HERE COME THE DRONES: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will allow the NFL to use drones to shoot films, documentaries and television segments, making it the first major sports league to receive such permission. Therefore, footage of games in action still won’t be happening soon.
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The FAA decision precludes the use of drones during games; still, National Football League spokesperson Brian McCarthy expressed his gratitude, stating, “NFL Films has a long history of embracing and employing the latest technology to tell its inimitable stories”. It’s illegal to fly unmanned aircraft for any commercial objective without first receiving federal permission.
The agency has faced tremendous pressure to approve an expansion of nonmilitary drone use from companies such as Amazon, which has said the technology can be used to make speedier online deliveries. The league’s interest in drones has to do with its feted video production unit, NFL Films – it wants to use drones to capture aerial imagery instead of crewed aircraft.
With an empty stadium below, NFL Films’ drones must also adhere to a few more rules: They can’t exceed a total payload of 55 pounds, speeds of 100 mph or altitudes higher than 400 feet, and must adhere to other UAS restrictions, like restricting flight out of the pilot’s line of sight, at night or within 5 nautical miles of airport. “Because drones don’t carry passengers and “flammable fuel”, there’s less chance of a major catastrophe”.
Over the summer, the FAA investigated the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins for their use of drones.
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It was too much to think that suddenly the NFL would be permitted to fly 50-pound drones over tens of thousands of people – and that’s not really what the league needed anyway.
