From the mid-60s up to 1981, swing-wing aircraft led the way for new multirole aircraft that combined the low-speed stability and efficiency of a straight wing with the high-speed performance of a swept wing and led to some of the most famous fighters and bombers of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. But from 1981 onwards […]
Soldiers at Fort Moore are competing in the U.S. Army’s first small drone competition with a wild obstacle course modeled off tactics and terrain of the war in Ukraine and threats American troops now face in the Middle East. A new video posted to X by the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, or MCOE, at […]
Clearing snow off overhead power lines can be time-consuming and difficult. That’s when you bring in a drone like the FlyCart 30. Add a dangling non-conductive stick and you have a snow-clearing system. Source: Interesting Engineering/YouTube
The B-1 Lancer is not just any bomber. It is the most powerful bomber ever built. Featuring four rocket ship-like afterburner engines and supersonic speeds, get ready to learn about this remarkable aircraft. The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed […]
The P-47 Thunderbolt is one of the most recognisable US fighter planes from the Second World War. After the United States joined the war, pilots from the US Army Air Force were sent to Britain to aid in the war effort, along with their trusty Thunderbolts. Used in every major theatre of the war, the […]
The Junkers G.38 was a large German four-engined transport aircraft which first flew in 1929. Two examples were constructed in Germany. Both aircraft flew as a commercial transport within Europe in the years leading up to World War II. During the 1930s, the design was licensed to Mitsubishi, which constructed and flew a total of […]
The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (US Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In US Army service it was designated the OA-10, in Canadian service as the Canso and it later got the NATO reporting name Mop. It […]
SkyPixel has named the winners of its 8th Annual Photo & Video Contest. You saw the best drone photos of 2024 shared here earlier this week. And sure the photos were stunning, but something about video is next-level. Among the 130,000 submissions into this year’s contest (which, by the way, is an 100% increase over last year), this year’s judging panel narrowed the video submissions to one grand prize winner.
That top winner is a video called “Haines Alaska Through the Eyes of Luke Bredar.” The short film depicting a skier racing down a snowy mountaintop landscapes with breathtaking shots of Alaska’s mountainous, winter terrain was filmed by Luke Bredar.
Screengrab from the award-winning film “Haines Alaska Through the Eyes of Luke Bredar.”
Watch the full film here.
“The motivation behind creating this video was to evoke themes of otherworldliness, objective risk, the interplay between risk and the essence of human spirit, solitude, impermanence, self-sufficiency, and the journey of incomplete wandering intertwined with heartbreak,” Bredar said.
That video was selected by a judging panel of seasoned experts including:
Michael Fitzmaurice, best known as the Aerial Director of Photography of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”
Xiaoshi Zhao, best known for his award-winning work on “Forever Enthralled”
Bing Xi, a prominent figure in the Chinese TVC industry
Filmmaker Brandon Li
Beyond honor and glory, Bredar walks away with a prize pack worth more than $14,000, including an Inspire 3 drone. Bredar also earns the title of ‘official SkyPixel Creator.’
What is SkyPixel?
SkyPixel is an online community of aerial photographers and videographers. At its core, artists post their work to the site (and that in turn makes them eligible to win the title). According to SkyPixel, there are now more than 42 million registered users.
The winning video this year took us to Alaska, but what about last year’s SkyPixel video winner? Check out the best drone video of 2023. And in case you missed it, you have to scroll through the list of the best aerial photos of 2023, also based on SkyPixel winners.
Other mesmerizing drone videos to watch in 2024
And of course, while Bredar certainly deserves the title of SkyPixel Drone Videographer of the Year, that’s hardly to say that’s the only award-winning drone video you’ll see this year. In fact, earlier this month, another video-sharing site, AirVuz, announced its own drone video contest winners.
As part of the AirVuz 2023 drone video contest, aerial videography company AeroCircus walked away with the award of Drone Video of the Year for their Showreel 2023. In addition, Skynamic Drone, another drone filming company, won FPV Video of the Year with their reel, FPV Demoreel. You can watch those award-winning videos (and learn more about Airvuz’s contest) here.
If you find joy in daily drone content like this, then consider giving me some financial support! The Drone Girl maintains its ability to publish based off your donations. Thank you in advance!
The Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is carrying out firing trials with versions of the Roketsan MAM-L and MAM-T guided bombs that can be used against targets concealed by cloud cover, the UAV’s Turkish manufacturer announced on 15 March. Both the MAM-L, which is the standard munition for Baykar’s UAVs, and the MAM-T, […]
In a world full of drone videos, it’s rare to find one that really wows us. But we’ve got it — the top drone video of 2023 that truly stands out.
AirVuz recently announced the winners of its 2023 Drone Video Contest. The selections were made by a panel of judges, including The Drone Girl herself, Sally French.
Aerial videography company AeroCircus clinched the title of Drone Video of the Year for their Showreel 2023, while Skynamic Drone, another drone filming company, won FPV Video of the Year with their reel, FPV Demoreel.
Drone Video of the Year: Showreel 2023
The Drone Video of the Year, Showreel 2023, is akin to a trailer for one of the most epic movies you’ve ever seen, capturing stunning landscapes and intricate drone maneuvers.
“Still speechless… Bringing the award to Munich for the second time makes me particularly humble, especially in these times for the film industry worldwide,” AeroCircus said upon receiving the news.
For winning Drone Video of the Year, AeroCircus was awarded a DJI prize package. The prize is sponsored by Skypixel, which includes a DJI Mavic 3 Pro with DJI RC.
Also, AirVuz acknowledged three finalists in this category: Bashin AbuShakra, Timelab.pro, and Florian Ledoux. As finalists, these winners will each receive a DJI Mini Pro 4 with DJI RC 2.
FPV Video of the Year: FPV Demoreel
Skynamic emerged as the champion in the FPV category with their video, FPV Demoreel. This video elevates FPV drone maneuvering to a whole new level.
“We feel humbled to be recognized by the AirVuz community in such an overwhelming way,” said Gabriel Manz of Skynamic Drone.
For winning FPV Video of the Year, Skynamic received a DJI prize package sponsored by Skypixel. The prize package included a pair of DJI Goggles 2+ and two DJI O3 Air Units.
Both categories boasted impressive submissions. “Picking the winning videos for 2023 was no easy task for our judges, given the strength of the field,” said AirVuz President and CEO Mike Israel.