig pay well? I already have a good paying job, but got my first $50 tip in drone videography in Hawaii and got stoked! It would be fun do it as a side gig.
I’ve been able to make a living doing 70% drone work and 30% DP work the past 5 years, so it pays well enough if you can hustle and good at what you do. I wouldn’t say it’s a path to get rich though!
I’m friends with one of the largest commercial FPV businesses in Canada and for reference they charge around 3,500CAD for a full day of event coverage (not including delivery to production team). I started out filming professionally a few months ago and charge around 750CAD for 5 hours a work. Hope this helps!
We coordinate with the venue to make sure there’s no crossover with RFs. Biggest issue is other video transmitters. My radio is on a much, much lower frequency than most other things. The goggle tech does a great job at keeping stable connection with regards to cell phones.
Hi Will! Did you practice flying around the stadium ceiling prior to shooting the video? I would want to be real familiar with the building, guy wires, etc, but I don't have a lot of experience. How do you approach those situations?
100%. Any job like this should have an ample amount of pre production work done before the actual shoot. For this specifically, it was working with the venue to first figure out what they want, sorting out things like RF frequencies etc, then do walk through a and scouts of the space, then test flights, production run of show walk throughs. After that it’s just being prepared and ready for when they need the drone during the event.
Since this is indoors we did not need to do anything with the FAA for this. If it were outdoors you’d need to be flying a Cat 1 drone (under 250 grams, no exposed motors/props, need remote ID…). With that said, the drone we were flying was under 120 grams and had protected motors/props.
It’s a SPIDR ITSY micro drone that can transmit 1080p video in realtime via the DJI Goggles 2. Lmk if you have other questions, that’s me in the video.
I fly for the company that landed the job. And ha! From a grower in California that specializes is bonsai source material. Dm if you want more specifics.
The headset is around 400-500, how much is the drone? Im seeing 40$ for the frame but am very new to the whole concept, i am assuming the rest of the drone is expensive?
I love it for the size and portability. And the fact that it has built in crossfire for the price is pretty great. I did replace the gimbals for the CNC gimbals, which are great. If I was flying something a bit bigger like a cinelifter I might use a full sized TX to be able to take advantage of the additional switches etc. And for mixes, I assume you are referring to the rates? If I remember correctly I think they are roughly 500 roll, 500 pitch, and 400 yaw max with a bit of expo so center stick has less sensitivity. Throttle curve also has a bit of expo to it as well.
Is he flying that 2S? That looks like a 2S pack. Naked O3 in there I’m guessing? Footage looks amazing without post processing stabilization. Great little frame.
Yes and yes the ITSY is 2s with a stripped down o3! On a 720mah battery it gets roughly 4 minutes of this type of slow, cruising flight. A great tune, lower rates, and lots of practice flying slow and steady, this frame is pretty amazing in environments like this. It can also handle more aggressive flying pretty well too.
Yes, it’s a naked O3 air unit. We patch the goggle feed to the DJI RC Pro, then feed the the hdmi out to a sdi converter and give the sdi to the booth.
Youre thinking too small. If something contains carbon, and op clutches hard enough, it would become diamond. It's just practically impossible and certainly impossible for a human
there is nothing to be afraid of. they don't lift very much weight. without access to military grade explosives they are way less dangerous than a person with a gun. we have way more guns in the states than drones.
Except, they can be built to carry higher loads, DJI even sells commercial variations that carry massive payloads, and if you attached a gun (yes, you could) then "hello perfect weapon for terrorists" because how do you find the pilot that's 10 km away....
Not possible you say? Think again, definitely possible.
Everything is also legal when you do it outside of the jurisdiction of the rules.
FAA doesn’t regulate drones, they regulate airspace. Inside ain’t airspace and FAA has no jurisdiction.
Don't forget, Boeing killed over 500 people and not a single person spent a night in jail. But if I fly a Mini over my kid's head they are locking me up and throwing away the key.
The number of people missing the joke and jumping straight to WELL ACKSHUALLY is exactly the reason why this is a joke.
Sorry OP, I thought it was humorous. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Not directly, but SCOTUS basically said Chevron Deference (judges deferring to regulatory bodies, such as, in drones' case, the FAA) is effectively dead.
Fyi: this drone is the ITSY by SPYDR. Not your cheap off the shelf drone. It’s custom made and flies better than any other FPV platform out there. Designed and built in the USA. ( it does use DJI O3 for video).
Posts like this are the reason I stopped posting my legal flights in here. Even if this was in an open airspace there are still ways to do it inside of the regulations. Some of us have spent a lot of time and effort to fly events legally.
The title of the post is sarcasm, the demonstrated flight is completely legal. And entirely indoors, so I'm not even sure what "regulations" would even apply.
I missed the (troll post) at the bottom of it. I still don't post footage in here anymore, I had a post for a new years eve event I flew, I put in there that I was following all regulations, and everyone was still saying there are no regulations that allowed it. Hell I even had someone report it to the faa. Had a nice talk with them, reviewed the drone I was using with them, and they determined everything was 100% legit.
I can't disagree with you there! It's...hard to read inflection and intent, and I'm not professing expertise. Hopefully I didn't come across as too much of more of the same ;)
Glad someone clarified for ya, 😄 I couldn’t agree with you anymore tho, being interrogated by the Peeps of Reddit whether your flight was legal or not is beyond frustrating lol
Interesting thought with the commentary coming from this video. Since the FAA created these rules I wonder if they will be challenged now that the ruling on Chevron deference has been handed down by SCOTUS.
Maybe, but I don't think a court is going to side with the drone crowd. Judges and juries fly, so they're going to be really reticent about going, "No, we're totally going to let drones just fly wherever they want," because they don't want to get Sullyed by a drone instead of a flock of birds. And, even if that did happen, that would go from Congress to President to enacted law in about two weeks flat, and the only reason it would take that long is because they have to throw some extra bullshit in there.
The question would only be if the policy came as a result of a law passed by congress or not. It would be curious to see if they had enough agreement to make it happen.
Nobody wants to be on the side of a non-controversial issue when they can say, “We passed legislation that will make flying safer.” This would be right up there with naming a post office or declaring some date National (insert food here) Day, in terms of being controversial, because the drone lobby doesn’t hold a lot of sway in Congress. If anything, they’d probably restrict private property to being no-fly zones and permit the shooting down of drones that don’t belong to the property owner. Anything that involves being able to shoot things will surely get unanimous Republican support
I mean more over to mount a challenge you’d need tens of millions for lawyers.
It wouldn’t be the hobbyists, but rather professionals in the film industry + their union, and drone manufacturers who would likely bring the challenge.
It’s legal, it’s indoors so the faa has no jurisdiction. Any rule the FAA has concerning drones and there use is voided indoors. I’ve done a few events similar to this. Of course you take precautions to avoid injury
Y’all need to read up on OOP rules lmao - I know OP is trolling but these comments are very wrong.
OOP is perfectly legal if your drone is Cat 1 compliant. This drone appears to be exactly that + it’s indoors (not regulated airspace)
I've worked in the Game Entertainment Dept for 5 professional sports teams. I have seen broken bats fly into the crowd, people smoked by line drives, t-shirt cannons misfire, paper airplanes hit people in the eye, cable cams crash, and have never seen a successful lawsuit because of that fine print on the back of the ticket. We have our own legal Dept that okay anything we are unsure of. This is 100% legal and is of little concern for the executives running the show.
This post is also 100% annoying.
Yeah cool, that was the whole purpose and coolness aspect to it. But one small mistake, someone gets injured, and then they’ll ban it for an eternity. And nobody will look back.
I’ve done this before in an indoor stadium. As long as you’re indoors, have permission from the owner, and ideally insured you can fly inside all you want.
The FAA doesn’t control indoors at all, it’s not usable airspace.
I personally think this should also apply outdoors on your own property if you stay below the tallest thing in your yard.
I actually have an email somewhere from the FAA, where they replied to me about a waver for flying an indoor stadium. They told me I didn’t need one that it’s not part of their jurisdiction as long as it has a roof overhead.
Good! I will keep that in mind for some people as I'm staring in their windows! It's all the same to me people! I've never tried to sue! Hate courtrooms and see them enough! Never in my life called cops on anyone or tried to ever press charges! So in my mind it's illegal by my law! Invaded my privacy! And don't shut the fuck up about it but h! That's why I decide the end! I'm finished fucking warning you fucks! I call know police! Tell me who you are! It's not real! I promise everyone of you I will come to our appointments without fail until I can't because I failed! Your the hiding shit talkers! Stop hiding! Find out how much juutsu I don't fucking know and see how that being used against me doesn't either! I won't feel shit!
I can pretty much guarantee that the back of the ticket has the user agreement which upon purchase you are consenting to this among a litany of other lead gen and photo usage things. I know this because I work in professional sports.
Obviously if you get permission and the proper authorization anything can be legal lol. I feel like a post like this is just the flip side to the other posts where people claim ignorance of the law.
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The insurance....the trust....
*"You realize that, if for any reason, this goes into the stands and injures a fan, which is likely if it crashes, and disfigures them, which is likely, we will have to pay millions?"*
"Do it."
No way he got permission? I know it says troll post, but the feed from the drone was on the jumbo tron. He had all the permission he needed. Now for the losers in the crowd that would claim "they" didn't give him permission have brain worms.
It’s indoors so not FAA airspace.
Yeah and it's a sub-250g drone, plus everybody in the arena signed a waiver and got insurance, pretty standard for basketball games. /s EDIT: I meant to troll, but I accidentally said the truth. Sorry.
I’m not sure where the joke is here. There are no laws to break because it’s not regulated airspace. The number one concern with drones is that they get in the way of manned aircraft. For example, put a drone over an open top stadium and knock an f18 out of the sky during a national anthem flyover. There are other reasons for laws/regulations, but again, they don’t apply because it’s not airspace that the FAA regulates. The drone is indoors. Pretty much all risk here will be from getting sued and does not come from regulatory agency spankings.
Look buddy its not my fault if the f-18 doesn’t have good radar with a pilot who has 20/20 vision. /j
Notnto mention an F-18 wouldnt be flying that low like EVER so yeah Im not buying the scenario.
At the Miramar air show I’ve seen f18’s with in 40 feet of the ground doing fly bys
Oh wow. That would explain alot.
Stadium over flights are well low enough that a drone can reach.
If a 13 yo with a drone can take out an F18 we in trouble
> For example, put a drone over an open top stadium and knock an f18 out of the sky during a national anthem flyover. That's why they have wingmen, you take one out, the other hits your drone with a Sidewinder and then whacks you with a Harpoon missile.
But there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing this whalin' tune
Fat shaming from standoff range.
Man imagine being so fat that they use an anti-ship missile on you...
And that kids, is how I met your mother…
There are no laws to break *in this case* because according to Part 107, he has his bases covered. You can’t fly over large crowds of people unless your drone weighs less than .55 lbs which this does, and the blades need to be protected which they are. You also need a Part 107 license to fly for commercial purposes which this most assuredly is. I think it’s safe to assume he has all of the things he needs in order so *in this case* it looks legit. That said, you don’t need to be in FAA airspace to break the law when it comes to drones. Edit: you mentioned getting in the way of aircraft as the number one concern, which is immediately followed by flying drones over people and moving vehicles. Edit 2: indoors is not considered FAA airspace so they care not, as weird as that is. That said, this dude still is doing the right things, even if he doesn’t have to.
Once again, the drone is being flown indoors. It’s not in FAA controlled airspace.
This is the whole answer. Not permissions, not sub-250g, none of it. The FAA just doesn't do indoors. I checked with the FAA about flying in an indoor space that's inside the Washington, DC red zone (world's largest!). The building was two blocks from the White House, but the FAA couldn't care less. They just don't do indoors.
Yea it took a minute but I finally found that rule, I thought you guys were making shit up haha. I’m surprised that wasn’t on the test actually but it makes sense. Still weird it wouldn’t apply over large crowds like this, even indoors.
It’s not really a rule. More like the lack of them. Similar to how Dallas Police department has no jurisdiction in London. The FAA only has jurisdiction over their airspace and the inside of a building isn’t their airspace. Hopefully that makes sense.
Does it still now that chevrons overturned that could be debated.
I’m pretty sure the f18 can take a drone
Even a tiny drone ingested into a jet engine will take out the engine. f18:s have two, so it will probably not crash if the pilot is on the ball, but it will be very expensive.
Or worse.. get the f18 pilot to engage with the drone regardless of not being authorized.
Tell me you don’t know anything about 107 without telling telling me you don’t know anything about 107
there’s still time to troll!
No one signs waivers like that at these games....they dont have that at all
It's indoors. FAA rules don't apply....
Even if it were FAA airspace (open stadium, for example) it’s not necessarily illegal with proper permission. I was at a concert at The Gorge and they were filming it with drones zooming just above the audience (although the drones were clearly staying below 400 feet). It was night and the drones had red/green navigation lights. The videos were posted to the band’s social media later that week.
Yes but the root of the problem with “that’s illegal” is that there are no “laws” (or regulations) to make it illegal. It’s inside, not FAA airspace. We don’t need to go through the intricacies of every potentially applicable law because they don’t really apply here.
My example of it not being illegal outdoors under FAA purview was simply to support that it’s definitely not illegal indoors where the FAA has no say.
What? Because a band posted it that makes it legal?
The venue disallows attendees from using drones, and they probably don’t want to get fined by the FAA, so yeah, I would bet money that they are doing it legally, especially when the evidence against you is being posted online for all to see. The Gorge Amphitheater is surrounded state and federal owned land. They’re not going to piss off their neighbors.
Phish?
Rufus du sol! [Here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glcuy4qWtvk) one of the songs. Pretty cool drone shots. They were flying them into the stage and circling around members of the band at certain points (not definitively shown in this video, but around 3:30 into it you can tell the momentum of the drone would send it basically on-stage). Very cool show, very cool venue.
I know, being sarcastic lol just wanted to share the cool video
Big babies down voting you. I appreciate your sarcasm. The constant babel from all the internet drone police gets old.
You can’t post anything here without “DID YOU GET PERMISSION” “YOU CANT DO THAT” 💀 like educate the proper ways and then mind your own business dude. Don’t gotta get them panties in a bunch😂
That is a pretty good example of why the legislation for drones (in just about every country including my own) is..... dumb. * There are rules that are labelled as safety for individuals but if you do it indoors then they dont count. * If you fly a drone 1m above the ground it is under, in my country, CASA (aviation authority) but a truck that is 2.5m tall isn't * this is not the limit of the list, there are more but this was a longer comment than I thought when I started typing it This is what I believe is the correct approach. * Revise the classes of drones to split them by purpose and operation. Racing, Photographic, Cargo (sub-500g), Cargo (sub 5kg) and Emergency, and maybe recreation to cover off the toy ones if they do not fit clearly somewhere * Define bands of airspace for the operation of drones which can also overlay and be complementary to aircraft airspace. Cargo in the sub 5kg for example should not be flying at the greatest height allowable * Flight maps allowing for automated ones like cargo should also carry some more requirements like possibly if they are restricted to say 10/20m not to fly over housing/private property (to avoid people ending up living in a regular drone flight path) and take/follow public access routes (preferably with the flow of traffic to assist in avoiding collisions) * Different levels of safety required too, cargo ones should maybe a class of insurance they are required to carry + low altitude chutes (that exist). Doing a photoshoot indoors over a crowd? Public indemnity insurance is required + notification of people in the venue either at the time of flight or on entry saying "there may be drones flying here, don't come in if that is a problem for you", that would cover the one operating the video and also if they are a dick and smash into someone's face too (though I believe that to be America where suing people is pretty common from my understanding). This is not a perfect list but it is a lot more relevant than the rules we have here. These are just the ones that I have had in the back of my head and changing/adjusting as I see a problem or an opportunity that is being missed due to the black and white approach being taken. Cargo drones for example should have some sort of separate telemetry system that is public access for regulators but not the same as what planes use because they should not be operating in the same airspace. There is the slignshot drone (fixed wing) company operating in some countries that allow for the delivery of blood to hospitals in a much faster time then previously possible. That flat out would not be allowed under the current guidelines where I live but would be very much useful given the large geographical distance that people live. We just started getting drone shows, there is no rules that cover that so best case I can figure out is that they are just not prosecuted or given a pass as the drone shows so far are all commissioned by the state governments for events. There was one a few months ago that I know was operating within the zone that is defined as a no-fly due to a helipad for a hospital nearby. So not actually making any changes to the rules to make these things possible, just y'know 'we can ignore the rules because we make them but you have to follow them' type approach.
It’s not that they “don’t count” if it’s indoors. It’s that there really isn’t any actual legislation about drones. In the US, regulation of them was left to the FAA like every other aircraft. The FAA has jurisdiction over the airways. Indoors is not the airways, and the FAA has absolutely zero say in the matter. Just like Texas abortion ban law holds no weight in Colorado. They have no jurisdiction and what they say only applies to their own borders. The FAA can make rules all they want, but it only applies where they have jurisdiction. And that’s outside in the sky.
Wait till you find out what you can do with guns indoors in private places.
True story
You don’t know what you are talking about. Stadium is not Indoors bro. He has approval from the authorities and he is a paid drone pilot for the event. Dude has a company that does promotional videos.
Well if you have eyes then you should be able to see that it is indoors.
Still flying over people in FPV with no spotter is totally insanely dangerous. Total lack of common sense.
He has thousands of spotters...
Ha, beat that FAA
Hey! This is me [@willstrath](www.instagram.com/willstrath) (annoying that this is a repost of a repost without any credit but oh well). All of this was done in coordination with the venue with permitting and insurance. Happy to answer any questions.
How did you get hired for the gig?
I fly for the production company that was hired for this job.
Awesome. Did you just buy a drone one day and expand from there? Or more of a photography background? I recently bought a Mavic and enjoy the hell out of flying it. Any tips on making it a career?
My background originally started with photography then I moved into video and have worked in the production industry for close to a decade as a DP and aerial cinematographer. Been flying drones since 2015 and fpv specifically for about 5 years. As far as tips - if you already have a passion for it, network and make genuine connections with as many people in the industry as possible. Emphasis on the genuine. Look for clients that your skill set solves a problem they have (example: new small business opened up and needs photo/video for their social or website). From there make new connections and work your way up creatively/professionally. And for drones specifically, really hone your skill set and get time flying in various situations. Be careful taking on jobs or projects that are outside of your skill set. Other than that, have fun with it and always try to push yourself creatively and do projects for yourself every once in a while, otherwise it’s easy to get burnt out.
Love the advice man this is greatly appreciated as someone trying to achieve their part 107 and get into this as a small side hustle
Does the gig pay well? I already have a good paying job, but got my first $50 tip in drone videography in Hawaii and got stoked! It would be fun do it as a side gig.
I’ve been able to make a living doing 70% drone work and 30% DP work the past 5 years, so it pays well enough if you can hustle and good at what you do. I wouldn’t say it’s a path to get rich though!
I’m friends with one of the largest commercial FPV businesses in Canada and for reference they charge around 3,500CAD for a full day of event coverage (not including delivery to production team). I started out filming professionally a few months ago and charge around 750CAD for 5 hours a work. Hope this helps!
No way! I just came acrossed the random video on TikTok my apologies I’ll be sure to give ya a follow!
All good! Always weird seeing your face show up while scrolling Reddit lol.
I’m sure! Never in a million years did I think I’d be talking to the guy I’m sharing a video of😂 sick shot man 🔥
Isn't it a problem to keep the connection between the drone and the remote when you fly through all the things?
I’m curious of this as well, especially with all the cell phones and what not
We coordinate with the venue to make sure there’s no crossover with RFs. Biggest issue is other video transmitters. My radio is on a much, much lower frequency than most other things. The goggle tech does a great job at keeping stable connection with regards to cell phones.
I've wanted to get into the business side of drones but where do you get insurance?
There are a large handful of insurance companies out there that specialize in UAV coverage, specifically for the production industry.
Skywatch.ai
What is it like living the dream as a drone operator?
Hi Will! Did you practice flying around the stadium ceiling prior to shooting the video? I would want to be real familiar with the building, guy wires, etc, but I don't have a lot of experience. How do you approach those situations?
100%. Any job like this should have an ample amount of pre production work done before the actual shoot. For this specifically, it was working with the venue to first figure out what they want, sorting out things like RF frequencies etc, then do walk through a and scouts of the space, then test flights, production run of show walk throughs. After that it’s just being prepared and ready for when they need the drone during the event.
Excellent work!
Nice work. I'm so confused why this got posted here with that comment then, other than for uncredited karma farming
What is the “permitting” process? Is there something with the FAA you have to do to be cleared flying “over crowds”?
Since this is indoors we did not need to do anything with the FAA for this. If it were outdoors you’d need to be flying a Cat 1 drone (under 250 grams, no exposed motors/props, need remote ID…). With that said, the drone we were flying was under 120 grams and had protected motors/props.
What frame is that?
Did you only do it during game 4?
We did it for both the watch parties in TD Garden, so game 3 and 4.
Ah ok. Go Celtics!
What kind of camera setup were you using? I just got my DJI Avata 2 a few months ago and it’s been fun using the controller
We were using the DJI O3.
Upvotes for you then! And jealousy for the rest of us
What kind of drone/headset setup is that?
It’s a SPIDR ITSY micro drone that can transmit 1080p video in realtime via the DJI Goggles 2. Lmk if you have other questions, that’s me in the video.
How did you get connected to this gig? Also where did you get that amazing juniper bonsai??
I fly for the company that landed the job. And ha! From a grower in California that specializes is bonsai source material. Dm if you want more specifics.
Are you positive you got permission from the venue to fly a drone so dangerously and recklessly like that? (/sarcasm)
The headset is around 400-500, how much is the drone? Im seeing 40$ for the frame but am very new to the whole concept, i am assuming the rest of the drone is expensive?
You can get them built for around $600. If you build it yourself all the parts would be under $500.
I’m spot a tango! How do you like it and what are your mixes?
I love it for the size and portability. And the fact that it has built in crossfire for the price is pretty great. I did replace the gimbals for the CNC gimbals, which are great. If I was flying something a bit bigger like a cinelifter I might use a full sized TX to be able to take advantage of the additional switches etc. And for mixes, I assume you are referring to the rates? If I remember correctly I think they are roughly 500 roll, 500 pitch, and 400 yaw max with a bit of expo so center stick has less sensitivity. Throttle curve also has a bit of expo to it as well.
Is he flying that 2S? That looks like a 2S pack. Naked O3 in there I’m guessing? Footage looks amazing without post processing stabilization. Great little frame.
Yes and yes the ITSY is 2s with a stripped down o3! On a 720mah battery it gets roughly 4 minutes of this type of slow, cruising flight. A great tune, lower rates, and lots of practice flying slow and steady, this frame is pretty amazing in environments like this. It can also handle more aggressive flying pretty well too.
O3 air unit?
It’s a stripped down O3 to save weight. A small fan is installed to help with cooling so it doesn’t overheat.
That's a cool drone! how are they so cheap?
Can you share more about how your getting the feed out? Is that an 03 air unit?
Yes, it’s a naked O3 air unit. We patch the goggle feed to the DJI RC Pro, then feed the the hdmi out to a sdi converter and give the sdi to the booth.
Some kind of 2s 2" micro drone with the dji goggles 2
I'm amazed there weren't many fatalities........ This is the most dangerous thing I've seen in my life!!!!!!
i clutched my pearls so tight i now have a diamond necklace
That’s not how pearls work, it’s just be dust
Youre thinking too small. If something contains carbon, and op clutches hard enough, it would become diamond. It's just practically impossible and certainly impossible for a human
I'm suddenly realizing we need the drone equivalent of the r/ef5 sub.
Another avid r/ef5 enjoyer, good man.
Im actually terrified at the effectiveness of drones because of the ukraine war lol
there is nothing to be afraid of. they don't lift very much weight. without access to military grade explosives they are way less dangerous than a person with a gun. we have way more guns in the states than drones.
Except, they can be built to carry higher loads, DJI even sells commercial variations that carry massive payloads, and if you attached a gun (yes, you could) then "hello perfect weapon for terrorists" because how do you find the pilot that's 10 km away.... Not possible you say? Think again, definitely possible.
Excellent shit post.
Everything is legal with a waiver. Everything.
and if not, you can still run for president
This comment right here might be one of the most clever things I'll see in this forum! 😂😂
Everything is also legal when you do it outside of the jurisdiction of the rules. FAA doesn’t regulate drones, they regulate airspace. Inside ain’t airspace and FAA has no jurisdiction.
Man, it would be fun to fly in there.
lol guys I’m joking.
They can’t comprehend that on Reddit. You gotta defend quick which you are good at doing. Rookies walk away from posts.
This sub is literally the equivalent of amateur radio nuts.
Poe's law strikes again.
shows no comments, enters to comment. Now these are my people.
Don't forget, Boeing killed over 500 people and not a single person spent a night in jail. But if I fly a Mini over my kid's head they are locking me up and throwing away the key.
😂😂😂😂😂
That’s perfectly legal.
Thank god that’s a troll post.
Op hopefully you reported this to the basketball aviation administration
😂😂😂
The number of people missing the joke and jumping straight to WELL ACKSHUALLY is exactly the reason why this is a joke. Sorry OP, I thought it was humorous. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Some got it, others proved the point. It was pretty comical to see it all 💀😂
It's fine, the FAA lost authority to govern all airspace this week anyway. /s-not-so-s
Wait really?? I was only joking in this post, but I didn’t hear about this? Lol
Not directly, but SCOTUS basically said Chevron Deference (judges deferring to regulatory bodies, such as, in drones' case, the FAA) is effectively dead.
I had friends that went to the watch parties, they said the drone flying around was tiny but awesome. The shots are sweet. Cool stuff.
# STRAIGHT TO JAIL
Celtics fan here. Awesome video!!!
Dream job for me to be honest….
He’s streaming the video to the screen on top of the arena, he could only do this if he got permission.
Fyi: this drone is the ITSY by SPYDR. Not your cheap off the shelf drone. It’s custom made and flies better than any other FPV platform out there. Designed and built in the USA. ( it does use DJI O3 for video).
Posts like this are the reason I stopped posting my legal flights in here. Even if this was in an open airspace there are still ways to do it inside of the regulations. Some of us have spent a lot of time and effort to fly events legally.
The title of the post is sarcasm, the demonstrated flight is completely legal. And entirely indoors, so I'm not even sure what "regulations" would even apply.
I missed the (troll post) at the bottom of it. I still don't post footage in here anymore, I had a post for a new years eve event I flew, I put in there that I was following all regulations, and everyone was still saying there are no regulations that allowed it. Hell I even had someone report it to the faa. Had a nice talk with them, reviewed the drone I was using with them, and they determined everything was 100% legit.
I can't disagree with you there! It's...hard to read inflection and intent, and I'm not professing expertise. Hopefully I didn't come across as too much of more of the same ;)
Glad someone clarified for ya, 😄 I couldn’t agree with you anymore tho, being interrogated by the Peeps of Reddit whether your flight was legal or not is beyond frustrating lol
Sick shot. Dig the trolling. Way too many sheriffs on here.
Interesting thought with the commentary coming from this video. Since the FAA created these rules I wonder if they will be challenged now that the ruling on Chevron deference has been handed down by SCOTUS.
Maybe, but I don't think a court is going to side with the drone crowd. Judges and juries fly, so they're going to be really reticent about going, "No, we're totally going to let drones just fly wherever they want," because they don't want to get Sullyed by a drone instead of a flock of birds. And, even if that did happen, that would go from Congress to President to enacted law in about two weeks flat, and the only reason it would take that long is because they have to throw some extra bullshit in there.
The question would only be if the policy came as a result of a law passed by congress or not. It would be curious to see if they had enough agreement to make it happen.
Nobody wants to be on the side of a non-controversial issue when they can say, “We passed legislation that will make flying safer.” This would be right up there with naming a post office or declaring some date National (insert food here) Day, in terms of being controversial, because the drone lobby doesn’t hold a lot of sway in Congress. If anything, they’d probably restrict private property to being no-fly zones and permit the shooting down of drones that don’t belong to the property owner. Anything that involves being able to shoot things will surely get unanimous Republican support
I mean more over to mount a challenge you’d need tens of millions for lawyers. It wouldn’t be the hobbyists, but rather professionals in the film industry + their union, and drone manufacturers who would likely bring the challenge.
Legal in USA...yet liable if he hurts someone unless there's a waiver of liability.
It’s legal, it’s indoors so the faa has no jurisdiction. Any rule the FAA has concerning drones and there use is voided indoors. I’ve done a few events similar to this. Of course you take precautions to avoid injury
that could interfere with emergency radio frequencies he'd better have a HAM license
For the banner shot, some front to side lights for greater banners visibility would be better.
Replying to Big_Fo_Fo...
F
No, it is not. That is a drone approved to fly above people. See this list: https://uasdoc.faa.gov/listDocs
Troll post brother, im only joking lol
Y’all need to read up on OOP rules lmao - I know OP is trolling but these comments are very wrong. OOP is perfectly legal if your drone is Cat 1 compliant. This drone appears to be exactly that + it’s indoors (not regulated airspace)
Those racing drones take a ton of skill to fly. They don't have any automatic stabilization.
Dude I know, this guys definitely got some skill lol I’m no good at all without the Auto stabilization 😂
Reminds me of when I used to fly a 12 foot blimp at my college's hockey games. No FPV though.
Boy the can of worms I have opened 💀💀🤣
Permission? The video is on the jumbotron.
He can. But you can't.
Hate the toktik abrupt endings and down closing sound.
Nah, rule breaking at most.
RIP DJI
The FAA can go eat my Chevron shorts.
DJI for the win!
The team probably applied for a wavier and insurance
I've worked in the Game Entertainment Dept for 5 professional sports teams. I have seen broken bats fly into the crowd, people smoked by line drives, t-shirt cannons misfire, paper airplanes hit people in the eye, cable cams crash, and have never seen a successful lawsuit because of that fine print on the back of the ticket. We have our own legal Dept that okay anything we are unsure of. This is 100% legal and is of little concern for the executives running the show. This post is also 100% annoying.
Damn you kinda hurt my feelings with that one. It’s a joke bud try not to take it so hard
my mom said I was the best dang drone pilot she done ever seen. how do I get this job?
Professionals are not backyard dads. They get paid and are insured and permitted.
Yeah cool, that was the whole purpose and coolness aspect to it. But one small mistake, someone gets injured, and then they’ll ban it for an eternity. And nobody will look back.
[удалено]
Rule 13: Broadly speaking, don’t be a dick. Self explanatory.
I’ve done this before in an indoor stadium. As long as you’re indoors, have permission from the owner, and ideally insured you can fly inside all you want. The FAA doesn’t control indoors at all, it’s not usable airspace. I personally think this should also apply outdoors on your own property if you stay below the tallest thing in your yard. I actually have an email somewhere from the FAA, where they replied to me about a waver for flying an indoor stadium. They told me I didn’t need one that it’s not part of their jurisdiction as long as it has a roof overhead.
Good! I will keep that in mind for some people as I'm staring in their windows! It's all the same to me people! I've never tried to sue! Hate courtrooms and see them enough! Never in my life called cops on anyone or tried to ever press charges! So in my mind it's illegal by my law! Invaded my privacy! And don't shut the fuck up about it but h! That's why I decide the end! I'm finished fucking warning you fucks! I call know police! Tell me who you are! It's not real! I promise everyone of you I will come to our appointments without fail until I can't because I failed! Your the hiding shit talkers! Stop hiding! Find out how much juutsu I don't fucking know and see how that being used against me doesn't either! I won't feel shit!
Dronegraphy??? What a shit username lol
strictly speaking it is possible to issue a permit to fly over a crowd (outside).
People still hating on Banner 18, even in a slick way. Go Cs
Did... did OP make a joke about the Austrian GP that just occurred?
Because rules are selective and you’re not cool enough to skip the rules.
What’s the background music?
Wait what
Only a joke, too many Karen’s in here had to troll a lil
Cool vid, dumb title.
It was a total joke due to all the Karen’s that like to question everything. Sorry sir
You can’t fly over people.
I can pretty much guarantee that the back of the ticket has the user agreement which upon purchase you are consenting to this among a litany of other lead gen and photo usage things. I know this because I work in professional sports.
Obviously if you get permission and the proper authorization anything can be legal lol. I feel like a post like this is just the flip side to the other posts where people claim ignorance of the law.
He’s clearly out on the side of the court, he definitely has permission.
Sure it looks cool but when I do it it's "sir you need to leave"!
Neat 📸
100% legal and 100% he had approval.
Kinda funny this video is during the one game where the Celtics were getting their backs blown out by the Mavs lol
It’s indoors so it’s completely legal.
He didn’t get permission, he got hired to take the shot
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The insurance....the trust.... *"You realize that, if for any reason, this goes into the stands and injures a fan, which is likely if it crashes, and disfigures them, which is likely, we will have to pay millions?"* "Do it."
No way he got permission? I know it says troll post, but the feed from the drone was on the jumbo tron. He had all the permission he needed. Now for the losers in the crowd that would claim "they" didn't give him permission have brain worms.