Abbeydale Picture House: Watch amazing drone fly-through of Sheffield landmark

Paul Morton, who is better known as the Steel City Drone Pilot, put his fabulous flying skills to the test to create this amazing video of Abbeydale Picture House on Abbeydale Road. It begins with a bird’s eye view of the historic cinema before swooping down to street level, through the doors and down the stairs, where expert manoeuvring is required as the drone skims the tables and slips behind the bar.

It is the latest in a series of eye-catching drone videos the 40-year-old from Handsworth has shot in and around Sheffield, with others including an aerial tour of his home city, a spectacular close-up of fireworks exploding and a look inside The Crucible. They have helped him build up a loyal following on YouTube and Instagram, and earned him a growing number of commissions as the truck driver seeks to make the switch to flying drones full time for a living.

Paul told how he typically uses a tiny First Person View (FPV) drone, weighing less than 250 grams, which he controls using goggles showing him in realtime what the device is recording. He has been flying drones as a hobby for the last eight years and FPV drones for about a year and a half. He honed his skills flying FPV drones, which travel at up to 120mph and can fly upside down and dive, by visiting abandoned warehouses and steering them through doors and windows there until he was able to negotiate the smallest gaps.

“It’s really hard at first, especially when you do rolls, because you feel like you’re rolling over,” he said. “When I started I had to sit down all the time. I couldn’t stand up because I’d be staggering, but I’m used to it now.”

Asked what his favourite experience recording drone videos has been, Paul doesn’t take long to answer. “I once flew around Sheffield Wednesday’s ground, which was great fun,” he said. “I used the FPV drone to dive down into the stadium and fly around the stands. My friend, who’s a lifelong Owls fan got to come and walk through the dugout so that was a bonus.”

To see more of Paul’s amazing drone videos, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@STEELCITYDRONEPILOT.