FPV Drone Filming Inside an Erupting Icelandic Volcano for CNN

Extreme-environment FPV drone filming inside an active Icelandic volcano for CNN, captured by Emmy-winning FPV pilot and drone cinematographer Lewis Whyld. The flights pushed deep into the eruption zone, orbiting exploding lava and flying within inches of the surface, with filming completed by both day and night. Intense heat, powerful winds, rain and rapidly changing volcanic conditions required a custom-built heat and water-resistant FPV platform - a modified Whyldthings moonshot, precise control and careful flight planning throughout.

FPV drone filming inside an active Icelandic volcanic eruption for CNN - flying into the crater, orbiting exploding lava and exiting the eruption zone in controlled close-proximity flights by day and night.

Project Details

Client / Publisher: CNN
Production:CNN Interactive - Iceland’s volcanoes, geothermal energy and the Krafla Magma Testbed
Published: October 2024
Location: Iceland - Reykjanes Peninsula / Grindavík eruption zone and Krafla geothermal region
Role: FPV Pilot & Drone Cinematographer - Lewis Whyld
Filming: Extreme-environment FPV & cinematic drone cinematography
Story Focus: Volcanic destruction, geothermal energy and the Krafla Magma Testbed
Coverage: Active crater, eruption zone, lava, volcanic damage, geothermal infrastructure and surrounding landscape
Flight Style: Close-proximity FPV, crater entry, orbiting, skimming within inches of active lava and controlled exit flights
FPV Platform: Custom-built heat- and water-resistant FPV drone - designed and built by Lewis Whyld
Conditions: Extreme radiant heat, rain, moisture, strong winds, turbulence and rapidly changing volcanic activity
Operation: Specialist FPV filming in an active volcanic environment
Challenges: Heat exposure, water ingress risk, turbulence, changing eruption behaviour, aircraft reliability and maintaining safe control extremely close to active lava
Specialism: Extreme Environments / Documentary / Energy / FPV / Aerial Cinematography / Interactive Journalism

FPV Cinematography for CNN’s Iceland Volcano & Geothermal Energy Interactive

The CNN report explored two sides of Iceland’s volcanic landscape: the destruction caused by repeated eruptions around Grindavík and the way the country harnesses the same geological forces to produce geothermal energy.

My role was to create specialist FPV and aerial cinematography that could bring viewers much closer to those environments than conventional camera systems could safely achieve. The volcanic sequences involved flying into the active eruption zone, around the crater and close to exploding lava, while the wider aerial filming helped connect the eruption, damaged landscape and geothermal infrastructure.

The geothermal side of the story focused on the Krafla region and research into accessing energy from exceptionally hot underground conditions close to magma. That contrast gave the drone work a clear editorial purpose: showing both the destructive force of Iceland’s geology and the extraordinary potential of the same volcanic system as a source of energy.

Flying FPV Inches from Active Lava

The most demanding part of the shoot was flying FPV within inches of active lava inside the eruption zone. The aircraft had to operate close enough to capture the violent texture and movement of the lava while remaining controllable in intense heat, turbulent air and rapidly changing volcanic conditions.

Flights were completed by both day and night, with each sortie planned around the behaviour of the eruption, wind direction and the condition of the aircraft. Heat exposure and turbulence could change almost instantly close to the crater, so every approach needed a clear route in, sufficient margin around the eruption and a reliable exit path.

The aim was to make the camera feel embedded in the eruption rather than observing it from a distance. FPV made it possible to fly around exploding lava, skim incredibly close to the surface and then pull back out across the volcanic landscape in one controlled cinematic movement.

Building an FPV Drone for Heat, Water & Volcanic Conditions

The conditions around the eruption demanded more than a standard FPV setup. I designed and built the FPV aircraft specifically for the environment, with protection against extreme heat, water and moisture so it could operate reliably close to the lava and in Iceland’s rapidly changing weather.

Flying within inches of active lava exposed the drone to intense radiant heat, while rain, spray and wet ground created a very different reliability problem. The platform had to remain compact and agile enough for close-proximity FPV, but robust enough to survive repeated flights in conditions that could quickly damage conventional electronics.

That custom engineering was a key part of making the shots possible. Rather than treating the drone as an off-the-shelf camera platform, I could adapt the aircraft around the demands of the production - combining heat and water protection with the control, image quality and manoeuvrability needed to fly inside an active volcanic environment.

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Planning FPV Filming in an Extreme Environment?

Through Whyldthings, I provide specialist FPV and drone cinematography for extreme, remote and technically challenging productions worldwide.

Where standard equipment is not suitable for the location, I can design, build and adapt FPV aircraft specifically for the environment — from heat- and water-resistant systems for volcanic filming to platforms engineered for endurance, cold, altitude or unusual payload requirements.

From aircraft development and risk planning through to filming in the field, the objective is to make ambitious shots possible without treating extreme conditions as an afterthought.

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