EYES IN THE SKY!

      WEDNESDAY, MAY 10TH., 2017
                EYES IN THE SKY!

     One of my most enjoyable duties during
my days at WYOU TV was climbing on
board Chopper 22 to head off to a breaking
story. In fact, it was common for me to come
back with several stories because I often
spotted things on our flight that deserved
attention.
      Now I see that WNEP has joined the
growing list of TV stations that have turned
to Drones to provide aerial video to their
viewers.
      The Drones offer several advantages
over the full sized helicopters they replace.
By their nature they are extremely stable and
can provide clean unshaken pictures, They
also cost a heck of a lot less than helicopters!
That's they biggest selling point to the news
departments!
       That view from above can really add a
lot to some stories. Thus far I've seen 16's
Drone used a lot more on promotional
pieces than on actual news stories.
         But that brings up the disadvantages
of the remote control eyes in the sky.
         Chopper 22 not only provided aerial
video of news stories. It got us to those
news stories! And that usually included a
photographer and a reporter who could
gather the facts,
          Unless it's close by anyway you
can't fly a Drone to a news event. You've
got to drive it there then get it in the air.
And they can't yet carry a reporter!
         I'm personally glad to see the return
of those pictures from the air. And I would
hope the "pilots", whoever they may be,
have better luck landing their Drones that
I did with mine. I'm grounded till the new
landing gear comes in!
         Hope the other stations start "flying"
soon so that all our NEWS is good!