RAW Digital Group flies drone photography and video in Petoskey, MI, with FAA Part 107 certified pilots from its Detroit studio. Published starting prices are $450 for aerial photos, $1,500 for aerial video and $2,500 for FPV fly-throughs, with travel to Petoskey quoted per project.
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What Petoskey area clients film from the air
Around Little Traverse Bay, most aerial photography sells property, stays or events. Waterfront and seasonal homes from Bay Harbor to Harbor Springs are the core of it: a drone shot shows frontage, the bluff, the view across the bay and the distance to town in one frame, which ground photos cannot. Resorts and golf courses need the same reach. The Highlands at Harbor Springs lists four championship golf courses along with its ski terrain, and Bay Harbor combines a marina, yacht club, golf and a village on one stretch of shoreline. Wedding venues and summer event hosts round out the drone video work.
Bay Harbor is also a story that reads well from the air. According to its own history, mining and a cement plant had covered more than 1,200 acres and five miles of Lake Michigan shoreline there before a 1990s reclamation, and in March 1995 crews opened an old limestone quarry to the lake to create Bay Harbor Lake. Downtown Petoskey, which its downtown association describes as more than 170 shops, restaurants and offices in the Gaslight District overlooking Little Traverse Bay, gives retail and hospitality clients a strong establishing shot.
Airspace is simple, land is not
Petoskey is one of the easier places in Michigan to fly from an airspace standpoint. The FAA’s Class Airspace data shows no controlled airspace at the surface over downtown, Bay View, Bay Harbor, Petoskey State Park or Harbor Springs, with the floor of controlled airspace at 700 feet above ground. Below 400 feet, no LAANC request is needed.
That changes to the north. Pellston Regional Airport (PLN), about 15 miles north of downtown, has surface Class E airspace that reaches down to The Highlands, where the FAA facility map allows LAANC approvals up to 400 feet. Near the airport the grid drops to zero. Resort shoots at The Highlands need a LAANC request filed before launch, even though the town a few miles south needs none.
The harder planning is on the ground. Bay View is a National Historic Landmark run by its own association, so a launch there needs the association’s or an owner’s permission. Bay Harbor’s shoreline is privately held as well. Petoskey State Park, on the bay just northeast of town, falls under DNR Land Use Order 5.1, which requires written DNR permission for commercial drone use and bans flights over occupied beaches and campgrounds. Wilderness State Park, farther north in Emmet County, falls under the same order. We sort out launch permission with the owner or agency before we quote.
Light and seasons
Summer is when Petoskey is fullest. Bay View’s residence season runs May through October, according to the association, and the bay is busiest with boats and beachgoers, which matters because Part 107 limits flying over people. Early morning gives calm water and empty beaches. Sunsets over Little Traverse Bay suit waterfront listings and resort content. Fall color around the bay is a strong second season, and winter brings ski content at The Highlands.
Planning a Petoskey shoot
Send the address, date window and what you need to deliver. We check the airspace, any state land nearby and the owner’s permission before sending a quote, and we group nearby Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Traverse City work when timing allows. For summer dates we favor weekday mornings, when beaches and marinas are quieter. See our Detroit drone photography services, including waterfront drone photography and hotel and resort aerials, or contact us to start.