Drones give journalists access to photographs and video they could not otherwise capture. The Antigravity A1 records high-quality footage in 360 degrees. Once the drone has landed, journalists can review the footage and choose their preferred sequence, or select several views of the same location. Its two lenses record in 8K at 30 frames per second.
This offers several advantages for a newsroom. During a flight over a public infrastructure project under construction, a journalist can capture the building site, nearby homes and access roads. The same footage can provide a horizontal video for the news website and a vertical version for social media.
Another use is immersive journalism. If the footage retains its original 360-degree format, viewers using a compatible headset can look around and choose which part of the scene to explore.
The drone comes with Vision goggles and a Grip controller. Under European rules for flights in the open category, a pilot wearing goggles must have an observer alongside them. The observer must keep the drone in direct sight, without goggles, and alert the pilot to any hazards.
The manufacturer quotes a maximum flight time of 24 minutes with the standard battery, which brings the drone’s total weight to 249 grams. With the high-capacity battery, the total weight rises to 291 grams and the maximum flight time to 39 minutes. Actual flight times depend on conditions. The drone is not waterproof and should not be flown in the rain.
The specifications list the drone as European class C0 with the standard battery and C1 with the high-capacity battery. Under European rules, pilots flying this C0 drone in the open category do not need a formal pilot qualification, but they must read the user manual. In Italy where we live, operators must still register on the d-flight platform, display their operator identification code on the drone, have appropriate liability insurance and check where flights are permitted. Flying the C1 configuration requires A1/A3 online training and a theory test. Journalists should also check any further requirements set by the national aviation authority in the country where they intend to fly.
