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Cape Productions, a drone video service for action sports, has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones within 500ft of skiers and in an area larger than a closed movie set.

With the FAA exemption, the company has become the first in the US that can fly drones closer to the public.

As a safety measure, FAA mandated the commercial drones should stay at least 500ft away from the public who are not part of the flight.

Through the amendment to Section 333 for commercial drone operations in the US, FAA granted permission to Cape Productions.

"With the FAA exemption, the company has become the first in the US that can fly drones closer to the public."

Under the provisions, anyone who wishes to use drones for commercial purposes such as real estate companies, agricultural firms and aerial photographers can appeal to the FAA for an amendment of the section.

Until mid-January, FAA has granted more than 3,000 exemptions with specific conditions to fly drones for commercial ventures.

Cape Productions president Louis Gresham said: "We have worked closely with the FAA since 2014 to ensure regulatory compliance of our service and are proud of our 100% safety record to date across thousands of flights around the world.

"Safety and compliance have been our top priority since Cape began providing drone services to customers, and we highly encourage any business or individual considering working with a drone company to check whether its operations are within the limitations of the company’s 333 exemption, and that all local, regional, and federal aviation requirements are met."

Since 2014, the company has been filming skiers in Canada. In 2015, it expanded its services to the US.

Image: Cape Productions provides consumer drone video services for action sports. Photo: courtesy of franky242 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.