{"id":952,"date":"2026-04-30T00:02:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/?page_id=952"},"modified":"2026-09-11T10:13:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T10:13:21","slug":"drone-aerial-reel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/?page_id=952","title":{"rendered":"Drone &amp; Aerial Reel"},"content":{"rendered":"<body>\n<select class=\"translate-select\" onchange=\"translateTo(this.value)\">\n  <option value=\"\">Translate<\/option>\n  <option value=\"zh-CN\">Mandarin<\/option>\n  <option value=\"de\">German<\/option>\n  <option value=\"ru\">Russian<\/option>\n  <option value=\"ar\">Arabic<\/option>\n  <option value=\"fr\">French<\/option>\n  <option value=\"tr\">Turkish<\/option>\n  <option value=\"uk\">Ukrainian<\/option>\n  <option value=\"es\">Spanish<\/option>\n<\/select>\n\n<style>\n.translate-select {\n  background: #0f0e0c;\n  color: #eee7da;\n  border: 1px solid rgba(238, 231, 218, 0.32);\n  padding: 12px 14px;\n  font-family: \"IBM Plex Mono\", monospace;\n  font-size: 12px;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  cursor: pointer;\n}\n\n.translate-select:hover {\n  border-color: rgba(238, 231, 218, 0.55);\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<script>\nfunction translateTo(languageCode) {\n  if (!languageCode) return;\n\n  const pageUrl = encodeURIComponent(window.location.href);\n\n  window.open(\n    `https:\/\/translate.google.com\/translate?sl=auto&tl=${languageCode}&u=${pageUrl}`,\n    \"_blank\",\n    \"noopener,noreferrer\"\n  );\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\">\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\" crossorigin=\"\">\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Playfair+Display:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;0,900;1,400;1,700&amp;family=IBM+Plex+Mono:wght@300;400;500&amp;family=IBM+Plex+Sans:wght@300;400;500&amp;display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\n\n<style>\n.dr-wrap *, .dr-wrap *::before, .dr-wrap *::after {\n  box-sizing: border-box; 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color: var(--dr-ink); margin-bottom: 10px; }\n.dr-ce-val a { color: var(--dr-red); text-decoration: none; }\n.dr-ce-val a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500 FOOTER \u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dr-footer {\n  border-top: 2px solid var(--dr-rule);\n  background: var(--dr-ink);\n  padding: 16px 44px;\n  display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between;\n  flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px;\n}\n.dr-footer-mark {\n  font-family: var(--dr-serif);\n  font-weight: 700; font-size: 13px;\n  color: var(--dr-paper);\n}\n.dr-footer-mark span { color: var(--dr-red); }\n.dr-footer-links { display: flex; gap: 20px; list-style: none; }\n.dr-footer-links a {\n  font-family: var(--dr-mono);\n  font-size: 8px; letter-spacing: 0.15em; text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: #3a3428; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s;\n}\n.dr-footer-links a:hover { color: var(--dr-red); }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500 RESPONSIVE \u2500\u2500 *\/\n@media (max-width: 860px) {\n  .dr-hero { grid-template-columns: 1fr; min-height: auto; }\n  .dr-hero-left { padding: 40px 28px; }\n  .dr-hero-left::after { display: none; }\n  .dr-hero-right { padding: 36px 28px; }\n  .dr-hero-right::before { display: none; }\n  .dr-footage-inner { padding: 40px 28px; }\n  .dr-clip-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\n  .dr-clip { border-right: none !important; }\n  .dr-clip { border-bottom: 1px solid #2a2520 !important; }\n  .dr-clip:last-child { border-bottom: none !important; }\n  .dr-advisory { grid-template-columns: 1fr; padding: 40px 28px; gap: 36px; }\n  .dr-footer { padding: 14px 28px; }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"dr-wrap\">\n\n  <!-- HERO -->\n  <div class=\"dr-hero\">\n    <div class=\"dr-hero-left\">\n      <div class=\"dr-hero-date\">Aerial Journalism \u00b7 Iraq \u00b7 Ukraine \u00b7 Syria<\/div>\n      <div>\n        <h1 class=\"dr-hero-h1\">\n          Drone &amp;<br>Aerial Reel\n          <span class=\"dr-sub\">Conflict Zone<br>Footage &amp; Advisory<\/span>\n        <\/h1>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"dr-hero-tags\">\n        <div class=\"dr-tag\">Mosul \u00b7 2016<\/div>\n        <div class=\"dr-tag\">Iraq \u00b7 Kurdistan<\/div>\n        <div class=\"dr-tag\">Ukraine<\/div>\n        <div class=\"dr-tag\">Damascus \u00b7 2024<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"dr-hero-right\">\n      <div class=\"dr-intro\">\n        <div class=\"dr-intro-label\">Aerial Coverage \u2014<\/div>\n        <p class=\"dr-intro-text\">\n          Drone work is part of how I cover stories \u2014 not a separate specialism. From shooting <strong>the first journalist aerial footage inside Mosul<\/strong> during the ISIS liberation operation in late 2016, to working with drone operators in Ukraine and most recently in Damascus shortly after the fall of the Assad regime, aerial imagery has been a consistent thread through my conflict reporting.\n        <\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- FOOTAGE -->\n  <div class=\"dr-footage\">\n    <div class=\"dr-footage-inner\">\n      <div class=\"dr-footage-header\">\n        <div class=\"dr-footage-label\">Archive<\/div>\n        <h2 class=\"dr-footage-h2\">Aerial Footage<\/h2>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"dr-clip-grid\">\n\n        <!-- HIGHLIGHT: First journalist drone footage Mosul -->\n        <div class=\"dr-clip dr-highlight\">\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-flag dr-gold-flag\">Iraq \u00b7 Historic First \u00b7 Late 2016<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-title\">First Journalist Aerial Footage Inside Mosul<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-desc\">The first journalist drone footage taken inside Mosul since the launch of the operation to liberate the city from ISIS \u2014 shot in the eastern Al-Bakr neighbourhood during the early stages of the offensive. Getting a drone airborne inside an active urban combat zone required careful coordination with Iraqi and Peshmerga commanders and a precise understanding of the operational picture. The footage, distributed via Getty Images, provided international audiences with an aerial perspective on the destruction inside the city that ground-level reporting could not.<\/div>\n          <a class=\"dr-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/video\/aerial-footage-inside-mosul-eastern-al-bakr-neighbourhood-news-footage\/625804116?suri=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">View on Getty Images<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"dr-clip\">\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-flag\">Iraq \u00b7 Northern Iraq<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-title\">Ancient Mittani Palace, Mosul Dam<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-desc\">Aerial footage of a Mittani-era palace uncovered at Mosul Dam \u2014 a rare opportunity to document a significant archaeological site from the air during a period when access to northern Iraq was severely restricted.<\/div>\n          <a class=\"dr-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AHIRBfW7LDU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watch on YouTube<\/a>\n          <a class=\"dr-link\" href=\"https:\/\/news.cgtn.com\/news\/2022-07-16\/Ancient-palace-uncovered-in-N-Iraq-1bI0lWKCLLO\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read on CGTN<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"dr-clip\">\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-flag\">Iraq \u00b7 Dohuk \u00b7 Kurdistan<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-title\">Khanke Yazidi Refugee Camp<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-desc\">A bird\u2019s-eye view of Khanke refugee camp near Dohuk, housing Yazidis displaced by the ISIS offensive. The aerial perspective conveys the scale of displacement in a way ground photography cannot.<\/div>\n          <a class=\"dr-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=g1tZH9S7nSw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watch on YouTube<\/a>\n          <a class=\"dr-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/video\/aerial-photography-of-khanke-refugee-camp-for-displaced-news-footage\/517671760?adppopup=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">View on Getty Images<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"dr-clip\">\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-flag\">Iraq \u00b7 Dohuk \u00b7 Kurdistan<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-title\">Yazidi Temple, Outside Dohuk<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-clip-desc\">Aerial flyover of a Yazidi temple outside Khanke \u2014 documenting a religious site of a community that had just experienced genocidal violence, at a moment of acute international attention on the Yazidi crisis.<\/div>\n          <a class=\"dr-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/video\/aerial-photography-of-a-yazidi-temple-outside-khanke-news-footage\/517363448?adppopup=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">View on Getty Images<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- ADVISORY -->\n  <div class=\"dr-advisory\">\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"dr-eyebrow\">Drone Advisory<\/div>\n      <h2 class=\"dr-advisory-h2\">Using drones in conflict zones is not straightforward.<\/h2>\n      <p class=\"dr-p\">Having operated and coordinated drone work across Iraq, Ukraine and Syria \u2014 including inside an active urban battlespace during the Mosul offensive \u2014 I have a detailed, practical understanding of what it takes to fly legally, safely and without jeopardising access or security in hostile environments.<\/p>\n      <p class=\"dr-p\">Most of the risk in conflict-zone drone work is not technical. It is <strong>relational and operational<\/strong> \u2014 understanding which military or security actors control a given airspace, what their sensitivities are, how to obtain clearance through the right channels, and how to avoid situations where a drone is confiscated, a team is detained, or worse, where the drone is mistaken for a threat.<\/p>\n      <p class=\"dr-p\">I offer advisory support to journalists, documentary teams and media organisations planning to deploy drones in Iraq or Ukraine \u2014 covering authorisation processes, military coordination, equipment transport and customs, and situational risk assessment.<\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"dr-risk\">\n        <div class=\"dr-risk-label\">Key Considerations<\/div>\n        <h3 class=\"dr-risk-h3\">What teams often underestimate.<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"dr-risk-p\"><strong>Airspace authorisation:<\/strong> In Iraq, airspace control is fragmented across the Iraqi Air Force, Kurdish authorities, coalition forces and various PMF structures depending on the location. Obtaining clearance is not a single process \u2014 it requires knowing which actor controls the relevant zone and having the contacts to approach them correctly.<\/p>\n        <p class=\"dr-risk-p\"><strong>Equipment transport and customs:<\/strong> Bringing a drone into Iraq or Ukraine without proper documentation and prior coordination creates serious risk \u2014 of confiscation at the border, of raising security flags, or of operating without awareness of the relevant military commands. I can help teams navigate import procedures and the necessary pre-arrival notifications.<\/p>\n        <p class=\"dr-risk-p\"><strong>Operational risk in Ukraine:<\/strong> The war in Ukraine has produced the world\u2019s most contested drone environment. Flying near frontline positions without explicit military clearance carries extreme risk \u2014 both from Ukrainian electronic warfare systems targeting unidentified UAVs, and from the visibility it creates for the team on the ground. Awareness of the rules of engagement for drone operations is not optional.<\/p>\n        <p class=\"dr-risk-p\"><strong>Damascus and post-conflict Syria:<\/strong> Following the fall of the Assad regime, the authority structures governing airspace in Syria remain highly fluid. I have recent experience on the ground in Damascus and can advise teams on the current operating environment.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"dr-sidebar-card\">\n        <div class=\"dr-sidebar-head\">Advisory Context<\/div>\n        <div class=\"dr-sidebar-body\">\n          <div class=\"dr-context-list\">\n            <div class=\"dr-context-item\">\n              <div class=\"dr-context-name\">Iraq<\/div>\n              <div class=\"dr-context-note\">4 yrs resident \u00b7 Mosul offensive \u00b7 airspace clearance<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dr-context-item\">\n              <div class=\"dr-context-name\">Ukraine<\/div>\n              <div class=\"dr-context-note\">9 months \u00b7 frontline coordination \u00b7 UAV environment<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dr-context-item\">\n              <div class=\"dr-context-name\">Syria<\/div>\n              <div class=\"dr-context-note\">Damascus \u00b7 post-Assad \u00b7 fluid authority structures<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dr-context-item\">\n              <div class=\"dr-context-name\">Kurdistan<\/div>\n              <div class=\"dr-context-note\">Peshmerga relations \u00b7 Dohuk \u00b7 Erbil<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"dr-sidebar-card\">\n        <div class=\"dr-sidebar-head\">Availability<\/div>\n        <div class=\"dr-sidebar-body\">\n          <div class=\"dr-avail-pill\">\n            <div class=\"dr-avail-text\">Open to drone advisory<br>&amp; field coordination briefs<\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <p style=\"font-size:12px; color:#3a3428; line-height:1.7; margin-top: 10px;\">Pre-deployment briefings available for teams planning to operate drones in Iraq, Ukraine or Syria. For urgent enquiries, WhatsApp or Telegram is the fastest route.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"dr-sidebar-card\">\n        <div class=\"dr-sidebar-head\">Get in Touch<\/div>\n        <div class=\"dr-sidebar-body\">\n          <div class=\"dr-ce-label\">Email<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-ce-val\"><a href=\"mailto:owenholdaway@factualinquirer.com\">owenholdaway@factualinquirer.com<\/a><\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-ce-label\">WhatsApp \/ Telegram<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-ce-val\"><a href=\"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/?page_id=1387\">Via contact page<\/a><\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-ce-label\">Signal<\/div>\n          <div class=\"dr-ce-val\" style=\"color:var(--dr-muted);\">Available on request<\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- FOOTER -->\n  <div class=\"dr-footer\">\n    <div class=\"dr-footer-mark\">Owen <span>Holdaway<\/span> \u00b7 Freelance Journalist<\/div>\n    <ul class=\"dr-footer-links\">\n      <li><a href=\"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/\">About<\/a><\/li>\n      <li><a href=\"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/?page_id=945\">Fixing Services<\/a><\/li>\n      <li><a href=\"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/?page_id=1387\">Contact<\/a><\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function(){\n  var obs = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries){\n    entries.forEach(function(e){\n      if(e.isIntersecting){\n        var delay = e.target.dataset.delay || 0;\n        setTimeout(function(){ e.target.classList.add('dr-vis'); }, delay);\n      }\n    });\n  }, {threshold: 0.1});\n  document.querySelectorAll('.dr-clip').forEach(function(el, i){\n    el.dataset.delay = i * 100;\n    obs.observe(el);\n  });\n})();\n<\/script>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TranslateMandarinGermanRussianArabicFrenchTurkishUkrainianSpanish Aerial Journalism \u00b7 Iraq \u00b7 Ukraine \u00b7 Syria Drone &amp;Aerial Reel Conflict ZoneFootage &amp; Advisory Mosul \u00b7 2016 Iraq \u00b7 Kurdistan Ukraine Damascus \u00b7 2024 Aerial Coverage \u2014 Drone work is part of how I cover stories \u2014 not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-952","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=952"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1433,"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/952\/revisions\/1433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/owenholdaway.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}