Case Study: Drones Down the Strip at the Las Vegas Grand Prix Launch Party
On November 5, 2022, Formula 1 introduced the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a free, all-day launch party at Caesars Palace. Air Views Media flew aerials down the Las Vegas Strip, flew drones around the F1 cars during the event and shot content.
The launch party came a year before the first Las Vegas Grand Prix, which ran in November 2023. It was set up as a fan festival in front of Caesars Palace with a pit stop challenge, esports simulators and photo opportunities. The headline moment was a live car run on Las Vegas Boulevard between Caesars Palace and Paris Las Vegas, with drivers from Oracle Red Bull Racing and Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Pérez, George Russell and Alex Albon attended.
Aerials down the Strip
Aerials down the Strip show what makes a Las Vegas race different: a Formula 1 car on a city boulevard, lined by casinos and lights. The headline moment of the launch party was a live car run on Las Vegas Boulevard between Caesars Palace and Paris Las Vegas. The Strip also sits under the Class B airspace of Harry Reid International Airport, so flights there need FAA airspace authorization for the exact site and altitude, plus the approval of the event and the properties.
Flying around F1 cars
Formula 1 cars are fast and loud, and flying around them takes planning with the event: where the cars will run, where people stand and where the drone can and cannot go. FPV drones suit this kind of work because they can follow and orbit a moving car in ways a fixed camera cannot. Our FAA Part 107.145 waiver covers flight over moving vehicles, and our Part 107.39 waiver covers flight over people, when the operation qualifies. We work as a multi-person team, so the flying for the event and the content capture do not compete for the same pilot.
Our other Las Vegas work
Las Vegas is one of our busiest cities. At UNITY at the Sphere, our custom sub-100-gram drones sent a live FPV feed from the goggles to the interior screen. We have flown EDC Las Vegas every year since 2021, with over-crowd drones fed into the Hulu live stream, and we have flown live broadcast at Life is Beautiful. Read the Sphere case study and the EDC Las Vegas case study, or see our film and commercial work for brand launches.
When was the Las Vegas Grand Prix launch party?
Saturday, November 5, 2022, at Caesars Palace, a year before the first Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2023.
What did Air Views Media fly at the launch party?
We flew aerials down the Las Vegas Strip, flew drones around the F1 cars during the event and shot content.
Can you fly drones on the Las Vegas Strip?
With FAA airspace authorization. The Strip sits under Harry Reid International Airport Class B airspace, so flights need authorization for the exact site and altitude, plus approval from the event and the properties.
Are you based in Las Vegas?
No. Our headquarters is in Augusta, GA, with a second location in Lynchburg, VA, and we travel to Las Vegas for festivals, venues and brand work. Call 706-284-8364.
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