In a late bid to be included in our roundup of the best drone videos of 2014, filmmaker Nathaniel Durman and his brother Jack Durman recorded this stunning vertical ascent alongside London's Shard.
The tallest building in Western Europe, the Shard stretches more than 300 metres into the London skyline.
While we're not sure on the legal specifics regarding the flight -- if you're a drone owner yourself, consult the CAA's safety rules before flying your aircraft -- Durman's film is certainly dramatic.
It was filmed with a GoPro Hero 3+ mounted to a DJI Phantom 2, he says. He recorded it for his personal Vimeo channel.
However the video has subsequently been criticised by some in the drone videography community:
UPDATE: The creators of the video have responded to the criticism, and have said they will "not be making a video like this again":
"To make it clear, we were not aware of the specific regulations regarding drone flights. We flew the drone straight up, no higher than the building, and straight down, with no horizontal movement. This video was recorded before the articles about Heathrow came to light. We do not earn any money off of our drone work, this film was not done on a commercial basis. Since posting this video we have received numerous helpful and useful links to learning the regulations set out by the CAA. We won't be making a video like this again. Since posting this video we have received numerous helpful and useful links to learning the regulations set out by the CAA. We won't be making a video like this again."
A spokesperson for the CAA said:
"People using drones should apply common sense when thinking about where to fly their devices. It is clearly irresponsible to fly any kind of unmanned aircraft close to an airport or in a town centre, for example. Users should take a good look around at their environment before each and every flight.
"If any potential exists for conflict with other aircraft, people, vehicles or buildings, then try somewhere else. Drones are subject to aviation rules and regulations and anyone breaching those rules can be prosecuted."
They also provided the following list of regulations, in case you're planning your own recordings:
Rules and regulations
- Drones must never be flown beyond the normal unaided "line of sight" of the person operating it - this is generally measured as 500m (1,640ft) horizontally or 400ft (122m) vertically.
- Drones fitted with a camera must always be flown at least 50m (164ft) distance away from a person, vehicle, building or structure.
- Drones fitted with a camera must not be flown within 150m (492ft) of a congested area or large group of people, such as a sporting event or concert.
- The CAA solely regulates the use of drones from a safety perspective, and it can prosecute operators who breach these regulations.