A Day in the Life of a FlyRoute Drone Pilot
What is it like to prepare and execute a successful FlyRoute mission? In this short clip, get a glimpse into a typical flight for a FlyRoute Drone Pilot. You will see some of the pre-flight, inflight, and post-flight considerations each pilot takes into account while operating at High School football games. Each FlyRoute pilot is familiar with checking airspace prior to their assigned operation, inspect the safe operation of the drone prior to kickoff, integrating the drone into a sideline replay system, film in accordance to FlyRoute quality standards, and upload film to the team in a timely manner.
All of these steps and more encompass what it looks like to successfully fly a FlyRoute mission.
Skills Required to Become a FlyRoute Pilot
Providing drone film to athletic programs is a unique and exciting challenge. The filming style is very different from many other commercial drone applications. We like to describe the athletic filming environment to new pilots as 'dynamic'. For example, when compared to filming real estate (while real estate does have its own set of unique challenges), the pilot can rely on having a static subject. Generally, you do not need to quickly adjust framing and provide multiple controller inputs based on a rapidly changing environment. However, when compared to filming athletic teams, the situations are very fluid and requires the remote pilot to have flexibility, quick response times, strong hand-eye coordination, and proficiency with dual controller inputs.
In order to assess FlyRoute applicants ability to safely and competently fly a drone, the company conducts a FlyRoute Pilot Practical Exam. The exam is done a marked football field, lasts for approximately 20 minutes, and each candidate utilizes a personal drone for the test.
The following five areas are evaluated and graded for Pass/Fail:
Setup Competency
Takeoff & Landing Competency
Flying Competency
Proficient Gimbal and Camera Control
Rapid Battery Change Within Allotted Time
Each candidate must pass 4 of the 5 points above to earn a passing grade.
Congratulations to the 24 pilot candidates that passed this years FlyRoute Pilot Practical Exam!
Football FPV Contest Lookback - 2022 Winner, Ryan Carr
Each football season, FlyRoute hosts a Football FPV Contest. The FlyRoute pilot entrant is tasked to submit a 1-2 minute highlight/hype video for their designated team.
Each contestant is graded by our pre-appointed panel of judges. Grading is assessed on:
Film Quality
Audio Quality
Viewer Engagement
Creativity
Flight Smoothness.
Winners are awarded with a cash prize and the video is showcased at our end of year Drone Pilot Social Hour.
The video above is the 2022 winning submission from FlyRoute Pilot, Ryan Carr. Well done, Ryan!
Check back periodically at www.FlyRoute.com for the latest news, pilot spotlight interviews, and industry updates. For any comments or news tips, feel free to reach us at ops@flyroute.com.
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