Freefly is only 14 years old. We’ve packed a lot into that timeframe! Check out some of the highlights and lowlights from this adventure.
Astro + Freefly Gimbal + A7R4 = ❤️
Camera division ships amplify which allows users to visually analyze vibrations using Wave realtime.
Camera division ships a feature to help improve the quality of our 2K footage.
Farewell Alta 6 and 8, you and your swan neck booms will always have a place in my heart.
It’s a big, fast, capable drone and is now Blue approved.
Doing some next-gen design, David B started using Aeolus for aero design/optimization. After being super impressed with the software Freefly invested.
Our first battery designed and manufactured in-house ships and we kick off our “Power Systems” Playpen.
Our compact drone platform launches! We built a new flight controller, motor drives, and batteries for this – what a project!
Freefly decides to decentralize even further, and hire/promote CEOs for each business unit or “playpen” as we call them.
Farewell baby MōVI, it was fun while it lasted.
Unable to keep up with drone demand, Freefly looks to BFD to help us scale and keep our quality high
Freefly launches our first camera which shoots 4K 400FPS continuously. This brings high-quality high speed to the masses.
Shane is back! After creating the Wave on his own in Boston, Freefly joined the party to help bring it to market.
Freefly launches Ublox F9p-based RTK positioning for increased accuracy.
BFD moves from Philly to South NJ.
BFD develops a fuel-injected, water-cooled, gas hybrid multirotor for long endurance mapping missions.
Freefly launches Alta X which becomes the cinema and industrial heavy lift workhorse and the first quad people trust.
Freefly launches its first waypoint capable drone built on the open PX4 flight stack.
BFD works with Protonics to develop the world’s first water-cooled hydrogen fuel cell multirotor.
Freefly introduces MōVI Wheels which allows MōVI operators precise control of MōVI Gimbals.
Freefly launches ‘3D Majestic’ which allows users to roll 360 degrees while maintaining full majestic control.
Freefly introduces ‘Blackjack’ firmware which allows for 360-degree roll – the first in any handheld gimbal.
Freefly Robotics introduces the Arc200, a 200 amp universal motor control.
The Freefly ecosystem grows to include a line of components for DIY vehicles and other projects.
Freefly introduces the first 5-axis gimbal mounted on an electric bike.
Freefly 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.
BFD develops heavy lift tethered multirotors for persistent flight emergency cell towers.
Freefly introduces the first smartphone stabilizer designed to easily create professional content with external lenses.
Freefly announced the MōVI XL – built to handle the largest professional camera packages.
Freefly announces the world’s first handheld/drone mountable 5-axis gimbal allowing for shots up to 240mm.
Freefly customers create the most amazing contest we have ever seen.
FW 1.1 allows users to control the MōVI Pro with a Playstation Controller.
Move your hand to control Focus/Iris/or Zoom.
Max, Evan, and Mike start a business!
Tuning a gimbal becomes a thing of the past.
Our very first mash up contest.
8 rotor version of the ALTA 6 for increased payload.
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!
No more screeching motor drives; all you hear on ALTA is prop noise.
World’s first top/bottom mounted camera drone.
World’s most intuitive remote camera control.
World’s smallest/lightest 3-axis lens controller.
Max and Evan meet Mike in Ohio.
More than doubled the performance by holding the camera more rigidly.
Shipments of the larger MōVI M15 begin.
Our first ground vehicle to carry MōVI.
We never imagined all the ways people would use a MōVI.
Kirk Bereska risks life and limb to create one of our all-time favorite shots with Nick Schrunk and Corey K.
We can now fly a fully professional camera package and create stable imagery.
Our first integrated controller for MōVI Product line. Gives users complete control over MōVI/Camera/and FIZ from 600+ feet away.
Freefly announces the smaller/lighter MōVI M5.
Shots up to 85mm in this piece ignited the quest which eventually led to MōVI Carbon.
Intuitive single-operator control of a 3-axis handheld stabilizer.
Vince strapped Tabb to the front of a helicopter and flew around NYC.
World’s first 3-axis digital Handheld Stabilizer.
Freefly’s first electronic product – camera stabilization module.
We added a pan axis to the 2-axis gimbal to allow more complex dual-operator aerial cinematography.
Our first octocopter built to carry heavy (for the era) camera packages.
Tabb strapped on his Epic and kept it low, the flight was terrifying but showed that multirotors had the potential to carry cinema packages.
Our first 2-axis camera gimbal designed to fly on CineStar 6 and 8.
Shit’s getting real!
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.
One of the first times I actually thought our footage looked good!
Exploded on first flight!
We didn’t get along at first, then fell in love.
Tabb originally bought XERA motors from David B and started talking his ear off about heavy lift industrial electric helicopters.