St. Petersburg, FL / Drone & live production / Est. 2017
01Services
Mode C / 01
Slow reveals, low passes, the wide that sells the whole venue. Shot, cut and delivered ready to post.
Mode L / 02
Continuous aerial coverage fed straight into your production. Our crew came up in broadcast TV and takes a director's call like any other camera position.
Mode M / 03
The whole broadcast, handled. Our live-production trailer rolls in with the cameras, switching, streaming and the crew to run it. Drone included.
Also on the flight card
Current, high-resolution maps of large sites, flown on your schedule.
Scheduled flights that document the build, map the site and market the finished project.
Infrared finds the faulty connections, shading and damaged cells you can't see, on solar farms and rooftops alike.
Power line and energy infrastructure inspection. We flew for FPL after Hurricane Irma and have flown after every major Florida storm since.
Skip the learning curve. Expert guidance on airspace, FAA rules and flying it right.
Training from your first flight to passing the FAA Part 107 certification test.
02Live production
Demo multiviewer. Frames pulled from our flight log.
The trailer
A fully equipped live-production trailer that parks on site and runs the whole show, so there's no truck to rent and no crew to piece together.
The crew
Broadcast television veterans. Tally, comms and a rundown, run like any broadcast truck.
The output
Streamed to your platform, handed to a broadcast partner, or recorded ISO for the edit. Often all three.
REC
On air
04About
Hartley Aerial started in St. Petersburg, Florida, with one goal: make it easy for any company, whatever its size, to get professional drone imagery and data wherever it's needed.
Video came first, and it's still the foundation. The team comes from broadcast television, so taking drones live was the natural next step. Today that means continuous aerial coverage for high-volume shows, and a fully equipped production trailer for events that need the whole broadcast.
That first year, Wade was one of the Part 107 pilots deployed across Florida after Hurricane Irma, inspecting power lines for FPL. The company has flown after every major Florida storm since.
Featured in print
Drone Professional 4
The latest edition of the Drone Professional series, featuring pilots from around the world. The opening chapter covers Hartley Aerial's history and business lessons.
See the book →
05On the record
★★★★★5-star reviews
Read all our Google reviews★★★★★I highly recommend Hartley Aerial. Professional team, great communication, reliable and trustworthy. Aside from the high level of experience, they took detailed precautions in regards to safety.
★★★★★I really appreciate the attention to detail and professionalism from this team. The drone captures have been consistently impressive and just what I needed. Wade is also very personable and easy to work with. Highly recommend!
★★★★★Excellent service, great quality pictures. Always "best in the business" in every way! Thank you Hartley Aerial Services for your amazing attention to detail every time!
★★★★★Wade and his company are class acts. Great service for what I needed. Amazing technology, on time, professional, knowledgeable and a great value!
06FAQ
As early as possible. Racing weekends and bowl season book up fast, and venues near stadiums or airports need lead time for airspace authorization. Short notice? Ask.
Yes. We're based in St. Petersburg, Florida and fly events all over the country. Recent flights include Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee and Arizona.
Yes. The drone feed goes into your production as another camera source, and our crew works on your comms like any other camera position.
Yes. Our live-production trailer brings the cameras, switching, graphics and streaming, plus the crew to run them. Tell us where the show needs to go and we'll get it there.
Every flight is flown by an FAA Part 107 certified remote pilot. We handle airspace authorizations and coordinate with venue and event operations before we arrive.
The rules on flying over people are strict, and we follow them. We plan flight lines around the crowd and the venue's requirements, and you still get the shot.
Safety makes the call. We watch the wind, rain and lightning forecast ahead of time and plan around it with you. On multicam shows, the ground cameras keep the show on air if the aircraft has to land.
Tell us who needs it and we'll get it to them before show day.
07Blog
Thermal drones are revolutionizing solar panel inspections for both commercial and residential applications.
Read it
Aerial shots outside a stadium used to come from blimps or day-old footage. Now a small drone can put live aerial into the show.
Read it
Remote ID is essentially a license plate for your drone. Here is what it means for commercial pilots, and where your money is best spent.
Read it08Book Hartley Aerial