Soccer giant Manchester City this week secured the English Premier League title, beating archrival Manchester United into second place.
As part of the celebrations, the club has offered its fans — as well as anyone with an interest in drone photography — a stunning fly-through of its modern, 55,000-seat Etihad Stadium.
The 220-second one-shot video is an awesome display of first person view (FPV) drone skills, with the footage taking viewers over the pitch and stands as well as through the locker rooms, media centers, restaurants, and all the other facilities that Etihad Stadium has to offer.
A slew of amazingly intricate maneuvers cover all corners of the 19-year-old sporting facility, with the drone finishing up with a shot of the recently won Premier League trophy.
“This footage is 100% genuine, no camera tricks, no hidden edits, no CGI — a single-take drone shot!” the club said in a message accompanying the video.
The only obvious piece of postproduction is the addition of an audio track to eliminate the sound of the drone and to give the sequence a more realistic atmosphere.
The club has yet to disclose the identity of the ace drone pilot behind the footage, though it’s promising to post a behind-the-scenes video in the coming days that should reveal all.
FPV drone videos have been getting renewed attention recently, after an equally awesome bowling alley fly-through went viral in March. The same pilot, Jay Christensen, followed up with another great effort shot at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
As the name suggests, FPV drone pilots wear a headset for an immersive, real-time view of the flight. FPV quadcopters tend to offer faster speeds and greater versatility than many of the more popular drones currently on the market. Entry-level machines include the recently launched DJI FPV drone, which we’ve reviewed on this site.
Want more? For some of the best FPV drone videos out there, be sure to check out this Digital Trends compilation featuring other stunning efforts from around the world.