Aerial Footage & Documentation Archive
The Wright Flyer‘s Aerial Footage & Documentation Archive contains thousands of aerial photographs and extensive cinematic footage captured during professional drone operations conducted in accordance with applicable FAA regulations.
This page covers previously captured aerial imagery that may already exist for your project and be available for licensing. If your project requires new aerial documentation, flight planning, or location-specific capture, explore commissioned drone services. For preservation-specific project work requiring new aerial documentation, see Historic Preservation Aerial Documentation.
Across many years of FAA-compliant flight operations, The Wright Flyer has built a large archive of previously captured aerial imagery documenting Colorado landscapes, historic corridors, terrain, and structures. Captured by FAA-certificated remote pilot B. Travis Wright under 14 CFR Part 107, this archive supports footage searches, licensing, and production use when suitable imagery may already exist for a project.
The archive now contains tens of thousands of high-resolution aerial photographs and extensive cinematic video documenting terrain, historic structures, transportation corridors, and evolving landscapes throughout Colorado’s high-elevation regions. Much of this material was captured during professional assignments where aviation discipline, airspace awareness, and operational planning were essential to safely documenting remote locations.
From above, the relationships between landscape, infrastructure, and history often become clearer. Mountain passes, historic rail grades, abandoned alignments, mining infrastructure, and isolated structures reveal spatial patterns that are difficult to perceive from ground level. This aerial perspective provides visual context for filmmakers, researchers, preservation organizations, and land managers working to understand how terrain, transportation routes, and historic development intersect across the landscape.
Selected imagery and footage from the archive are available for licensing and production use in documentary, educational, and research projects.
AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING AND PRODUCTION
Selected imagery is available for licensing and documentary use. Producers, historians, publishers, and land-management organizations frequently require accurate aerial visuals of landscapes and historic resources. The archive provides access to broadcast-quality aerial imagery documenting locations that may be difficult to revisit or film again due to weather, seasonal conditions, access limitations, or changes to the landscape over time.
Imagery may be licensed for:
• Documentary film and television production
• Historical publications and books
• Educational and museum exhibits
• Land-management planning and reports
• Conservation and environmental storytelling
• Broadcast and streaming media
Licensing terms vary depending on project scope, distribution, and intended use.
SPECIALIZED REGIONAL COVERAGE
A significant portion of the archive documents Colorado’s high-elevation historic corridors and mountain landscapes, where aerial perspective helps illustrate how terrain, transportation routes, and historic development intersect across the landscape.
Imagery within the archive includes documentation of:
• historic railroad corridors, highways, and mountain passes
• alpine transportation routes and historic grades
• historic structures and industrial heritage sites
• remote mountain terrain and seasonal environmental conditions
Many locations have been documented repeatedly across multiple seasons and lighting conditions, providing visual reference of how landscapes change over time.
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE
Aerial imagery from this archive has supported both regional and international documentary productions, helping filmmakers illustrate historic landscapes and mountain environments from a vantage point that is difficult to achieve from the ground. Experience working within documentary production teams also shapes how imagery is captured and organized. Flights are conducted with narrative continuity, geographic context, and production usability in mind so footage can integrate naturally into documentary storytelling and editorial workflows.
REQUEST FOOTAGE OR LOCATION SEARCH
If you are looking for aerial imagery of a specific location or historic site, it may already exist within the archive.
Requests for footage searches or licensing inquiries are welcome. Please include:
• the location or subject area of interest, along with preferred season (if available)
• intended use of the imagery
• distribution platform or publication type
• desired resolution or format
If suitable imagery exists within the archive, sample frames or preview clips can be provided for review. Archive searches are conducted without obligation. Contact The Wright Flyer.
NOTE ON FLIGHT OPERATIONS
All aerial imagery is captured in accordance with applicable FAA regulations, town waivers (if applicable), and operational safety requirements. Certain locations or conditions may limit the ability to obtain new footage, which is one reason a carefully maintained aerial archive can be valuable to filmmakers and researchers.
COLORADO LOCATIONS DOCUMENTED IN THE AERIAL ARCHIVE
Archive highlights include aerial documentation across Colorado’s high country and the Western Slope, including:
• Rollins Pass corridor
• Moffat Tunnel, East Portal, and the Tolland Valley
• Berthoud Pass, Winter Park, and the Fraser Valley
• Steamboat Springs and the upper Yampa Valley
• Central City, Black Hawk, and historic mining districts
• Colorado alpine transportation routes and mountain passes
• Historic mountain infrastructure and industrial heritage sites
These locations represent only a portion of the archive, which documents landscapes and historic environments across a broad swath of Colorado’s mountain regions and Western Slope.
B. Travis Wright, MPS • The Wright Flyer • FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot • FAA Safety Team DronePro (CO/WY)
