courtesy of AZ Republic |
Phoenix, AZ--It was in July
of 2007 when cops were chasing a fleeing pickup truck through the streets of
Phoenix. Also in pursuit were two TV news
choppers that were covering this breaking story.
Soon the story of the day changed dramatically and tragically as the two news helicopters somehow
collided in midair. Two veteran pilots
and gifted photojournalists that I knew personnaly were killed.
The financial and personal
damages of that event were beyond catastrophic and heartbreaking.
Since 1960, there were 91
deaths and scores of serious injuries directly related to News helicopters
alone.
Another TV news
pilot/reporter I once knew was Karen Key. She
was a young and very attractive lady that gained quite a following in
Phoenix. One day she was arrested by
Phoenix police for DUI. Quickly her news
director unceremoniously sent her packing.
Some of her fans thought she deserved better treatment.
Key quickly was hired by
another TV news organization in Denver.
In December of 1982 Key was flying to the scene of a light plane crash
in Larkspur when the unthinkable happened.
Key and her mechanic were killed in a crash. The local medical examiner revealed that Key
was impaired by alcohol.
Today technology has
delivered to us the camera drone. You
can hardly see a film or commercial anymore that was not partially filmed by a
camera drone. They add a whole new depth and view of everything.
There are some 7,000
helicopters operating throughout the world.
Highly trained men and women pilot them however when they crash lives
and property are lost.
As for the Multi-rotor camera
drones there are nearly two million of them out there. They are in the hands of unregulated
civilians including teenagers. To date there has not been a single fatality or
serious injury involving a multi-rotor camera drone. That’s despite all the
news stories suggesting they could be dangerous.
News organizations worldwide
have been decimated financially as their readers and views have chosen Internet
providers for their news content.
Helicopters cost between $1,500 and $2,000 an hour to operate and are the single largest newsroom
cost. The liability issues are yet
another factor.
A professional grade, multi-rotor
drone with a sophisticated 4K camera and livestreaming capability will cost
between $9,000 and $15,000. There are no
fuel costs because rechargeable batteries power them.
They can be operated with a
single pilot doubling as the photographer or with a second person operating the
camera with a second controller.
There is a learning curve for
operating the drones and cameras beyond what those selling these things would
suggest however it’s not that difficult to safely master.
When drones collide it’s always just
another day but for the cost of repairs.
Nobody dies or is crippled.
That’s not to say something tragic could never happen. That’s already
been proven to be unlikely.
The FAA has taken on
regulation of drones with unprecedented prior restraint tactics. They have never done that before as they have
always created conventional aircraft regulations in the blood of these killed
or injured.
Worldwide news directors and
editors have no choice here. Either they
embrace the drone technology or lose.
Drones are safe, effective and inexpensive. The quality of drone video is no less than
stunning.
At this time the drone is not
suited to replace every helicopter use in news.
They are not suitable for all but the end or a few glimpses of car chases.
They move slower but they can get so much closer to newsworthy events than
helicopters.
As for me, the news directors
need to know I want to be a drone journalist.
I’d add this to my many years freelancing as an investigative TV news
producer. Whoever pays me can have my
services.
The licensing issue right now
is in the form of an FAA waiver certificate and operating under their conditions. Within two to three years there will be some
formal licensing at least for drones weighing more than four and a half pounds.
The first wave of drone
journalists will be needed to teach those later joining the ranks.
Here is a link to the News
helicopter accidents within the USA.
I shot the story below with
zero assistance from anyone. I used my
prosumer video gear on the ground and a $1,500 Phantom 2 drone with a GoPro
camera. I edited this on a small Macbook
Pro with Final Cut-X software.