Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Noah Morales. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Noah, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.
As a drone pilot, decision-making is a skill that improves with practice. From a flight standpoint, taking the time to master drone flight maneuvers is crucial in the event of an in-flight emergency. When you are presented with an emergency situation as a drone pilot, your muscle memory plays a huge role on the outcome of the operation. With that being said, all good drone pilots should have a safety protocol in place, made during the pre-flight stage of the mission. For example, in the event of signal loss, the pilot should have their drone climb to a preset safe altitude before returning to home. If there is a manned aircraft in the area, the pilot should know how to safely maneuver their drone as to not endanger others or cause damage to personal property. Essentially, for any unexpected situation, the drone pilot should be able to quickly make a decision or have a plan to fall back on.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) pilot, the main work I do is drone photography and videography. I work with small businesses, restaurants, charities, and non-profit organizations to help promote their services. In addition to gathering aerial footage for clients, I also enjoy filming my own cinematic projects. To date, my favorite project I’ve completed is titled “Argentina to Chile: Peaks, Patagonia, and Pacific Shores.” This cinematic film highlights scenic views of the beautiful landscapes of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, and can be found on my YouTube channel. I also post a lot of my short-form projects on my Instagram, where potential clients can become familiar with my work.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Throughout my drone cinematography journey, the three most important skills are flying, filming, and editing. When it comes to these three skills, I am completely self-taught. This is one of the best ways to learn, because as you learn from your mistakes, you begin understanding what adjustments need to be made moving forward. For anyone looking to become involved in the drone cinematography field, the best advice I have is to simply practice. Start racking up your flight hours. Go out to a park and practice flight maneuvers. Once you have them mastered, move on to making smooth camera movements. When that’s done, start practicing your editing. The quality of your work may not be perfect at first, but you will absolutely see the improvement as time passes.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
When specifically talking about the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) field, I believe it’s better to be well-rounded. Although my current focus is drone photography and videography, there are many different options for a career within the UAS field and my interests could change at any time. Outside of cinematography, some of my other experience in drone projects include building drones, using drones equipped with infrared sensors to participate in search and rescue missions, creating orthomosaics and 3D models using photogrammetry, creating geospatial maps with data taken by unmanned aircrafts, utilizing drones equipped with multispectral sensors to monitor crop health, and involvement in drone light shows. I believe that any and all experience with drone operations contributes to your overall credibility as a drone pilot. Even if I were to stay in the aerial photography and videography field, my clients want a pilot they know they can trust.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noahmoralesaerials
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morales-noah
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@noah.morales.aerials
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