FAA permits 6 TV/film production companies to use drones

WASHINGTON (KABC) -- The U.S. Transportation Department gave six TV and movie production companies permission on Thursday to operate drones for filming. The Federal Aviation Administration, part of the Transportation Dept., has banned commercial drone operations up until now, except for one oil company in Alaska.

The FAA permits come with limitations, including that the unmanned aircraft be used only in a restricted area, that they be flown under 400 feet in altitude and that flights last no more than 30 minutes at a time. Nighttime flights are prohibited, and reality television shows or other unscripted events won't qualify for the permits. Drone operators are required to have pilot licenses, and three-person crews are necessary.

The six production companies - Aerial MOB LLC, Astraeus Aerial, HeliVideo Productions LLC, Pictorvision Inc., Vortex Aerial and Snaproll Media LLC - have been working with the Motion Picture Association of America for two years to win FAA approval.

"It's going to open up a whole new creative palate to the producers and the directors out there," said Tom Hallman, president of Pictorvision Inc.

The difference in size and cost is pretty extraordinary. A camera and mount currently used on helicopters costs about a million dollars and weighs about 275 pounds. A camera-mounted drone weighs less than 55 pounds and costs in the tens of thousands of dollars.

"We can go closer, we can go quieter," said Hallman.

Former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, now chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, lobbied for the change.

"Today's announcement is a great victory obviously for the industry, but it's also a great victory for audiences," said Dodd.

Not everyone is applauding.

"I'm really dubious about the use of drones ... don't people realize these things are like flying lawn mowers? Excessive care must be taken with their use," said Richard Crudo, president of the American Society of Cinematographers.

The FAA is considering 40 requests for exemptions from other commercial entities. Congress and industries that want to use or sell the technology have been pressuring the FAA to relax its ban.

Companies want to use drones to monitor pipelines, inspect the undersides of oil platforms and bridges, and spray crops. Amazon and Google want to use them to deliver packages. Wedding videographers, real estate agents, journalists and many others are clamoring to use them as well.

Congress directed the FAA in 2012 to safely integrate all sizes of drones, from high-flying Global Hawks to small quadrocopters weighing no more than a few pounds, into the national airspace. The FAA missed several milestones and was not expected to meet the October 2015 deadline for full integration.

Drones have already been used in in filming some movies overseas, including "Skyfall" and "Transformers: Age of Extinction."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.