North America's Great Lakes from Above

It is all about the "Art of Endurance" in this amazing drone production. Drone Media Chicago captures the 'Windy City' in all its glory from above.  The video begins with an aerial shot of the skyline from the Navy Pier area and it proceeds to overhead shots of the financial district, aerials of the bridges over the Chicago River and the tracks of the Loop, bird's eye views of Lake Shore Drive, and skyscrapers galore.  This video is nominated in the Cities category for the 2nd annual Drone Video Awards. 

Cleveland, Ohio is one of the largest cities in the USA's Midwest.  It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes.  Cleveland was once known as the Buckle of the Rustbelt for its leading role in America's key manufacturing sectors.  While it is still a leading industrial center, the city has seen its waterfront transformed in recent years with new stadiums and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In this video, contributor Droneloop gives us a brief but epic aerial tour of this storied city.

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin sits on the western shores of Lake Michigan in America's Midwest, roughly 150 km (90 mi) north of the larger city of Chicago.  The largest city in the Badger State, Milwaukee has a proud industrial heritage, and continues to be a key manufacturing center in the United States.  Similar to what has occurred in other Great Lakes cities, Milwaukee's downtown and waterfront has been transformed in recent years, as you will see from this awesome drone video from contributor ShareMedia.

Contributor SpaceJam Studios created this amazing drone video showing the rebirth that is taking place in Detroit, Michigan.  Beginning with the riots of the late 60s, the city experienced a series of body blows culminating in the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler in 2009.  Although its population is barely 40% of its peak, the city is experiencing a rebirth in its core downtown area, particularly in the area around its world-class sports arenas: Ford Field, Comerica Field, and Little Caesar's Arena.  

The city of Buffalo, New York is situated on the eastern end of Lake Erie.  It is the nearest major city to Niagara Falls, where Lake Erie and Lake Ontario connect.  Due to its location relative to the Great Lakes, Buffalo can see enormous amounts of snowfall in winter.  Full circle Studios gives us an aerial view of this Great Lakes city in this video which includes two years worth of drone footage.  

Mackinac Bridge connects mainland Michigan to the Upper Peninsula, and sits at the divide between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.   Built in 1957, the bridge is roughly 8 km (roughly 5 mi) long, making it one of the longest bridges in the United States.  It passes to the west of Mackinac Island, a popular Lake Huron tourist area, which is home to some of the best sailing waters in the country.  Northern POV used a drone and some creative editing to make this amazing aerial video of this important span.  

Toronto, the capital of Ontaria, is the largest city in Canada as well as its principal business and financial center.  Contributor 416 Shots gives us an aerial tour of this metropolis on the shores of Lake Ontario.  Using a DJI Phantom 3 drone, he gives us bird's eye views of the Toronto skyline, which is graced by the gigantic CN Tower (once the world's tallest structure, with a rooftop height of 450 meters or about 1.5k ft.)) and numerous gleaming bank headquarters buildings.

Canada's St. Lawerence River is the country's most important waterway.  It provides the connection between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, and is also an immense source of hydroelectricity for Canada and the United States.  Only 500 km (just over 300 mi.) long, the St. Lawrence is North America's largest river by discharge volume, and it created the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the largest river estuary in the world.  Contributor Dizfilms created this epic aerial tour of this mighty seaway.   

Caffespresso used a DJI Mavic 2 drone to create this spectacular aerial video of Quebec City, the last major city of the Great Lakes system before it drains into the North Atlantic.  Quebec city is situated near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, which extends from Lake Ontario, past Montreal, and thence to Quebec city, the provincial capital.  The video contains epic footage of Quebec's Old City, one the oldest fortress-city in the United States or Canada with some preserved structures.  

In this drone video, top AirVuz contributor and pilot Fitlam Studios shows us that surfing isn't limited to places like Hawaii and Bali.  He filmed this in a spot which isn't even on an ocean: Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior.  And in the dead of winter!  One of the coldest cities in the USA, Duluth is also known for the length to which its residents will go to prove that the long bitterly cold winters can't keep them inside.  But surfing???  Wet suit or no, that is some mighty cold water you see here.  

Top AirVuz contributor New Entertainment Pictures brings us this stunning drone video of Niagara Falls, one of the world's most famous waterfalls.  The waterfall is a cataract system of three falls near Buffalo, New York (near the Canadian-USA border) on the Niagara River, which connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie of the North American Great Lakes system.  Niagara Falls' 167 ft. drop (about 51 m) sees up to six million cubic ft. of water flow (about 168k cubic m) per minute at peak flow rates.  

Anyone who thinks that Ontario is all about Toronto should watch this beautiful drone video of Flowerpot Island, which sits off the end of a remote peninsula of Lake Huron.  It's near the town of Tobermoy, a small town which sits at the end of the Bruce Peninsula on the middle of the five North American Great Lakes.  Fujibara Films used a drone to create this beautiful spot in rural Ontario, just a few hours drive but a world apart from the skyscrapers of Toronto to the south.  This is Canada's Cottage Country at its best.

Contributor and pilot AndrewAchter used a drone to capture a great winter scene on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. The lake, which has a surface area of 82.1k square km (around 31.7 square mi.), is the largest freshwater lake in the world by that measure.  The northernmost of North America's Great Lakes system, much of Lake Superior freezes during the bitterly cold winter months.  Before it freezes, the vapor given off by the water causes the phenomenon you'll see in the video called "sea smoke".

Navigating the waters of Lake Michigan can be treacherous, especially around the gigantic city of Chicago, Illinois in its southern reaches.  The approaches to Chicago Harbor are safer due to the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, which stands just to the east of Navy Pier.  The lighthouse was originally displayed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition but it was moved to its current location in 1919.  Contributor and pilot 60 Seconds used a drone to create a marvelous aerial view of this important landmark. 

Famously dangerous to shipping, Lake Michigan is home to some of the most well-known lighthouses in the USA.  In this drone video by Bill Drones, you'll be treated to aerial views of the following lighthouses: Kenosha North Pier Light, Kenosha, WI; Canal North Pierhead Light, Sturgeon Bay, WI; Bailey's Harbor Light and Cana Island Lighthouse, Bailey's Harbor, WI;  Chicago Harbor Lighthouse; Michigan City East Light, Michigan City, IN; Little Sable Point Light, Golden Township, MI; and Big Sable Point Light, Luddington, MI.  

Contributor and pilot Toledo Aerial Media created this amazing aerial view of a phenomena on North America's Great Lakes called "ice mountains". This was filmed near Port Clinton, in the southwestern corner of Lake Erie.  Lake Eris is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes, with a surface area of about 25.7k square km (just under 10k square mi.).   The southernmost of the chain, it generally does not freeze.  During particularly cold winters, large ice chunks form and drift into gigantic "ice mountains".   

The port of Duluth, Minnesota sits on a corner of Lake Superior, the queen of the Great Lakes and indeed the world's largest lake.  By serving as the primary port for shipment of iron ore mined from the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, Duluth has been critical to the USA's steel industry for over a century.  It's also a major port for handing bulk agricultural products.  This episode of Droning America will give you a bird's eye view of this remarkable Great Lakes port city. 

Top AirVuz contributor 8 Fifty Productions brings us this excellent drone video of Mackinaw City, Michigan.  Mackinaw City is located at the northernmost point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan (ie, the main part of the state), on the Straits of Mackinack, where Lake Michigan (to the west) connects with Lake Huron (to the east).   The video includes some excellent footage of the Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Straits and connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas and was one of the world's longest bridges when it opened in 1957.