ESPN will be among the first station to use drones for news reporting, something they’re first testing out in the 2015 X Games in Aspen, CO during the four-day event. [lead image via ESPN]
While the station gave no promises that footage from the drone will actually be used in their broadcast (live or not), this is a big step towards for the world of aerial photography. We all know the potential that drones can have when it comes to action sports, so we’re hoping that the flying camera will give us some great video of both tricks and wipeouts.
It shouldn’t surprise you that the drone they’re using seems to be professionally-made, not something from out of the box. They’re under strict regulations from the FAA and likely had a custom-built drone made to handle the heavy camera and avoid interference from fans.
A company named Vortex Aerial is handling all things drone-related, from piloting the aerial craft to actually providing it.
According to ESPN, the drone itself weighs 25 pounds and is 40 inches in diameter. It will be solely used on Snowboarder X and Snowmobile Hillcross courses this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (weather permitting).
