to develop impact testing for collisions between manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, which are expected to commence in 2016. Of course, there have been plenty of smaller catastrophes involving drones. A quick Google search of “drone fails” brings up a slew of incidents, from the infamous wedding video in which a drone crashes into the groom’s head to the time Enrique Iglesias sliced his finger open trying to grab at a drone in the middle of his own concert. Privacy issues are another concern directly linked to the growing prevalence of drones. This past summer, a Kentucky man named William Merideth was arrested for shooting down a drone in his own backyard after he found it hovering over his teenage daughter as she sunbathed on the deck. In April, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a lawsuit against the FAA over the lack of privacy protections proposed in its initial set of drone regulations, noting that drones can be “equipped with highly sophisticated surveillance technology that threatens personal privacy.” In their first draft of proposed drone regulations, released in February 2015, the FAA alleged that questions of privacy were “beyond the scope of the rulemaking.” Whether the agency will address the issue in new legislation, expected to arrive in 2016, is unclear. The court of public opinion, when it comes to drones, is decidedly undecided. But for the film industry, new drone technology is seen as almost entirely positive, not to mention really exciting. And for a whole crop of Georgia–based business owners like Tim Foster, looking to fuel their aerial passions and cash in on the demand for footage, creating a more positive reputation for the little flying machines is paramount. According to some operators, this means calling the drones, well, something other than drones. “Drones usually make people think of the military, and the first word that comes after is ‘strike,’” says William Lovett, managing director of Georgia–based airline Phoenix Air’s unmanned services department. Lovett prefers to call them “UAS,” an acronym for unmanned aerial
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system. Foster prefers “aerial platforms.” But nothing quite rolls off the tongue like drone, and operators have pretty much resigned themselves to this fact. A more realistic hope is simply for a chance to show people the positive aspects of drones, to illuminate their exciting potential rather than their reputation as unmanned death machines or creepy little robots that can look into our bedroom windows at night.
Drones Over Georgia Lovett has a long history of aerial experience under his belt. For 24 years, Lovett flew helicopters and airplanes for the US Army. Now the managing director of Phoenix Air’s unmanned services, Lovett helped the company become the first airline in the nation to receive a Section 333 exemption in early 2015. While Phoenix Air specializes in all manner of aircraft, from executive charter planes to air ambulances to military jets, their newly acquired fleet of five drones has brought unprecedentedly speedy growth. “We’ve done a lot more work in the past four or five months than we expected,” says Lovett. “We bought five aircraft, hired six people, leased a facility to help test and train our crews. It’s all moving at a great pace. We’re really excited about the development.” With their highly professional approach and decades of experience (Phoenix Air has been in operation since the 1970s), moving into unmanned aerial systems was a smooth transition for Lovett and his team. Will Wheeler, one of the company’s certified UAS pilots and leader of their aerial cinematography department, has shot for some of the top cinematic projects in Georgia, including Dumb and Dumber To, Project Almanac, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving and Dirty Grandpa, starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron. “The public perception of UAS is that anyone who operates them is up to no good,” says Lovett. He hopes to turn the tide of public opinion by showing how useful drones can be. He is a proponent of using drones not just in the film industry but also as a tool
ChaseLight drone operators with their DJI Inspire 1
"The public perception of UAS is that anyone who operates them is up to no good." for public good, from land management and wildlife surveillance to assisting law enforcement. “There is a very real opportunity here to use technology in a very positive way,” he says. As the demand for drone technology grows, more and more local groups are entering the fray. In particular, companies that already specialize in aerial cinematography, typically through the use of helicopters, are expanding operations to include drones as well. Michael Chase, co–founder of Atlanta–based video production company ChaseLight, added drone footage to his company’s already extensive list of production services several years ago. “Helicopter cinematography has always been a part of our offerings because of the unique perspective it provides,” he says. “The UAS improves and changes that perspective and offers additional dimensions, literally and figuratively; many that haven’t been thought of before.”