View from above: Here's what it takes to pilot our news drone
Seeing North Jersey from the air is almost like seeing an entirely different place.
Photojournalists Danielle Parhizkaran and Tariq Zehawi get to experience that firsthand just about every week. And they never have to leave the ground.
Members of the USA TODAY Network drone program, Parhizkaran and Zehawi are two of eight drone pilots in the Northeast, and of roughly 30 across the country, crisscrossing the skies to capture aerial perspectives that add visual context and eye-catching scenes to the journalism you find in our newspapers and on our websites and social media platforms.
Constant communication is key when flying a two-person drone such as ours, especially in a crowded state like New Jersey. Parhizkaran and Zehawi have been flying together, and with the greater network of USA TODAY drone pilots, for the last five years. Total trust between pilots is necessary, as is knowing the Federal Aviation Administration regulations that govern all flying craft, whether the pilot is in it or operating it remotely.
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Before a flight can be considered, the drone team uses digital tools including aerial maps to survey the airspace of the location and spot restrictions. Sometimes a previously open airspace can be temporarily restricted due a presidential visit to the region. Other airspaces, such as those near Newark and Teterboro airports, are always restricted, in part or in full. A partially restricted airspace may specify that the drone fly no higher than 100 feet, for example, or may require special permission from the nearest air traffic control tower.
Once at the site, the preflight procedure continues. Pilots scout the physical location of the proposed flight and contact relevant local authorities to inform them of the plan.
Next, the pilots run through a preflight checklist. Although they know it by heart, they refer to a hard copy as part of the preflight safety check.
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Parhizkaran and Zehawi have encountered interesting, sometimes challenging situations, such as hitting an invisible barrier called a "geofence" near MetLife Stadium, launching and landing from a small boat in Long Island Sound, and traveling to North Carolina to document damage from Hurricane Florence.
Another high-pressure situation familiar to our pilots is having to maneuver the drone and camera extra smoothly when their flights are being livestreamed in real time on NorthJersey.com, to avoid making viewers nauseated. Because they're skilled, prepared, alert and ready to react in these situations, it's no surprise that they've always completed their flights safely.
Check out some of our drone team's favorite scenes from 2022 in the video at the top of this article, some of which were made possible by fellow drone pilots from our sister sites APP.com and lohud.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Drone pilots share what it takes to capture eye-catching scenes
