Flying Cross Aerial Productions Receive 107.51(c) and (d) Waiver
Flying Cross Aerial Productions, a Texas based aerial camera company specializing in the use of sUAS (drones) for motion picture and television productions, has received waiver #107W-2016-00357A from the FAA allowing the operation its sUAS when visibility and cloud clearances are below the minimums set forth in the Federal Aviation Regulations.
Currently, drones cannot legally be flown when the visibility is less than 3 miles, or closer than 500′ below a cloud and 2000′ horizontally, as specified in 14CFR §107.51(c) and (d).
“This is a big deal for us” says Flying Cross’ founder Scott Hess, himself a professional cinematographer and commercial pilot for over 35 years. “It allows us to operate when weather conditions are perfectly suitable for aerial filming but cannot otherwise be legally done. Our clients now have one less thing to worry about when trying to coordinate a drone shot on a big production. The whole operation isn’t at a standstill waiting for the clouds to lift a few hundred feet”.
But the process in getting the waiver wasn’t easy. “We spent a lot of time developing workable standards that the FAA would be comfortable with, and their UAS Operations Branch worked with us the entire way in making it happen”.
Flying Cross Aerial Productions is based in Texas, but provides services across the US for a variety of clients in the motion picture and television industries. They specialize in ‘heavy lift’ drone platforms capable of flying medium and large cameras as well as smaller versions used in live television news broadcasts.
For more information about Flying Cross at http://flyingcross.aero
