Drone overwatch and aerial advance
From the ground you see the next fifty feet. From three hundred feet you see the parking lot filling up, the second gate nobody mentioned, and the crowd collecting by the trailer door. We use drones to scout ahead of a detail and, where the rules allow, to keep an eye on the perimeter while it runs.
What a drone adds to a detail
Drones do two jobs for us. Before an event they are a faster, better advance: we can look at approaches, parking, the route in and out, and the ground around a venue or estate in a few minutes rather than an afternoon on foot. During an event they give the lead agent a view of the perimeter that no one standing at a door can have.
- Advance survey of estates, venues, and outdoor event sites
- Route checks for arrivals and departures
- Perimeter overwatch at private events and on private property
- Crowd build-up and traffic at load-in and load-out
- Footage reviewed with the lead agent, not published
The rules we fly under
Commercial drone flights in the United States fall under the FAA's Part 107 rules, which set pilot certification, Remote ID, and limits on flying over people and at night. Much of Davidson County sits under the controlled airspace around Nashville International, which means an authorization before takeoff. Temporary flight restrictions go up around large stadium events and around protected officials, and when one is up, nobody flies.
Tennessee law adds its own limits, including restrictions on capturing images for surveillance and on flying near critical infrastructure. Metro Parks allows drones only at designated parks with a permit.
So we plan every flight: airspace, any active restrictions, the property owner's or venue's permission, and who is on the ground. If a flight cannot be done lawfully, it is not done, and the advance happens on foot.
What we do not do
We do not fly over stadiums during restricted events, over crowds without authorization, or over other people's property to watch them. Overwatch is about the principal's own perimeter and route, with permission. A firm that tells you it can fly anywhere at any time is telling you something about how it treats rules.
Questions
Often, on private property with the owner's permission and when the airspace allows it. Flying directly over attendees has additional FAA requirements, so we usually hold the aircraft over the perimeter instead.
Part 107 allows night operations with the right pilot training and lighting. Whether it is appropriate depends on the site and the airspace.
The flight may be recorded for the lead agent to review. Footage from a detail is not published and is handled as confidential.
Usually not. Downtown sits under Nashville's controlled airspace, and major stadium events carry temporary flight restrictions. For those, the advance is done on the ground.
Request a consultation
Tell us roughly what is coming up. The office calls back, usually the same day, to talk through the schedule and what kind of detail it needs. Nothing is booked until you say so.
Call the office
Confidential
Requests go to the office and nobody else. Keep names and addresses out of the form if you prefer; we will take them by phone.