FAA approves drones to fly near skiers

The FAA has given drone start-up Cape Productions approval to fly without a minimum distance from people, after the company recorded skiers for over a year on Canadian slopes and the US Ski Team in New Zealand. Previously, the FAA required commercial drones to remain at least 500 feet from people. The San Fransisco-based company uses a drone to create a momento for skiers. Initially offering the service in California, the company plans to expand into resorts located in Utah, Oregon, New Jersey and Idaho. It maps resort's slopes and programmes its drones to fly down a specified path, called a rail. The flights typically last 30 seconds to a minute and cost between $50 to $150 depending on the package.

Bart Jansen

USA TODAY

Commercial drones are about to get a lot closer to the action.

The drone startup Cape Productions follows skiers down the slopes with remote-controlled aircraft to record video of their runs. The San Francisco company announced Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration gave it approval to fly hundreds of feet closer to people than previously allowed.

The FAA typically requires commercial drones to stay at least 500 feet away from people who aren't associated with the flight, as a safety precaution. The exception for years has been for aerial photography as part of a closed movie set because the participants are expected to know the risks.

But after recording skiers for more than a year largely in Canada, Cape Productions won FAA approval to fly without a minimum distance from the skiers the drones are recording. The company creates a memento without the nuisance of a skier having to schlep cameras up and down a mountain.

“It’s the chance to get amazing video during their time at their favorite ski resorts," CEO Jason Soll said.

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The FAA has approved 3,012 special permits through Jan. 15 for commercial drones while developing comprehensive rules for the industry. The rules generally call for drones to be flown during the day within sight of the operator or another observer partner. A key element so far has been to keep commercial drones away from people and other aircraft, to prevent collisions and injuries.

The FAA approval will allow Cape Productions to bring home the knowledge accumulated recording skiers since December 2014 at the Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia, where regulations made it easier to fly drones. Cape also recorded the U.S. Ski Team in New Zealand to supplement training.

“We’re basically the first consumer drone video service to do what it does legally,” said Louis Gresham, president and a co-founder of the company.

The company will initially offer the service in the U.S. at Squaw Valley Resort and Homewood Mountain Resort, both on the California side of Lake Tahoe, where it has been testing its operation.

The company plans to expand later this season to Winter Park, Colo.; Powder Mountain Resort in Utah; Timberline Lodge and Ski Area and Mount Hood Meadows Resort in Oregon; Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey and Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Idaho.

Cape Productions maps a resort’s slopes and then programs its drones — a 3D Robotics X8+, a 3D Robotics Solo and a DJI Inspire 1 — to fly down a specified path nicknamed a rail.

If a drone loses connection with its operator, it will hover in place. If the battery runs low, the drone is programmed to land automatically in a specified area.

“Rail is bread and butter of the operation,” Soll said.

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Cape Productions offers video packages for $50 to $150, depending on the resort. The packages typically include two or three runs, recorded at angles from the front, the back and perhaps off to the side of the skier.

The drone typically flies at least 30 feet off the ground and at least 15 to 20 feet to the side of the skier, Gresham said.

Customers are briefed about the risks involved and how the drone will fly during the run, with flights typically lasting 30 seconds to a minute, Gresham said.

Other skiers are held at the top of the slope, until the flight is over. If the other skiers want to watch the flight, they are also briefed, Gresham said.

“As long as we brief people, the FAA is trusting us to keep people safe in the operations area of the drone,” Gresham said.

While starting with skiing, Cape officials said they will demonstrate how drones can be provided for a variety of hired services.

“Everyone told us we were crazy,” Soll said. “We are going to continue to position ourselves as the largest most trusted operator in the world.”