Filed questions.

A.Yes. General liability [confirm: $XM] and umbrella [confirm: $XM per project], additional insured certificates issued on request — typically same-day. The pilot on the brief is the pilot on site; we don’t subcontract the stick.

A.FAA Part 107. We file LAANC for every flight that requires it, and we file waivers ahead of time for TFRs or restricted areas — the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and HPD academy track shoots both ran through that process. Transponder posture varies by rig [confirm: which rigs carry Remote ID modules].

A.On a per-shoot waiver. BVLOS waivers take [confirm: typical filing lead time] to file in the US; tell us early and we’ll start the paperwork before the project is fully scoped.

A.Yes. LAANC handles most of it inside 30 minutes; for tighter coordination (tower handshakes, active TFRs, restricted-area waivers) we file ahead. We do not fly without authorization.

A.Either. We’ll sign yours unmodified or send ours if you’d prefer. Unreleased work stays unreleased until you say otherwise — that’s the default whether an NDA is on paper or not.

A.Solo pilot for sub-250 and most listing work. For cinelifter or higher-stakes FPV shoots, we add a visual observer — pulled on demand from a network of collaborators across the Southwest and Rockies. If the client doesn’t bring a director, the VO can fill that role too.

A.Only with written clearance — property owner, event organizer, or the relevant agency, depending on the site. We do not chase access on the day.

A.We do not fly inside US National Parks. We will fly adjacent USFS, BLM, or state-park land with proper authorization — the kind of clearance that takes weeks, not hours [confirm: typical lead time]. Bring the project in early.

A.Yes — Part 107 night ops with anti-collision lighting [confirm: on which rigs]. We’ve flown three days of morning-and-evening shows at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, threading 500 other drones at 5 AM and 6 PM with a coordinated landing protocol. We’ll fly into dawn for a hero plate; we won’t fly a dark sky as a substitute for one.

A.Standard ops is to 400 ft AGL. Above that requires a waiver — we file them when the brief actually requires it. Most plates do not.

A.RAW footage to your editor — that’s the default. Native resolution, in your project’s working colour space, handed off after wheels-down [confirm: typical drop window]. Edits, cuts, and grades are a separate brief.

A.Editing is a separate brief. We deliver RAW by default and hand it to your editor. If you want a cut or a grade from us, we can quote it — just say so when you send the brief.

A.RAW is RAW — your editor takes it from there. We can shoot to your project’s working colour space, slate to your conventions, and prep file structure to land cleanly in Resolve, Premiere, or wherever you’re cutting. Tell us the pipeline when you send the brief.

A.Revisions only apply when an edit or grade is in scope — the default RAW hand-off doesn’t have rounds to revise. If a grade package is purchased, one round is included; additional rounds are quoted at hourly. Re-flights for missed coverage are quoted at half-day rates plus airspace.

A.Cuts of any aspect ratio are part of an edit brief, not the default RAW hand-off. We can shoot in a frame that supports vertical and square crops if you flag it early — if you want us to deliver the pulls, that’s quoted with the edit.

A.We don’t publish rates because the rig list does most of the pricing — a one-day sub-250 listing reel is not the same project as a six-day cinelifter shoot. Send a brief and we’ll come back inside two business days with a number.

A.One day, one rig, one plate. We do not run minimums. We do run honest scoping — if the brief is wrong-sized for what you actually need, we’ll tell you.

A.Yes for FPV chase work and listing reels; no for cinelifter shoots. Cinelifter projects are quoted as a brief — the rig + crew + post + insurance is too entangled to flat-rate by the day.

A.Pass-through. Travel costs (flights, vehicle, hotel, per diem) are itemized at quote time and invoiced at cost. We don’t mark up travel.

A.50% on signature, balance on hand-off. Holds (windows we’re keeping open while you decide) require a $1,500 hold fee that’s credited against the project if it goes.

A.We scope a primary window and a backup window before the shoot. If both close, we re-scope into the next available window — weather is part of the brief, not a surprise. On Drift Week 6 the rain rolled into Texas and we ended up at a friend’s Airbnb in Jamaica Beach until it broke. Travel costs are pass-through either way.

A.Operator call, supported by a written go/no-go check on every shoot — wind speed at altitude, gust factor, visibility, ceiling, and rig-specific temperature limits. We’d rather skip a window than fly a rig we shouldn’t.

A.We don’t fly rain over the rig manufacturer’s spec, sustained wind above [confirm: knot threshold at altitude] at altitude, or active lightning inside [confirm: nm radius]. We’ll fly snow, fog, light rain, and gust-prone conditions when the brief justifies it — the custom 5″ FPV was built with a waterproof housing for exactly this.

A.Hull is insured. Crashed rig cost is on us. Missed window is on the schedule, not the client — we re-fly the missed plate inside the next window we can scope, at no additional flight day fee.

A.With caution. Wildfire smoke degrades imagery before it degrades operations; we’ll fly if the brief calls for it (atmospheric plates, fire coverage with permission), but we’ll tell you what the smoke is doing to the plate before you commit.