Timeline
Freefly is only 11 years old. We’ve packed a lot into that timeframe! Check out some of the highlights and lowlights from this adventure.
Freefly Timeline
- Historical
- First
- Cool
- Failure
2022
1st SL4 Battery ships
Movi Pro gets a battery upgrade from SL8’s new little brother.
1st Astro Map Ships
Astro + Freefly Gimbal + A7R4 = ❤️
Amplify Ships for Wave Camera
Camera division ships amplify which allows users to visually analyze vibrations using Wave realtime.
First AI enabled feature ships – AI Enhance
Camera division ships a feature to help improve the quality of our 2K footage.
Alta 6/Alta 8 EOL
Farewell Alta 6 and 8, you and your swan neck booms will always have a place in my heart.
2021
Freefly Alta X is Selected for DIU Blue List
It’s a big, fast, capable drone and is now Blue approved.
Freefly invests in Aoleus SP
Doing some next-gen design, David B started using Aeolus for aero design/optimization. After being super impressed with the software Freefly invested.
1st SL8 Battery ship
Our first battery designed and manufactured in-house ships and we kick off our “Power Systems” Playpen.
1st Astro Ships
Our compact drone platform launches! We built a new flight controller, motor drives, and batteries for this – what a project!
Freefly Launches V2 Profit Sharing Program
Freefly decides to decentralize even further, and hire/promote CEOs for each business unit or “playpen” as we call them.
MōVI Cinema Robot EOL
Farewell baby MōVI, it was fun while it lasted.
Freefly Acquires BFD Systems
Unable to keep up with drone demand, Freefly looks to BFD to help us scale and keep our quality high
2020
Wave Launch
Play videoFreefly launches our first camera which shoots 4K 400FPS continuously. This brings high-quality high speed to the masses.
Freefly Acquires Keiryou Robotics
Shane is back! After creating the Wave on his own in Boston, Freefly joined the party to help bring it to market.
Freefly RTK GPS Launch
Play videoFreefly launches Ublox F9p-based RTK positioning for increased accuracy.
BFD HQ Relocation
BFD moves from Philly to South NJ.
Fuel-injected, water-cooled, gas hybrid multirotor
BFD develops a fuel-injected, water-cooled, gas hybrid multirotor for long endurance mapping missions.
2019
Alta X Launch
Play videoFreefly launches Alta X which becomes the cinema and industrial heavy lift workhorse and the first quad people trust.
ALTA Pro Launches
Play videoFreefly launches its first waypoint capable drone built on the open PX4 flight stack.
The world's first water-cooled hydrogen fuel cell multirotor
Play videoBFD works with Protonics to develop the world’s first water-cooled hydrogen fuel cell multirotor.
2018
MōVI Wheels
Play videoFreefly introduces MōVI Wheels which allows MōVI operators precise control of MōVI Gimbals.
360-degree Majestic
Play videoFreefly launches ‘3D Majestic’ which allows users to roll 360 degrees while maintaining full majestic control.
360-degree Roll
Play videoFreefly introduces ‘Blackjack’ firmware which allows for 360-degree roll – the first in any handheld gimbal.
Arc200 Launches
Play videoFreefly Robotics introduces the Arc200, a 200 amp universal motor control.
Freefly Robotics Launches
Play videoThe Freefly ecosystem grows to include a line of components for DIY vehicles and other projects.
Freefly Landshark
Play videoFreefly introduces the first 5-axis gimbal mounted on an electric bike.
MōVI XL Fiber Optic Gyro
Play videoFreefly introduces the Fiber Optic Gyro upgrade for MōVI XL. For the first time, consumers can access the same level of performance found on gimbals 10x the price.
Tethered Heavy Lift Multirotors
Play videoBFD develops heavy lift tethered multirotors for persistent flight emergency cell towers.
2017
MōVI Cinema Robot
Play videoFreefly introduces the first smartphone stabilizer designed to easily create professional content with external lenses.
MōVI XL Launches
Play videoFreefly announced the MōVI XL – built to handle the largest professional camera packages.
World's first 5-axis handheld/drone mountable gimbal
Freefly announces the world’s first handheld/drone mountable 5-axis gimbal allowing for shots up to 240mm.
Put A MōVI On It Contest
Play videoFreefly customers create the most amazing contest we have ever seen.
World's first handheld stabilizer to interface with video game controller
FW 1.1 allows users to control the MōVI Pro with a Playstation Controller.
Worlds First Gestural Control of F / I / Z
Move your hand to control Focus/Iris/or Zoom.
BFD Founded
Max, Evan, and Mike start a business!
2016
MōVI Pro - first full filter and gain auto tune under 15 seconds
Play videoTuning a gimbal becomes a thing of the past.
Freefly Anywhere Contest
Our very first mash up contest.
ALTA 8
8 rotor version of the ALTA 6 for increased payload.
2015
World's first drone with compass-less position hold
For situations where the compass is unreliable, we developed an algorithm that derives aircraft heading with only one GPS. Still unique today in the market!
World's first Multi Rotor with Sinusoidal Motor Drives
No more screeching motor drives; all you hear on ALTA is prop noise.
ALTA 6
World’s first top/bottom mounted camera drone.
MIMIC
World’s most intuitive remote camera control.
Wedge
World’s smallest/lightest 3-axis lens controller.
Flite Fest RC Event in Ohio
Max and Evan meet Mike in Ohio.
2014
First handheld stabilizer with full cage for increased performance
Play videoMore than doubled the performance by holding the camera more rigidly.
MōVI M15
Shipments of the larger MōVI M15 begin.
Tero
Our first ground vehicle to carry MōVI.
MōVI Certified 'Camel Compatible'
We never imagined all the ways people would use a MōVI.
World's first 50+ ft jump by chase camera man with perfectly stable footage
Play videoKirk Bereska risks life and limb to create one of our all-time favorite shots with Nick Schrunk and Corey K.
First Flight of the RED Dragon Camera
We can now fly a fully professional camera package and create stable imagery.
2013
MōVI Controller
Our first integrated controller for MōVI Product line. Gives users complete control over MōVI/Camera/and FIZ from 600+ feet away.
MōVI M5
Freefly announces the smaller/lighter MōVI M5.
World's first stable long lens footage from drone
Play videoShots up to 85mm in this piece ignited the quest which eventually led to MōVI Carbon.
Majestic Mode
Intuitive single-operator control of a 3-axis handheld stabilizer.
First Flight of a handheld 3-axis stabilizer in manned aircraft
Play videoVince strapped Tabb to the front of a helicopter and flew around NYC.
MōVI M10
World’s first 3-axis digital Handheld Stabilizer.
2012
Radian
Freefly’s first electronic product – camera stabilization module.
Cinestar 3-axis gimbal
We added a pan axis to the 2-axis gimbal to allow more complex dual-operator aerial cinematography.
2011
CineStar 8 MultiRotor
Our first octocopter built to carry heavy (for the era) camera packages.
World's first EPIC to fly on MultiRotor
Play videoTabb strapped on his Epic and kept it low, the flight was terrifying but showed that multirotors had the potential to carry cinema packages.
CineStar 2-axis gimbal
Our first 2-axis camera gimbal designed to fly on CineStar 6 and 8.
Freefly Systems Incorporated
Shit’s getting real!
First flight of 1st CineStar 6 Prototype
This was really one of the key moments for us taking the leap to start Freefly. I took the CS6 to NAB and showed it to GoPro and Quadrocopter and they were so pumped.
First Panasonic AF100 Flight on Drone
Play videoOne of the first times I actually thought our footage looked good!
2010
CineQuad to carry Cineflex Built
Exploded on first flight!
2009
Hugh and Tabb Meet on set of Clean Break
Play videoWe didn’t get along at first, then fell in love.
2008
David and Tabb meet on RCgroups
Tabb originally bought XERA motors from David B and started talking his ear off about heavy lift industrial electric helicopters.