Me and My Drone: Chris Newman, Owner and Pilot of CineChopper
(Chris Newman holding his drone on a shoot / Chris Newman / Instagram)
By: Julien Gathelier
Chris Newman is the founder and pilot of CineChopper, an aerial photography and videography production firm. We featured Newman's video of his drone going rogue in the Amazonian rainforest earlier this week.
What drone do you fly?
Newman owns two drones: a quadrocopter and an octocopter, a drone with eight rotors. He built both himself and spends most of his time upgrading and repairing them. Just the maintenance of his drones costs him from $30,000 to $40,000 a year, he said.
What do you use your drone for?
"Everything," Newman said. His drones are an integral part of his business as a freelance aerial videographer. He has shot footage for commercials, high-end real estate agencies and documentaries.
(Chris Newman flying his drone / Chris Newman / Instagram)
How did you get started?
About four years ago, Newman became interested in single rotor remote controlled helicopters after watching a couple of videos online. He first bought a flight simulator and practiced on his computer for about three weeks, before buying his quadrocopter. A couple of weeks after that he bought his octocopter. Both drones came in separate parts and he built them himself.
Does your drone have a name?
CineChopper owns two drones: a small and a big one. The larger octocopter was recently christened "Pegasus." Chris was filming some rock formations on a shoot in Iceland when he struck up a conversation with a tourist that was watching the drone. She suggested that the drone should be named after her: "Peggy." Chris obliged, and decided that Peggy should be short for Pegasus.
How do you see yourself using your drone in the future?
Newman has a couple of plans with his drones in the future. Most of all he is impatient for the FAA to come out with new legislation. "A lot of people aren't very safe and it makes us look bad,' he said. He's hoping that he will be able to get a certification as a drone pilot.
As interest in drones grows, he is also planning to open a drone pilot school. CineChopper has published a few video tutorials on YouTube and Newman has already begun training some young pilots. He hopes he will be able to hire some of them as he expands his business.
This post is part of our series of profiles of drone operators, "Me and My Drone." Would you like to be featured? Shoot us an email at [email protected], tweet at us dronesathome or tweet or instagram a picture using the hashtag #meandmydrone.
