Paul Meincke and Colin Hinkle

Viewers of WLS-Channel 7 enjoyed a bird’s-eye view of the soon-to-open 606 Bloomingdale Trail last week when the ABC-owned station aired what it claimed was the first live transmission from a drone camera on a local newscast.

Reporter Paul Meincke delivered the historic report on last Thursday’s 4 p.m. newscast with the aid of photographer Colin Hinkle, owner of Chicago-based Soaring Badger Productions, the first company to be granted an FAA permit to conduct commercial drone flights here.

Meincke’s story featured spectacular HD video of the 2.7-mile trail converted from an abandoned railway to a park and fully paved pathway on the Northwest Side. “High def pictures from a little battery-powered flying machine over the big city,” he said. Drones can hover much closer to the ground than helicopters and fly through much narrower spaces.

ABC 7 touted the debut of the Drone Cam as the first of its kind during a regularly scheduled newscast. In 2007 the station became the first in Chicago to broadcast its entire news and local programming lineup in high definition.

“It’s really exciting to be the first in this city to offer live drone shots during a newscast,” Jennifer Graves, vice president and news director of ABC 7, said in a statement. “Our commitment to cutting edge technology gave us the opportunity to offer our viewers news in the most compelling way possible.”

Only about three weeks ago, ABC 7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie posted photos of a drone that had been snared in pigeon wire just outside his office window. “News spies?” he drolly tweeted. “Suspect timing just before May ratings.”

ABC 7 Drone Cam