This is the astonishing moment a drone pilot managed to follow, explore and even pass underneath a moving freight train.
The video, filmed near Reno, Nevada, and titled The Flight of the Year, shows Paul Nurkkala – nicknamed Nurk – pulling off unbelievable stunts with his drone.
But as extraordinary as his talents are, the video has come under fire for allegedly breaking laws and potentially creating huge problems for future drone pilots.
Stunning footage shows a drone’s-eye view of the top, inside and bottom of this freight train, which is moving through countryside near Reno, Nevada
At one point the pilot, Paul ‘Nurk’ Nurkkala flies underneath the train, keeping pace with it so that his tiny robot doesn’t get crushed
The footage begins simply enough, with a spectacular flight over the Nevada mountains, followed by the drone flitting over the Union Pacific train and performing the occasional barrel roll.
He flies alongside the train driver long enough for the man to notice the drone keeping pace and close the window.
After briefly landing on the roof of one car, he zooms under a bridge and zips in-between two carriages.
But the most dramatic moment comes when he flies underneath the train’s wheels, keeping pace with the vehicle.
It looks for a split second like he might have crashed on the other side – but then the drone picks back up and zooms off. As a coup de grace it flies into an open box car.
While the footage is stunning and garnered hundreds of impressed comments on YouTube some questioned the legality of the stunts.
For a moment the drone’s view (left) blurs, and it seems to crash, but soon after it lifts off again. Nurkkala (right) has come under criticism for the apparently illegal flight
He also performs impressive barrel rolls, giving views of the top of the train. Some viewers were concerned that he could bring further FAA rules on drone enthusiasts
‘Doing something almost definitely illegal,’ wrote Sam Harrington.
‘Doing stupid things that could contribute to drones getting greater restrictions, or even banned altogether. Not a good move buddy, not at all.’
Bruno Lazaro wrote: ‘Flies illegally ignoring all laws and regulations and then asks for a licensing fee to use his video. LOL #IRONY’
He went on to elaborate, citing FAA rules: ‘First, you failed to maintain “line of sight” with the drone.
‘Second, you endangered Union Pacific’s property and any humans’ lives aboard the train by trespassing and distracting the engineer, who most-likely happens to also be engaged in interstate commerce.
‘Third, unless you have part 107 license, commercializing this video is illegal. Fourth, railroad lines are private property so you were trespassing.’
Nurkkala did not reply to those remarks. He, Union Pacific and the FAA have all been contacted by DailyMail.com for comment.
Union Pacific’s drone policy states: ‘Union Pacific operates in a safety-sensitive environment. Never operate a drone in a manner that could distract or otherwise endanger yourself, Union Pacific employees, equipment or the public.
‘Flying a drone in a reckless manner is a violation of federal law and FAA regulations and could result in civil fines or criminal action.
‘Drones may not take off from, land on or fly over Union Pacific property unless the pilot is authorized to do so in writing by a specific agreement with Union Pacific.’
One viewe complained that he failed to maintain a ‘line of sight’ with the drone, that he endangered property and personnel on the line, and trespassed on private property