Pilot. Builder. Storyteller.

Built on aviation, shaped by FPV, and focused on helping spaces stand out through purposeful motion.

Meet the pilot behind Cardinal FPV

I’m Rob Thomas, an Ames-based drone pilot with a lifelong connection to aviation, radio control aircraft, and unmanned aircraft systems.

I started in model aviation as a kid, followed that interest into UAS studies and professional drone work, and eventually started Cardinal FPV Cinematics as a way to build meaningful local work and earn a living on my own terms. If I can dare to dream, I'd like to build something I can share with my kids someday.

Experience that goes beyond flying

My background includes nearly 20 years of hands-on experience flying, building, repairing, and working around small UAS. Along the way, I earned a Private Pilot certificate and FAA Part 107 certificate, worked in UAS operations, fleet maintenance, aviation compliance, provided technical training, and learned through more builds, repairs, test flights, and crashes than I can count.

How I Approach the Work

Cardinal FPV comes from a mix of UAS experience, customer service, management, and hands-on problem solving. I do not think of drone video as simply putting a camera in the air. To me, the work is about understanding the space, planning the movement, choosing the right aircraft, and flying with enough control that the viewer can actually follow the experience.

FPV can make a space feel more alive on camera, but only when the movement has a reason to be there. My goal is not to make every project flashy. It is to create video that feels purposeful, useful, and honest to the place being shown.

1. Understanding the Space

The process begins by understanding the client’s goals, the location, and the limitations of the craft. Every space has its own needs, restrictions, and opportunities, so the flight plan should support the final video instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Choosing the Right Platform for the Job

Every space, shot, and goal requires some level of compromise. Choosing the right aircraft and payload helps balance safety, control, image quality, and the final look of the video.

Tight Spaces

Smaller protected drones make it possible to capture immersive footage in tighter environments where control, safety, and precision matter most.

Dynamic FPV

FPV platforms create motion-driven footage that helps a destination, venue, or location feel more alive and memorable.

Stabilized Aerials

Gimbal-stabilized platforms provide smooth exterior coverage, establishing shots, and broader visual context when the project calls for a cleaner, more polished aerial view.

3. Editing with the Goal in Mind

Editing is where the footage becomes useful. I look for the moments that best support the space, the pace that fits the project, and the cuts that help the viewer follow the experience without feeling lost. The goal is not to use every impressive shot. It is to shape the footage into something clear, memorable, and ready to use.

4. Delivering Usable Visuals

Final delivery is built around how the content will actually be used. That may mean a polished video for a website, shorter cuts for social media, aerial establishing shots, still images, or selected raw footage for future use. The goal is to provide visuals that are easy to post, share, and build around after the project is finished.

Built to be useful, not just impressive

Good drone video should catch attention, but it also needs to be useful after the shoot is over. The final footage should support the way a business, property, venue, or community space actually needs to be shown.

Cardinal FPV Cinematics creates video and still imagery that can be used across websites, social media, listings, promotions, and local campaigns throughout Central Iowa.

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