Written by LaMarcus Wilkerson, Staff Writer

The drone’s capabilities are mind-blowing. According to Associate Director for Marketing and Digital Media, Keith Warburg, the drone can snap pictures from any angle.

The UVA shoots 13 megapixels photos, and the drone shoots 4K resolution which is the highest quality of video today.

The UVA needs a co-pilot to steer the camera. However, the camera can be set to fix and one person can operate the drone.

If the drone gets lost, it will use its autopilot to get back to its original takeoff spot and also the aircraft automatically deploys its landing gear.

“This whole setup minus the IPad was 4,000 dollars,” said Warburg.

VSU has another drone. It is smaller and can’t do as much as the bigger drone.

Warburg said that the main differences between the two drones are the prices, camera speed, flight speed, flexibility and camera mobility.

“There is a fly zone,” said Warburg. “We are basically allowed to fly anywhere we want to under 400 feet.

“It’s very super restrictive where we can and can’t fly.”

It is a lot harder to fly it near an airport. Consider the amount of aircrafts coming in and out of Valdosta’s airport every day.

“We have to make sure that we are not flying too high to interfere with their communication, which should never be a problem,” Warburg said.

The drone is programed to not exceed the fly zone set by the FAA.