# Free drone footage: aerials of land and cities

> Free aerial and drone stock video: flyovers of coastlines, forests, mountains and cities, and views from aircraft, with resolution and licence verdicts.

14 clips from 1 sources (NASA Image and Video Library 14), updated 2026-10-28. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily.

- Same search in the browser: https://video.shep.bot/search?q=drone&category=aerial
- Same search over the API: `curl "https://video.shep.bot/v1/search?q=drone&category=aerial"`
- Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://video.shep.bot/v1/clips/{id}` with an id from the table below.
- Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for commercial videos; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. "(editorial)" means people, insignia or brands appear without releases: not for ads. See https://video.shep.bot/docs/licences.md
- Video is never re-hosted: posters, previews and downloads come straight from the source sites.

## Aerial shots in an edit

An aerial shot establishes place in a second: the coastline before a travel story, the city before an interview, the forest before a climate piece. Slow forward or orbiting moves are easiest to cut; fast flyovers work as openers and transitions. A 4K source gives room to stabilise or slow a drift without losing sharpness.

## What to look for

Check the frame rate if you plan to slow a shot down, and the length if you need a long establishing move. Footage filmed from aircraft and helicopters, common in NASA's archive, has a different, higher look: mix it with care. Free stock sites have large modern drone libraries; every search links to them alongside these results.

Each card plays its preview on hover, straight from the source, and opens to the full player with every rendition and the licence.

## Clips

| Clip | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Launch Complex 49 Area Drone Footage.](https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-20211228-MH-MTD01-0001-Launch_Complex_49_Area_DRONE-3294138) | `nasa:KSC-20211228-MH-MTD01-0001-Launch_Complex_49_Area_DRONE-3294138` | Aerial & drone, 2021 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Mobile Launcher Roll Back to VAB - Drone](https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-20201030-MH-JBP01_0001-Mobile_Launcher_Roll_Back_to_VAB_Drone-3262087) | `nasa:KSC-20201030-MH-JBP01_0001-Mobile_Launcher_Roll_Back_to_VAB_Drone-3262087` | Aerial & drone, 2020 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Boeing OFT-2 Rollout to Pad for Launch - DRONE](https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-20210729-MH-JBP01-0001-Boeing_OFT_2_Rollout_to_Pad_for_Launch_DRONE_WON_3282269) | `nasa:KSC-20210729-MH-JBP01-0001-Boeing_OFT_2_Rollout_to_Pad_for_Launch_DRONE_WON_3282269` | Aerial & drone, 2021 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Drone Footage of Shoreline, Beach House, VAB, SLC-41, SLC-39A](https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-20190524-MH-MTD01-0001-Drone_Footage_Shoreline_Beach_House_VAB_Pad_41_Pad_39A-3222188) | `nasa:KSC-20190524-MH-MTD01-0001-Drone_Footage_Shoreline_Beach_House_VAB_Pad_41_Pad_39A-3222188` | Aerial & drone, 2019 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [NASA’s Drone Traffic Management System Completes Final Tests](https://images.nasa.gov/details/ARC-20210216-AAV3307-UTM-TCL4Wrap-Shareable-NASAWeb) | `nasa:ARC-20210216-AAV3307-UTM-TCL4Wrap-Shareable-NASAWeb` | Aerial & drone, 2021 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Augmented Reality for Drone Air Traffic Management](https://images.nasa.gov/details/ARC-20200925-AAV3288-UTM-AR-NASAWeb) | `nasa:ARC-20200925-AAV3288-UTM-AR-NASAWeb` | Aerial & drone, 2020 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Nominal Wet Flow Test at Pad 39B - DRONE](https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-20190914-RV-ILW01_0001-Nominal_Wet_Flow_Test_at_Pad_39B-3231741) | `nasa:KSC-20190914-RV-ILW01_0001-Nominal_Wet_Flow_Test_at_Pad_39B-3231741` | Aerial & drone, 2019 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [SpaceX Crew-1 Splashdown - DRONE](https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-20210502-MH-JBP01_0001-SpaceX_Crew_1_Splashdown_Drone_Imagery-3275583) | `nasa:KSC-20210502-MH-JBP01_0001-SpaceX_Crew_1_Splashdown_Drone_Imagery-3275583` | Aerial & drone, 2021 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [Testing Air Taxis, Drones and More with NASA’s Multirotor Test Bed](https://images.nasa.gov/details/ARC-20191204-AAV3241-Multirotor-WindTunnel-TestRun-NASAWeb) | `nasa:ARC-20191204-AAV3241-Multirotor-WindTunnel-TestRun-NASAWeb` | Aerial & drone, 2019 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [ARC-20190815-AAV3213-UTM-TCL4-TexasBRoll-NASAWeb](https://images.nasa.gov/details/ARC-20190815-AAV3213-UTM-TCL4-TexasBRoll-NASAWeb) | `nasa:ARC-20190815-AAV3213-UTM-TCL4-TexasBRoll-NASAWeb` | Aerial & drone, 2019 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [How New NASA Tech Could Help Fight Fires](https://images.nasa.gov/details/ARC-20210729-AAV3350-STEReO-CalFireTest-ReporterPkg-NASAWeb-1080p) | `nasa:ARC-20210729-AAV3350-STEReO-CalFireTest-ReporterPkg-NASAWeb-1080p` | Aerial & drone, 2021 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [HDV BVOLOS first flight](https://images.nasa.gov/details/HDV%20BVOLOS_1080p) | `nasa:HDV BVOLOS_1080p` | Aerial & drone, 2023 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [What is AAM?](https://images.nasa.gov/details/NHQ20200706ARMD004) | `nasa:NHQ20200706ARMD004` | Aerial & drone, 2020 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |
| [LRC-10282021-H1-V-LA8 Flight Test](https://images.nasa.gov/details/LA8FlightTest_Documentation) | `nasa:LA8FlightTest_Documentation` | Aerial & drone, 2021 | NASA Image and Video Library | NASA media (public domain in the US) | Commercial use OK with credit (editorial) | yes |

## Questions

**Do I need permission to use someone else's drone footage?**

You need a licence that allows your use, which these clips state. Rules about where drones may fly apply to whoever flew them, not to you as the editor.

**Is aerial footage of buildings safe for commercial use?**

Wide landscape and skyline shots generally are. A recognisable private building or a trademarked landmark featured as the subject can need a property release for advertising.

## Related collections

- [Free ocean footage: waves, beaches and seas](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-ocean-footage.md): Free ocean stock video: breaking waves, beaches, coastlines and open sea, plus ocean science from NASA, with resolution, length and licence on every clip.
- [Free 4K nature footage: landscapes and skies](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-4k-nature-footage.md): Free 4K nature stock video only: landscapes, skies, oceans, forests and Earth from orbit at 2160p or more, with direct downloads and licence verdicts.
- [Free city footage: skylines, streets and traffic](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-city-footage.md): Free city stock video: skylines, streets, traffic and night lights from open archives, with editorial flags where people and brands appear without releases.
- [Earth from space videos: orbit views and globes](https://video.shep.bot/footage/earth-from-space-videos.md): Free videos of Earth from space: views from the space station, rotating globes, night lights, weather and auroras from NASA, with credit lines ready.
- [Free cloud timelapses: skies, storms and sunsets](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-cloud-timelapses.md): Free cloud and sky timelapse videos: racing clouds, sunsets, storms and fog for intros, transitions and backgrounds, with resolution and licence.

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Source: https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-drone-footage