Aerial photographer Gary Jacobs lifts off into the skies of West Chester and Liberty Townships to capture breathtaking pictures of the changing landscape. As the owner of A Copter View, he takes photographs, not from a helicopter as the business name implies, but from the belly of an FAA-approved, remote-controlled drone. The panoramic views in his images are spectacular.
Gary has always enjoyed taking photos for fun, but as it happens for many entrepreneurs, his hobby has grown into a business. Professionally, Gary captures video and stills of commercial, industrial and residential real estate and operates a home inspection service, A Closer Look. In his spare time, he is the eye in the sky, overlooking the rapid growth of our community. Gary’s drone glides effortlessly above and around area landmarks, parks and business centers to get the best angles and outlooks.
“What I really like is doing a free shot and putting it on the web for people to enjoy and make comments on it,” Gary says.
Today’s drones navigate hard-to-reach spots with ease, but Gary has experienced some crash landings along the way.
“I started five or six years ago, when drones were first coming out,” he says. “The first ones were pretty old-fashioned, and you had to actually attach a camera to them to take a picture. It was pretty complicated back in the beginning.”
“When I got my first drone it was during winter, so I practiced in my basement,” Gary shares. “I pushed all the furniture to the side and crashed and crashed and crashed, over and over. Eventually when spring came, I thought I was ready. I took it out to the park for the first time and the wind got it. It just blew it right away,” he laughs.
Now, Gary has mastered a modern remote-controlled device and has a license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“They’re making the drones more efficient, so they don’t crash into anything,” Gary explains. On a clear day, you may spot Gary out in the community in his drone gear, including a hard hat and safety vest, taking a bird’s-eye view. A West Chester resident for 18 years, he has observed our expanding community from the air.
“I see a lot of hotels being built. Commercial-wise, there has been lots of growth—big projects, like Liberty Center and Carriage Hill popping up,” Gary says.
Gary’s images tell the story of our region, where beautiful skies meet sprawling fields, with bustling business and recreation centers in between. Enjoy the view!
A Copter View, ACopterView.com, 513.535.7811