Category: Pilot View
-
Pilot’s View: Above Colorado’s Changing Glaciers
Following a year of record-low snowfall, Colorado State University researchers are documenting how the state’s glaciers are changing. To capture the images they need, they returned to the air with LightHawk volunteer pilot Evan Anderman. The researchers combine photographs taken from multiple angles to create detailed models of each glacier’s surface. Before they began flying…
-
Pilot View: Flying Montana’s Bitterroot Valley
“Ray Lee is a true professional.” That’s how Northern Rockies Program Manager Chris Boyer described Lee after a recent LightHawk mission through Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Lee and Boyer teamed up to provide aerial tours of a proposed mine site near the Headwaters of the Bitterroot Valley – a winding waterway that flows through picturesque country featured…
-
Pilot View: Capturing Aerial Perspective on the Colorado River
The Colorado River Basin is an area of intense interest this year. Record low snowfall has left the river system with very little water, highlighting the ongoing water crisis in the West. Massive reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell are far below their average water levels. With increasing demand for flights over the basin,…
-
Pilot View: Collecting Imagery of New Jersey’s Passaic River
Most pilots avoid the airspace around New York City whenever possible. Volunteer pilot Mike McNamara volunteered for it. Partnering with The Nature Conservancy – New Jersey, Mike recently flew staff along the Passaic River to collect imagery and observe the surrounding landscape from above. The mission required navigating some of the busiest and most complex…
-
Pilot View: Documenting Port Pollution in Southern California
Along the coast of Southern California lies the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a maze of cargo ships, oil tankers, and infrastructure and one of the busiest gateways in the global supply chain. They’re also a source of emissions that contribute to climate change and local air quality impacts. Media partner Capital &…