Getting a bird’s-eye view
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This DJI Mini 3 Pro drone is controlled by Farragut Mayor Alex Cain during every home game at Eddie Courtney Stadium. - Photos by Jake Nichols
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Cain operates the drone that captures each play of every Farragut High School football home game on Friday, Sept. 25, at Eddie Courtney Stadium. That night, the technology hovered 100 feet above the field as the Admirals took down rival Bearden, 10-0. - Photos by Jake Nichols
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This is the view for Farragut Mayor Alex Cain as he operates the drone hovering above the football field at Farragut High School. - Photos by Jake Nichols
This year, Alex Cain has begun a new role as mayor for the Town of Farragut.
But for the next few Friday nights, he will settle into the same spot he has occupied for four years in the back of the west end zone at Eddie Courtney Stadium.
Every home game, Cain operates the DJI Mini 3 Pro drone Farragut uses to film the action on the field.
Having bought his own personal drone in 2012, Cain enjoys the work and the view that comes with it.
“We used to film all our practice sessions with my own personal drone, and we noticed more teams started to use it during games to get different views,” Cain said on Friday, Sept. 25, during the Admirals’ win over Bearden. “So when Coach Eddie Courtney was still here, he called me one summer and said, ‘Hey, do you think you could do this?’ I said yeah, but the biggest issue is getting the proper equipment where you can film a whole quarter without having to swap batteries every 10 minutes.
“We were able to, and the booster club went ahead and bought it. It’s worked out great,” Cain added. “The coaching staff likes it because they have a totally different view. We have a camera on the press box for a side view, then the end zone pole, which is 35 feet high, and that focuses just on the offensive and defensive linemen. With this, you get all 22 players. It’s kind of like playing Madden, and our system is plugged in.”
With the drone hovering 100 feet above the play, Cain records every sequence that unfolds. When he stops recording, that video is instantly transmitted to the iPads that Farragut coaches use on the sideline and in the press box.
“So they can watch the play as soon as it’s over,” he said, “on offense, defense and special teams.”
The work gives Cain a new way to connect with a program he has come to love despite not playing for Farragut in high school.
“I first got here in 2007 as a school resource officer, and Coach Eddie Courtney was the first person who welcomed me on campus,” Cain said. “So we built a bond there, and they would have us travel with the team. In 2011 or 2012, I was coaching for the middle school program, and Coach Courtney asked if I could help on Friday nights. So I would send in signals for the defense. Then the next year, he asked if I could do it full-time.”
He stepped away from his coaching duties in 2021, then took on the drone role. The machine is connected to 28 GPS satellites as it moves, though the conditions must be precise for Cain and Farragut to put it to use.
“It does not like wind,” he said. “Anything over 12 miles an hour, you can’t fly because it will move around and come back and land itself if the wind is too strong.”
But when the conditions are right and Cain settles into his chair, he enjoys the life of a drone pilot just the same as he does his new office in Town Hall.
“It’s just giving back to the community like I did before,” he said. “It’s one of those aspects of being in a small town that you enjoy.”
