Austin, TX FPV Drone Pilot and Operator

FPV drone pilot in Austin

We fly FPV and small cinewhoop drones in Austin for festivals, arena shows, brand activations, venue fly-throughs and live feeds. FPV adds close, fast, continuous moves that a standard camera drone cannot get, flown by pilots who rehearse each line first. For general aerials, homes and events see our Austin drone videography page.

Austin City Limits and festival work

Our crew flew drone coverage at Austin City Limits in Zilker Park for the festival's Hulu live broadcast, flying inside the festival's production plan from agreed launch spots. SXSW brand activations, downtown launches and concerts are planned the same way, with the promoter and venue first. Flying directly over an open crowd is only allowed when the drone and the operation meet FAA rules for flying over people, so otherwise we keep flight paths over the stage, closed areas and open lanes. See FPV drones for live broadcast, Indoor arena FPV drones and Concert and festival FPV drones across the US.

Moody Center, Q2 Stadium and indoor venues

Moody Center, the downtown arena that opened in April 2022 with more than 15,000 seats for concerts, Q2 Stadium, home of Austin FC, and the city's hotels, showrooms and music venues suit FPV with each venue's approval. Indoor flights at an arena need the venue's approval and a flight plan agreed with production, security and the lighting crew, and we fly small, lightweight drones close to the action. Fully enclosed indoor flights are generally outside FAA airspace rules, so we fly one-take fly-throughs with the owner's approval; see indoor fly-through tours.

City approval and restricted areas

The Austin Film Commission says every commercial drone flight in the city needs an approved Austin Police Department Special Events Unmanned Aerial Operations Request before permits are issued, and filming that uses city property, including parks, sidewalks and roadways, needs a permit for that property. Its list of restricted areas includes Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Camp Mabry, Circuit of the Americas, dams and power stations, and the Capitol grounds. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is on the FAA stadium list, so the 3 nautical mile flight restriction applies from an hour before to an hour after covered events. We check every Austin location on the FAA sectional, B4UFLY and NOTAMs before quoting, and file LAANC or FAA authorization for any address that needs it.

Texas drone law

Texas Government Code chapter 423 makes it an offense to fly at or below 400 feet over fenced or posted critical infrastructure, such as refineries, chemical plants, power plants, water plants, ports and rail yards, or over a sports venue with 30,000 or more seats, unless an exception applies, such as prior written consent. The Fifth Circuit rejected the facial free-speech challenges to the law in National Press Photographers Association v. McCraw, and the Supreme Court denied review on October 7, 2024, so the law is fully in force and we get written consent first. Texas bars cities and counties from regulating drones except during permitted special events, for their own drone use, or near their own facilities with FAA approval, so we check festival and parade rules with the organizer and the city.

Credits

the Austin City Limits Hulu live broadcast, Science Channel's Impossible Engineering aerials of the Jenga building in Austin and EDC Las Vegas live on Hulu.

Related

Austin drone videography | San Antonio, TX drone videographer | Arlington, TX drone videographer | New Orleans, LA FPV drone pilot | Denver, CO FPV drone pilot | FPV drones for live broadcast | Indoor arena FPV drones | Concert and festival FPV drones across the US | Augusta drone videography (headquarters) | Lynchburg, VA drone videography (second location) | Live broadcast drones | Concert and festival drones | All locations

Nearby cities we fly

San Antonio, TX FPV drone pilot | College Station, TX FPV drone pilot | Houston, TX FPV drone pilot | Fort Worth, TX FPV drone pilot | Corpus Christi, TX FPV drone pilot | Arlington, TX FPV drone pilot

FAQs

Do you need city approval to fly a drone in Austin?

For commercial flights, yes. The Austin Film Commission says each one needs an approved Austin Police Department Special Events Unmanned Aerial Operations Request before permits are issued.

Can you film Austin City Limits with a drone?

Only inside the festival's production plan. Our crew flew drone coverage at Austin City Limits in Zilker Park for the festival's Hulu live broadcast.

Is the Texas drone law still in force?

Yes. The Fifth Circuit rejected the facial challenges to chapter 423 and the Supreme Court denied review on October 7, 2024, so we get written consent before flying over covered venues or facilities.

Can FPV footage go live to a stream or screens?

Yes. We send live FPV video to the stream, LED screens or a broadcast truck, and agree the format with your production team before the event.

What insurance do you carry?

Our standard policy is $10M liability, with optional coverage up to $25M when a venue, league or network requires it. Certificates naming your venue or production are issued before the shoot.

Request a Quote

Tell us the date, location and what you need filmed. Request a Quote or call 706-284-8364.