Drone-based Reporting Over Green-Wood Cemetery

No it's not morbid at all. Green-Wood Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the five boroughs and is certainly one of the most historic.

Set within rolling hills with massive mausoleums, Green-Wood was once a popular Sunday picnic destination for families in Brooklyn. Nowadays, the cemetery is a protected historical site and is host to various tours and "ghost" walks. The design of cemetery and its iconic gate helped inspire a competition that would lead to the design of Manhattan's Central Park (awarded to Calvert Veux and Frederick Law Olmstead).

Among those buried in Green-Wood are William "Boss" Tweed, Charles Ebbets (of the Brooklyn Dodgers original home at Ebbets Field), Henry Ward Beecher (abolitionist) and famous artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

A drone story of Green-Wood Cemetery could highlight many of the notable burials on the grounds, as well as offer an engaging view of the immaculately designed lands from the air. While the Cemetery was once a major tourist spot in the 19th Century, active cemeteries (of historical value or not) are not often considered tourist destinations. Many of those who come to New York to sightsee are likely to never experience the cemetery, so a drone story that highlights the historical significance of the grounds with a great view of the land should prove to be an interesting story for history or design buffs.

One of the caveats to drone reporting in our neighborhood is that Prospect Park sits between two major airports, JFK and LaGuardia. In years past, drones have been reported flying close to the landing paths for jets arriving in NYC airports. It will be important to fly a drone in daylight, at a height under 200 feet using a drone weighing less than 55 pounds and to have the FAA exemption for non-hobbyists.