Lucky Drone Pilot Captures Mesmerizing Footage of Niagara Falls
An FPV drone pilot took GoPro’s new Mission 1 Pro camera for a thrilling ride up, down, and around Niagara Falls.
Evan Bilon, better-known as FPV Evan, gained permission from Transport Canada and Niagara Parks for the epic flight, which was also Evan’s first real test of the cinematic Mission 1 Pro camera.
“Over the last three years, I’ve built a pretty good relationship with Transport Canada, allowing me to fly drones in restricted airspace,” says Evan.
“There’s some prep work that goes into it, with the contact of the border agency, the zip lines, the boat tours, the helicopter tours, just so everyone knows that we’re flying in the area.”
Even with all that work, Evan still needs to fill out paperwork and drone checklists. He also needs a spotter and special equipment, and has to adhere to a height limit to remain within the rules and regulations set by the authorities.
“I’m just happy to come out here and fly; it’s such a beautiful location,” says Evan.
Evan then dons his FPV goggles and flies out over the 170-foot-tall waterfall, skimming the top of the surface even as mist envelops the area.
“I just got to get more comfortable; my hands are a little bit tight, a little bit tense, of course,” Evan says, acknowledging the magnitude of the flight. “I need to loosen up a bit.”
It’s fascinating to watch Evan in his goggles with the picture he’s seeing on screen. Like most professionals, Evan frets about the details, like whether the camera angle is too low and checking the link quality on his radio so he doesn’t lose signal.
“I don’t want to hit a big mist cloud and lose a drone,” says Evan, as he dives over the top of the falls.
Evan had perfect conditions for the flight, the bright, sunny day creating plenty of contrast that makes the mist look ethereal.
“What a good flight that was, Holy,” Evan says after the drone landed. “We pretty much got all we wanted; we went around the lip of the falls, went underneath. We got some further back shots too, some slower motion ones going back and forth. Overall, I’m really happy with it.”
