Galveston, TX Drone Videographer and Operator
Air Views Media is a drone videography company serving Galveston Island, League City and the Bay Area for resorts, hotels, beach events, real estate and brand films. Our crew has flown one-take interior fly-throughs of more than 15 Charleston-area hotels for Vive Media. FAA Part 107 certified pilots, $10M liability standard (optional up to $25M).
Galveston
Resorts, beaches and the Strand
The Seawall, the Strand, Moody Gardens, the Pleasure Pier and the island's hotels and beach homes suit aerials, filmed with the property's or organizer's approval. For hotels and venues an indoor one-take fly-through shows the space in a single shot; see indoor fly-through tours. For concerts and festivals we film recaps, and for larger shows we send live drone feeds to the stream or screens; see live broadcast drones and concert and festival drones. 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.
The port and Texas law
The Port of Galveston and its cruise terminals fall under state law. Texas Government Code chapter 423 makes it an offense to fly at or below 400 feet over a fenced or posted critical infrastructure facility, such as a refinery, chemical plant, power plant or substation, water plant, LNG terminal, port or rail yard, unless an exception applies, such as the operator's prior written consent. A Penal Code section treats jails and prisons the same way. The same chapter bars using a drone to capture images of people or private property with intent to conduct surveillance, with exceptions that include the owner's consent and public property. The federal appeals court upheld these rules in 2024 and the Supreme Court declined to review them, so they are in force, and we get written consent or keep those sites out of the shot. Texas state parks allow drones only in a designated area at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park or with a filming permit from the park, so we apply well ahead of any state park shoot. We keep neighbors and people on private property out of frame unless they agree to be filmed.
Federal sites nearby
A Marine Forces Reserve site in Galveston County is a federal no-drone area, and Ellington Joint Reserve Base, on the way to Houston, is one too. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake needs NASA's approval before any flight.
Airspace
Scholes International at Galveston, about 3 miles southwest of downtown, has a control tower and controlled airspace, and Ellington's controlled airspace covers parts of the Bay Area, so many addresses need LAANC. We check every Galveston location on the FAA sectional, B4UFLY and NOTAMs before quoting, and file LAANC or FAA authorization for any address that needs it.
Credits
Charleston hotel fly-throughs for Vive Media, Science Channel's Impossible Engineering aerials of the Jenga building in Austin and EDC Las Vegas live on Hulu.
Related
Houston, TX drone videographer | Corpus Christi, TX drone videographer | College Station, TX drone videographer | Austin drone videography | Dallas drone videography | 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 drone videographer | Arlington, TX drone videographer | Fort Worth, TX drone videographer | Plano, TX drone videographer | Frisco, TX drone videographer
FAQs
Can you film the cruise terminals and port?
Only from a legal position. Ports count as critical infrastructure under Texas law, so we get the operator's prior written consent before flying at or below 400 feet over them.
Can you fly drones in Texas state parks?
Only with a filming permit from the park, apart from one designated flying area at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park. We apply well ahead of any state park shoot.
Do you need FAA approval to fly in Galveston?
It depends on the address. Scholes International has a control tower and controlled airspace. We check every location on the FAA sectional and B4UFLY before quoting and file LAANC where it is needed.
Can you film inside hotels and resorts?
Yes, with the property's approval. We fly indoor one-take fly-throughs that show lobbies, pools and rooms in a single shot.
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.