Aerial is where we started to stand apart
Detroit looks different from 300 feet. The river bends, the grid opens up and a single tower reads as part of a skyline instead of a building on a block. That view sells apartments, fills event calendars and makes a campaign look like it cost twice as much. It is also the part of production most agencies hand off to a subcontractor. For us, it is the core of the business.
We fly aerial stills and video, cinematic reveals and orbits, and FPV fly-throughs that move through a building in one continuous shot. The same crew handles the ground camera and the edit, so aerial footage arrives already cut into the story it was shot for.
Detroit airspace, explained
Flying legally in Detroit takes local knowledge. According to FAA facility maps, much of downtown and the riverfront, including Campus Martius, Water Square and Centennial Park, is uncontrolled airspace below 400 feet. North of roughly I-75, Coleman A. Young International Airport’s controlled airspace begins, and flights need authorization through LAANC. Detroit Metro’s larger airspace sits overhead at higher altitudes.
Then there are the rules that are not on an airspace map:
- Game-day restrictions. The FAA closes the airspace within three nautical miles of Comerica Park and Ford Field from an hour before to an hour after Tigers and Lions home games and the Detroit Grand Prix. That radius covers most of downtown. Our game-day guide explains it.
- Launch permits. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy requires a permit for drone and commercial shoots on the Riverwalk. Belle Isle is a state park, where commercial drone use needs written permission from the DNR. The Detroit Film Office asks whether you will fly a drone or film on the river.
- The border. The middle of the river is an international boundary. Crossing into Canadian airspace requires separate Canadian certification, so we frame Windsor from the US side.
We check all of this before we quote a date. It is why our shoots happen on the day we schedule. The full picture is in our Detroit drone rules guide.
What makes an aerial shot worth paying for
Anyone can put a drone in the air. The difference is in the planning and the edit:
- Timing. We schedule for light. Early morning and the hour before sunset flatter glass and brick; twilight makes lit windows glow. In winter, those windows are short, so the shoot is built around them.
- Movement with a purpose. A slow reveal that starts on the river and rises to the building tells a buyer where they will live. An orbit tells an investor what the site connects to. We plan each move against the story.
- Continuity with the ground. Aerials land harder when they cut to the lobby, the kitchen or the crowd. We shoot both in one visit.
- Formats. Every project ships in horizontal for your website, listings and screens, and vertical for Reels and TikTok.
Who hires us for drone work
Developers and property managers use us for launches, leasing and progress updates. Hospitality groups and venues use aerials to show scale and setting, like the domes and 160 acres at Lost Woods. Builders use repeatable progress flights. Brands and agencies bring us in for the aerial unit on larger productions.
Safety and insurance
Our pilots hold FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificates, and every commercial flight follows Part 107: visual line of sight, altitude limits, airspace authorization where required and rules for flying over people. Venues and property owners receive a certificate of insurance before we arrive. When a shot needs it, a visual observer joins the pilot.
Planning an aerial project?
Tell us the location, the date window and what the footage needs to do. We will check the airspace and permits, recommend the right mix of aerial, FPV and ground coverage, and send a fixed quote. Start a drone project or read the drone cost guide first.