Cleveland Aerial Media: Federal Aviation Administration launches investigation into Cleveland drone company after drone flown during bridge demolition

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Aerial Media told NewsChannel5 last week they violated a temporary flight restriction July 12, when they flew a drone over the Innerbelt Bridge demolition and posted the video online.

That flight triggered a letter of investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration informing Cleveland Aerial Media, also known as Aerial Cleveland, that the incident is under investigation.

Aerial Cleveland co-owner John Ellenberger said they will now take ground school and pilot safety classes at Lorain County Regional Airport and get more involved with the Academy of Model Aircraft to avoid future incidents.

"We're taking this very seriously. The lesson that we learned is that we're going to have to be a lot more careful and follow the guidelines a bit more stringently," said Cleveland Aerial Media co-owner John Ellenberger.

In an unrelated incident, FAA investigators are still investigating a near miss with an unknown drone and helicopter over Cleveland July 11.
 
Drones, UAVs, quadrocopters: whatever name they go by, some feel the FAA should force drone operators to register and get certified.

Drones can be used for for search and rescue, photographing ballparks, farming and more. That means this technology could be big business—as long as safety comes first.

"I see it creating jobs and Ohio is the birthplace of aviation and we want to bring innovation to Cleveland," Ellenberger said.

Ellenberger also said Cleveland Aerial Media loves the city Cleveland and doesn't want to hurt anyone.

Ellenberger said the FAA's rules about drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or Systems are unclear, but he expects the FAA will soon update the rules to keep up with this changing remote-controlled technology.

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