Flight to the NFL

 

The Super Bowl is the most viewed sporting event in the United States of which the coverage is acquired through dozens of different cameras that are strategically placed around the stadium. One of the difficulties of operating cameras and acquiring the images and videos with the desired angle is that the equipment is limited by the limitations of the user. For this reason, there is redundancy implemented especially in events like this of which if one camera or cameraman/woman cannot acquire the necessary angle, there is a different one that can do it. With a multimillion dollar event, you need to get the perfect angles.

One of the newest trends in technology and entertainment is the development and evolution of remotely piloted vehicles (RPV’s) or remotely piloted aircraft (RPA’s) in the commercial sector. In addition, on 17 September 2015, the NFL was approved the legal use and operation of RPA’s; however, they are limited to films and practices where the stadium is not filled with an audience. This is a significant milestone for the implementation of RPA’s into the National Airspace, especially for the entertainment industry. The advantages of using RPA’s supersede those of using heavy equipment and also reduce the manpower required to fulfill all recording requirements and coverage.

A few years ago, this would have been impossible due to legislative obstacles preventing the legal operation of RPA’s. However, most of the opposition came from the public due to ignorance of the misconceptions and stereotypes of RPA’s. Some of the most common ones include violation of privacy and the lack of human operators. One of the most difficult aspects of clearing public misconceptions was and still are to prove that the equipment used today can and does have the same capabilities that RPA’s have. The next obstacle to get RPA’s to be implemented in games and different sporting events is to show the audience that  they are safe to use around people.