Channel 7 Reporter's Drone Use Being "Looked Into" by FAA

Well it seems the use of a drone to get overhead views of tornado damage over the weekend has come to the attention of the FAA.  Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports today KATV photographer Brian Emfinger's use of his own private drone to cover the aftermath of the storm is being investigated by the FAA.  

“It’s always in the back of my head, ‘How could I use the drone to get shots that other people don’t have?’” said Emfinger, who had been chasing the storm from the moment it touched down. “The thing about the aerial is, for people who have been impacted, it’s one thing to have ground shots but it really gives a sense of perspective about how bad it is. And if people know how bad it is, people can help.”

What does KATV news director Nick Gentry have to say:

“Brian went out to use it last night because we knew we needed some pictures to show the damage,” Gentry said. “It gave great perspective of how bad the damage was in Mayflower.”

The paper reports KLRT used drone services provided by Tim Trieschmann, owner of The Shot Above to get aerial footage of the devastation.