Drone News Roundup: Drone Operator Arrested For Illegally Flying During College Football Game, Touring Tanzania by Drone, and More!

This week we’re covering the arrest of a drone operator who illegally flew a drone during a college football game.

We’re also covering a drone tour of Tanzania from creator Jason van Ellis, a guide we made to helping plan your missions so you can get incredible drone photos and videos, a cinematic tour of the Hawaiian island of Oahu shot entirely on the DJI Inspire 3, and Skywatch acquiring Droneinsurance.com.

Now let’s get to those links!

Drone Operator Arrested After Losing Control of Drone During Ohio State Game

A brief… drone delay?pic.twitter.com/9w7YXIfUh3

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 7, 2023

An unauthorized drone flew over Ohio Stadium during an Ohio State football game, causing the game to be halted and players to evacuate the field. Police tracked down the drone operator, Rigoberto Canaca Escoto, who said he had just purchased the drone and wanted to see how far he could fly it. Escoto did not have the proper licenses or certifications to legally operate the drone. He was arrested and pleaded not guilty to charges including unsafe operation of an aircraft and inducing panic.

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Touring Tanzania by Drone

Ellis van Jason has been reliably putting out impressive drone videos for a while now, and this is one of our favorites so far. In making the video, van Jason used a drone called the Startruss, which he helped develop and then field-tested while capturing this stunning footage in Tanzania. Always pushing himself, he wanted to make the video using “high-quality cinema cameras . . . to capture animals in slow motion and to step up the quality.” It’s important to note that van Jason had a film and drone permit to shoot in the locations featured in the video, including permission to drive off-road in Serengeti, and that he worked directly with Tanzania National Park Authority under the supervision of professional guides and conservationists in shooting the video.

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Plan Like a Pro—How to Get Professional-Quality Drone Footage

Want to get great aerial stills and video? After you have the piloting chops, the next thing to learn is how to plan for success. In this guide, we cover the secrets of planning exceptional drone shots by discovering how to research locations and leverage resources like Google Earth. We also share guidance on how to factor in legal considerations to your plans, including how to make sure you’re compliant with any flight regulations relevant to the area where you plan to fly. A good plan for capturing aerial footage wouldn’t be complete without covering lighting, so we also make sure to cover the ways different lighting conditions can impact your footage, and share composition techniques to help you capture stunning aerial photos and cinematic drone video. (This video is number 3 in a 4-part series—we’ll share the final video in the series, which covers key editing tips, next week.)

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Cinematic Tour of Hawaii Shot on the DJI Inspire 3

This beautiful drone tour of the Hawaiian island of Oahu was shot entirely on the DJI Inspire 3 by DevinSuperTramp, a professional media company based in Provost, Utah. The video was supported by the Polynesian Cultural Center, which helped its creators by providing all the dancers and other talent you see in the footage. In the video, you see footage both from the Center and from the Kualoa Ranch—the Ranch is where all the big, open shots of the valley were taken. (Fun fact—Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and the TV show Lost were all filmed at Kualoa). According to the video’s creators, the Inspire 3 was a key resource in shooting the video, supporting their work by providing an incredibly long range and the ability to tilt up and not see the props at all, as well as being able to film in native ISO 4000 in low light.

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SkyWatch and Droneinsurance.com Partner to Set New Benchmark in Digital Drone Insurance

SkyWatch, a leading digital insurance provider, has acquired Droneinsurance.com’s assets to offer clients enhanced drone insurance options and service. This marks an important milestone for the drone insurance industry and demonstrates SkyWatch’s commitment to unmatched coverage for North American drone operators. Droneinsurance.com customers will transition to SkyWatch’s platform which guarantees a smoother experience and expanded possibilities. The acquisition aligns both companies’ values to elevate drone insurance standards so operators can focus confidently on their missions.

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