Film crew hire/New York/Drone operator
Hire a drone operator in New York. Aerials over the five boroughs, planned a month out.
Drone operators for brand films, property, events and documentaries across New York City, holding the FAA’s Part 107 certificate and flying under the NYPD’s drone permit. In the city that permit takes at least 30 days, so the aerials are the first thing we plan on the shoot. From $1,000 a day, paid to the drone operator in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- 10 hrs a New York crew day, plus a meal break
- 500+ productions, filmed in sixteen countries
Photos: Goh Rhy Yan, Diana Măceşanu, William Bayreuther, Nicolas Luna and Kelly Sikkema
The role
What a drone operator does on your shoot
A drone operator plans and flies the aerial shots: the skyline at first light, the building from above, the rise over the water that opens the film. In New York City most of the job happens before the shoot day: the NYPD permit, the take-off site, the airspace round the airports, and the notices the neighbourhood has to see.
Since July 2023 the NYPD has permitted drone take-off and landing in the city, on rules that set the timetable. The application goes in at least 30 days ahead, or 14 if the operator held a permit in the previous 180 days. The fee is $150, the pilot holds the FAA’s Part 107 certificate, and the insurance is $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate, naming the City (checked October 2026). Take-off and landing happen only from sites the Department of Transportation designates, so the take-off point comes from that list, not from the roof with the best view.
So we’re candid on the first call. If the shot is in the five boroughs and the shoot is less than a month away, a drone may not make it, and we’ll say so before you plan round it. Where the permit can’t be had in time, we look for another way to the picture: a long lens from a high floor, or a take-off point outside the city.
- The permit planned first. The NYPD application in at least 30 days ahead, with the City named on the insurance.
- Part 107 pilots. FAA-certified, the drone registered, the flight planned to Part 107’s rules on height, line of sight and people.
- Airspace checked. LAANC authorisation from the FAA where the site sits near JFK, LaGuardia or Newark.
- Shots that cut in. Frame rate and colour profile matched to the ground cameras before the first flight.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- Flight planning, the site assessment and the airspace check
- Their FAA Part 107 certificate and the drone’s registration
- The rushes at wrap, matched to the ground cameras
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- The NYPD permit fee, and any extra liability cover the permit asks for, at cost
- A second operator on the camera, for a cinema drone
- A visual observer, where the site needs one
- Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in New York.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a drone operator for your own New York shoot, or have us take the production on, the NYPD permit and the take-off site included.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% booking fee, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel. Payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line.
We do
- Find, book and brief the New York crew
- Every crew member employed for the job: payroll, workers’ compensation and COIs
- Book kit, vans and travel too, if you want them
- Send the full price, in dollars, before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its COI and any Mayor’s Office permit
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote, at cost: payroll for each crew member, the insurance they need for the job, New York workers’ compensation included, and the certificates of insurance your location asks for.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
From $20,000 for a New York production; most land between that and $75,000. One quote, in dollars, every line shown.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the job
- Locations, permits, kit, studio and travel, booked in the production’s name
- The production’s insurance, the COIs and the Mayor’s Office permit
- One quote and one contract with us, wherever you’re based
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
The production’s insurance, the crew’s payroll and any permits are lines in the quote, so you see each one before you sign.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a drone operator, call to wrap
Aerials of a new waterfront building in Queens at sunrise, flown from the nearest DOT-designated take-off site. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- D–30 The NYPD application In at least 30 days ahead, with the pilot’s Part 107 certificate, the insurance naming the City and the designated take-off site.
- D–2 Notices up The community board told, and notices posted within 100 feet of the take-off site, at least 48 hours before the first flight.
- 06:00 Site walk The take-off and landing area checked and kept clear, people and traffic noted, the visual observer briefed.
- 06:30 Weather and airspace Wind off the river checked, the LAANC authorisation confirmed, and any temporary flight restriction looked up that morning.
- 07:00 First flights Low-sun reveals of the building and the water, while the light is soft and the streets are quiet.
- 11:30 Meal break Batteries on charge; the afternoon flights planned round the sun.
- 16:00 Last flights and wrap Pick-ups in the late light, the flight log written up, the cards copied before they leave.
Which kind
Which drone do you need?
The shot and the camera choose the drone. In New York, so does where it can take off.
Standard aerials A small drone with a good 4K or 5K camera From $1,000 a day
Quick to set up, quiet, and light enough to sit well inside Part 107’s rules on flying near people, which matter in a city this dense.
Best for property, events, establishing shots and social content.
Cinema drone Full-frame, interchangeable lenses Quoted on the brief
A full-frame camera recording RAW, with a second operator on the camera while the pilot flies.
Best for brand films, adverts and anything graded with the main camera.
FPV Fast, close and through gaps Quoted on the brief
Small, fast drones flown in first person: through a warehouse, along a pier, close to a moving car or a runner.
Best for sport, venues and action. In the city it usually means a closed location and more planning.
Inside the five boroughs An NYPD permit, every time Plus 30 days’ notice
Take-off and landing only from DOT-designated sites, with the permit, the $150 fee and $2m/$4m of insurance naming the City. See filming permits in New York.
Plan for it on any shoot that wants the skyline from the air.
What it’s for
What people book a drone for in New York
Buildings and developments
Towers in Midtown and the Financial District, waterfront projects in Brooklyn and Queens, seen whole from above.
Brand films
The skyline or the rivers that open the film, planned a month ahead.
Events
Outdoor events and launches, where the organiser’s own permissions sit alongside the NYPD’s.
Documentaries
The scale of the city: the bridges, the piers, the rail yards and the traffic.
Overseas productions
UK and European teams who need a Part 107 pilot who knows the NYPD process.
Recent work
Drones on our crews, and the New York rules we plan round
How we crew it · New York
A month, not a week
The rest of a New York crew is rarely what sets the date. A drone in the five boroughs is: the NYPD wants the application at least 30 days ahead, or 14 for an operator who’s held a permit in the last 180 days. So when a brief includes aerials, the drone is the first thing we book, and the date the application goes in decides the earliest shoot day. If the calendar won’t stretch, we say so on the first call, not the week before.
How we crew it · New York
Where the drone takes off
The NYPD permits take-off and landing only from sites the Department of Transportation designates, so the shot is planned from the take-off point outwards. The operator checks the distance to the subject, the line of sight and the airspace: much of the city sits close to JFK, LaGuardia or Newark, where the FAA’s LAANC authorisation is a separate step. Notices go up within 100 feet of the site 48 hours ahead, and the community board hears first.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
- Wind and rain can ground a drone: a weather day is agreed on the quote.
- A VIP visit or a big event brings a temporary flight restriction, so the operator checks on the morning.
Permission in New York
- The NYPD permit: at least 30 days ahead, $150, take-off and landing from a DOT-designated site only.
- Insurance for the permit: $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate, naming the City.
- FAA airspace authorisation near the airports, through LAANC, is separate from the NYPD permit.
- A ground crew with more than a hand-held camera or a tripod needs the Mayor’s Office film permit too.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the drone operator.
- 50% when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, payroll and insurance, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
Employment and insurance
- Every drone operator we book is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) for your location or permit, naming whoever needs naming, on request.
- On a crew hire the location, its COI, the permit and your own general liability stay with you. When we’re the producer of record, the production carries them.
- In New York, Here Now Films books its crews through established New York production companies, so every crew member is employed, on payroll and fully insured for the job.
From $1,000 a day
No published union scale for drone operators in New York.
| Operator and drone, a day | $1,000 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $100 |
| One day, before payroll, the permit and travel | $1,100 |
Every drone operator we book in New York is employed and insured for the job. Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote. What that covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the drone operator.
- Every crew member employed and insured for the job
- 50% at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a drone operator in New York.
Tell us the date, the place and the shots. We’ll check the take-off sites and the airspace before we quote, and tell you straight away if the date is less than 30 days out. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in New York, booked the same way
One brief, one quote in dollars, every role on its own line. Our day rates in New York, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant $250
- Runner $250
Camera 07
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC $550
- Steadicam operator From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator This page From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
Sound 01
- Sound mixer $850
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
Art department 02
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Post-production 01
- Editor From $600
How our rates work: crew rates in New York. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in New York.
Questions
Hiring a drone operator in New York: questions
How much does a drone operator cost in New York?
Our drone operators in New York start at $1,000 for a 10-hour day with their own drone, and the operator is paid all of it. There’s no published union scale for drone work. On top go our 10% booking fee, so one day comes to $1,100, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote), the NYPD’s $150 permit fee (checked October 2026) and travel. Cinema drones and FPV are quoted on the brief, with a second operator where the camera needs one.
Who employs the crew, and are they insured?
Every crew member we book in New York is employed for the job and fully insured: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance for your location or permit. Payroll and insurance show as their own line on the quote, at cost. On a crew hire, the location, its COI and the permit stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production.
Can you fly a drone in New York City?
Yes, under an NYPD permit, which has allowed drone take-off and landing in the city since July 2023. The application goes in at least 30 days ahead (14 if the operator held a permit in the previous 180 days), the fee is $150, the pilot needs the FAA’s Part 107 certificate, and the insurance is $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate, naming the City. Take-off and landing are only from DOT-designated sites, and the community board is told, with notices posted within 100 feet, at least 48 hours before (checked October 2026).
How far ahead should I book a drone operator in New York?
A month at least, for anything in the five boroughs. The NYPD permit sets the timetable: 30 days for a first application, 14 for an operator with a permit in the last 180 days. The rest of the crew rarely sets the date, so the drone is the first thing we plan and the hardest to move. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, and if your date is closer than the permit allows, we’ll say so in that first reply.
What does a drone operator need from the FAA?
A Part 107 remote pilot certificate, and a drone registered with the FAA. Flying near JFK, LaGuardia or Newark needs airspace authorisation, usually through LAANC, which is separate from the NYPD permit and checked when we plan the flight. Part 107 also sets the rules on height, line of sight and flying over people, which matter on a busy New York street. We check every operator’s certificate and insurance before we book them.