Aerial Views of WDW

Cool! ; It looks like he's done that a couple of times from the dates on the photos. ; Getting clearance once must be almost impossible... I wonder how he pulled it off a couple of times.
 
They might be loosening their standards on flyover clearance - just based on how many planes and helicopters I see flying over property lately - I've actually been surprised and commented to my family that it seemed unusual, seeing as many as 4 planes or helicopters in one day flying over parks.
 
wow, thanks for sharing that Scott! I have always wanted to take aerial shots of the contemporary. I have almost been tempted to do the parasailing!
 
"Scottwdw" said:
Not only did this guy get clearance to fly over WDW property, he made sure he had good light when he did.

Aerial Views of WDW

Good stuff.
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Those are mine, thanks :)

"zackiedawg" said:
They might be loosening their standards on flyover clearance - just based on how many planes and helicopters I see flying over property lately - I've actually been surprised and commented to my family that it seemed unusual, seeing as many as 4 planes or helicopters in one day flying over parks.
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There's nothing special about flying over any of the WDW properties above 3000ft unless there are additional restrictions in place for VIP visits (President, VP, etc).

There's a lot of lower altitude traffic on the south side of WDW because it actually is outside the special airspace (called a TFR). Technically the airspace ends along the southern edge of EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Downtown Disney is outside the airspace completely, so lower-altitude traffic will often fly along I4 before transitioning north or south around the Disney airspace.

People do have waivers to operate in the airspace but they're pretty rare (I've done that before and it's a pain to do for everyone involved), so if you see someone circling the parks it's a safe bet they're above 3000ft. Helicopters flying around EPCOT are almost always flying along the southern portion of the park around the World Showcase where the airspace ends.

By the way, the only time I've ever seen any fixed-wing aircraft actually flying over MK or EP "low" was when the Thunderbirds flew over in F16s - and that was a treat.

-Scott
 
Welcome aboard, Scott!

Those are some really nice shots! ; What kind of aircraft are you using as a shooting platform?
 
You're most welcome, Scott! ; As I mentioned, the photos in the album are stellar and the time of day gives them a 3-D look and feel.

There's a myth debunked, I thought ALL airspace around the parks were restricted for years. ; Have noticed much more air traffic the last few trips over the parks. ; I remember the signs trailed behind small planes touting Rosie O'Grady's (?) or something like that (was back in the 80's).
 
Welcome Scott.


Might need to talk to you .. I am building a site and some of these photo's would look great on it....
 
"mSummers" said:
Welcome aboard, Scott!

Those are some really nice shots! ; What kind of aircraft are you using as a shooting platform?
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Thanks - I'd rather not be specific, but I only use airplanes (not helicopters).

"Scottwdw" said:
You're most welcome, Scott! ; As I mentioned, the photos in the album are stellar and the time of day gives them a 3-D look and feel.
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Thanks :)

There's a myth debunked, I thought ALL airspace around the parks were restricted for years. ; Have noticed much more air traffic the last few trips over the parks. ; I remember the signs trailed behind small planes touting Rosie O'Grady's (?) or something like that (was back in the 80's).
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Yup, it's a myth. We're just restricted to 3000ft and above within 3 nautical-miles of the Contemporary resort. It's been like that since 2001.
 
Every time I see this one I want to go back and edit it but... anyway, click on this for a higher-res version than is available on my site. Fantasyland from this month, July '12.

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Thanks for the additional info Scott, and welcome. ; I was under the same misunderstanding that air space was always completely restricted unless specifically granted. ; If I were to analyze where I seem to see the most air traffic around the property, it probably matches the flight paths just outside restricted space or the over-3,000 foot rule. ; For whatever reason, I had never previously noticed very many planes or helicopters while on Disney grounds, and that seems to have been changing over the past 5-10 years...actually, quite the opposite of what I would have expected given the more stringent security since 9-11. ; Though it's likely a side-effect of the Orlando metroplex's growth and the growth around Disney property. ; Is there an airfield fairly close by the Disney parks? ; Other than the tour copters operating out of some of the hotel properties, there does seem to be a fair number of what look to be normal, passing air traffic - as you mentioned, mostly around Downtown Disney and the I-4 corridor.
I've been visiting Disney World since 1971, so I've seen many changes over the years. ; The air traffic just seems to have been more noticeable over the past decade.

BTW - wonderful photos - so nice to see from a different and little seen perspective.
 
"zackiedawg" said:
BTW - wonderful photos - so nice to see from a different and little seen perspective.
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Thanks :)

For a number of reasons traffic in Florida has increased just about everywhere. I haven't noticed a huge increase in traffic right around WDW but I'm sure there's more than there used to be.

There are a couple of helicopter tour operators in the area now too (I think one is located near Universal on I4). No doubt they're the majority of the helicopter traffic you see around the area.

I think the two closest airports to WDW is Kissimmee and Apopka. Neither is really "right next door", but Kissimmee probably is a source of some of the overhead traffic transiting north/south over the parks. Orlando has it's own controlled airspace situation and there's a big bombing range north of Apopka that is in a large restricted area. Those two factors no doubt contribute to pushing light aircraft traffic toward the WDW area if they're heading down to Kissimmee or Lakeland, but really shouldn't be causing any particular concentration over the parks (except for the inevitable sight-seers).
 
Hard to imagine most of the Fantasyland expansion will be open this fall. ; Your photos are very clear and sharp.

You mentioned the Thunderbirds. ; I was there when they did the flyover. ; Here is my account of the event:

Thunderbirds Over Disney
 
"rickenmartin78" said:
Wonderful work! ; I love the B&W HDR of Spaceship Earth. ; Thanks for sharing quality work from a fresh perspective!
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Thanks :)

Here's one of the hub - from this month:

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