Aerial Videography & Photography

We’ve been building and flying remote-controlled (R/C) aircraft since 1987. As the technology has evolved over the last few years, we’ve also entered into the realm of the small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAVs, or “drones”). In the properly skilled hands, these aircraft provide incredible capabilities in the ability to capture smooth, steady ultra-high-definition video footage and high-resolution still photos from perspectives that are either impossible or cost prohibitive using conventional manned aircraft.

We Are “Legal” Video Services

Since our company name is “Legal Video Services,” we considered it very important to comply with all of the FAA requirements to legally and safely provide aerial videography services using sUAVs. Not only have we gone through all of the paperwork to fly our sUAVs commercially, but we have over 30 years of experience building and flying all sorts of remote controlled aerial vehicles. We’ve been awarded a Part 333 Exemption from the FAA as well as the Part 107 sUAS Operating Certificate, allowing us to legally fly our sUAVs commercially. Any sUAV service provider who does not have the Part 333 exemption or the Part 107 Operating Certificate is NOT legally allowed to charge for those services. Obtaining these exemption and licenses from the FAA is a high hurdle, and flying in compliance with the existing FAA regulations is an important aspect of this service.

The large majority of companies and individuals providing commercial sUAV services are doing so WITHOUT the proper authority from the FAA. Hiring an sUAV operator who is not properly authorized to fly for hire could put you at risk for liability. We are authorized and insured. We are safe and experienced. Our sUAVs are ultra-reliable and incredibly versatile. We utilize multiple sUAS platforms to tailor our service to your needs. Our knowledge in this realm, our experience and our equipment combine to make us the premier provider of these services in this area.

sUAV Capabilities

While our sUAVs are capable of flying thousands of feet in height (limited only by battery duration), we are restricted by our FAA exemption to altitudes of 400 feet above ground level or lower. Very seldom are we asked to capture images above 200 feet, and most of this work is done below 100 feet.

Our sUAVs are “hexacopter” rotor-craft utilizing 6 electric motors, weighing around 6 pounds including battery and camera payload. These sUAVs are extremely complex and sophisticated, incorporating:

A state-of-the-art computerized flight controller
Onboard global positioning system (GPS)
Electronic compass
Barometric altimeter
3-axis gyro-accelerometers (for highly accurate and instantaneous positional awareness)
Ground-sensing sonar
2-axis vibration and shock dampened camera gimbal (provides incredibly smooth and clear video framing)
Video downlink showing:
- Live video from the onboard camera
- Live telemetry data (on screen) providing flight data from the flight controller, including:
  - Remaining flight battery capacity
  - Current altitude (both above ground level and above sea level)
  - GPS signal quality
  - GPS position information
  - Active flight mode
  - Camera information (resolution, frame rate, recording status, record time remaining and battery status)

Missions and Mission Planning

Our sUAVs are capable of flying using several different “modes” of control. We are able to control the vehicle “manually” using the R/C transmitter by line-of-sight, while also using the video downlink image to adjust the camera angle and framing. This mode can incorporate the GPS to aid in position stabilization, the ground sensing sonar to aid in altitude positioning and the electronic compass to aid in directional stability. This is how “most” sUAV operators control their aircraft.

Additionally, we are able to sit down at a computer and, using satellite map imagery, pre-program a flight mission by placing waypoints on the satellite map. These “missions” can include not only waypoints that direct the flight path of the sUAV, but also circling commands (circle about a point), camera commands, takeoff commands, return to launch commands, landing commands, among others. Once a pre-programmed mission is defined, it can be saved and the exact same mission profile can be flown at a later date. This ability to fly the exact same flight path and capture the exact imagery can provide “progressive” documentation for construction sites, and other comparative applications. We can edit the final footage to provide crossfade or split-screen effects to illustrate “before/after” imagery. This ability is rather unique and unusual for sUAV service providers, as most are unable to provide this “pre-programmed” flight mode.

Applications

While new applications for sUAV filming are being contrived almost daily, here are a few of the applications that we’ve been involved with:

Accident site inspection
Construction site inspection
Construction site progress
Construction bid presentations (“before” images)
Real Estate sales imagery
Product sales imagery (car lots, swimming pools, etc.)
Municipality documentation (traffic flow patterns, project presentations, etc.)

Clientele

Here are a few of our “clients who’ve trusted us to handle their sUAV filming needs. You’ll probably recognize some of these names: