Netflix’s In Waves and War is a documentary about Navy SEAL veterans confronting the invisible wounds of combat — PTSD, traumatic brain injury, depression — and their journey toward healing through psychedelic-assisted therapy. Directed by Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen (Actual Films), it premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and released on Netflix on November 3, 2025.
Lyfted Media provided aerial cinematography for the film, flown right here in Hampton Roads.
The airspace problem
Flying a drone in Hampton Roads is not like flying anywhere else. The region sits under some of the most controlled airspace in the country — Norfolk Naval Station, Naval Air Station Oceana, Langley Air Force Base, and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard all shape where and how a drone can legally fly. Much of it requires FAA Part 107 certification, LAANC airspace authorization, and in some cases direct coordination with the facilities themselves.
For In Waves and War, we filmed in Virginia Beach, VA — with full cooperation from base coordination and FAA waivers in place. That’s what it takes to fly legally and safely in this region’s military airspace: the right credentials, the right authorizations, and a working relationship with the people who control the airspace.
Why productions call Lyfted Media
This is the kind of work Lyfted Media exists for. We’re FAA Part 107 certified and fully insured, we hold a TWIC card and a MARMC photographers permit for work around naval facilities, and we’ve spent years flying in the region’s restricted and complex airspace — from shipyards to stadiums to New York City, where we’re NYPD-approved to fly cinematic drones.
When a production needs aerials in airspace most operators can’t touch, they call us.
Watch it
In Waves and War is streaming now on Netflix. Watch for the Hampton Roads aerials — that’s our work.
Need aerial cinematography in sensitive or restricted airspace? Get a quote. Lyfted Media flies drone services across Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Hampton — and brings our drones to productions in New York City and beyond.