Freefly Systems
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Summary

Freefly Systems is a Woodinville, Washington-based manufacturer of brushless camera stabilizers (the Mōvi line) and cinema-oriented drone platforms (CineStar, Alta). It is credited with popularizing brushless direct-drive gimbal stabilization as a smaller, lighter alternative to the traditional mechanical Steadicam, and later applied the same stabilization technology to its own purpose-built aerial cinematography drones.

Key Facts

  • Founded: 2011, in Woodinville, Washington, by Tabb Firchau, David Bloomfield, Hugh Bell, and Megan Fogel
  • Type: Platform OEM and component/subsystem supplier (sells both finished drones and standalone handheld/mountable gimbal stabilizers)
  • Status: Active, privately held; approximately 70 employees (per Wikipedia, unverified against a primary company source in this session)
  • Key metric(s): Mōvi M10 (2013) supported up to 12 lb payload; Mōvi XL (2017) supports up to 50 lb payload; Alta 6 drone platform supports up to 15 lb combined gimbal/camera payload
  • Value chain position: Platform OEM for its own drone line (CineStar, Alta) and component/subsystem supplier for its standalone Mōvi stabilizer line sold independently of any drone

What It Is / How It Works

Freefly’s first product, the CineStar (2011), was a 2-axis then 3-axis servo-based camera gimbal mounted on the company’s own multirotor camera platforms, using a proprietary “Radian” stabilization add-on module — at the time, drone gimbals typically required manual stabilization or crude adaptations of RC-helicopter tail gyros. In 2013, Freefly launched the Mōvi M10, the first handheld electronic camera stabilizer using direct-drive brushless motors, which eliminated the need for a mechanical Steadicam harness with iso-elastic arm and counterweight — winning the InGear Technical Products Award and Digital Video Magazine’s Black Diamond Award that year. The Mōvi line subsequently expanded across payload classes (M5, M15, Pro, XL, Carbon — the last being marketed as the world’s first handheld 5-axis camera stabilizer), with a common proprietary quick-release system allowing the same stabilizer body to be reconfigured for handheld, aerial, tripod, dolly, jib, or cable-mounted use.

In 2015, Freefly applied its stabilization expertise to a purpose-built aerial cinematography platform, the Alta 6, a ready-to-fly hexacopter with full integration of flight control, motors, motor drives, and propellers, notable for allowing camera/gimbal payloads to be mounted on either the top or bottom of the aircraft — a capability aimed specifically at professional cinematographers who need unobstructed lens sightlines in either direction. The company also built a companion flight controller (Synapse) into the Alta platform and, separately, the TERO ground vehicle (2014) for low-angle tracking shots, extending its stabilization technology beyond aerial-only use cases.

Notable Developments

  • 2017-04-22: Freefly launches the Mōvi XL (50 lb payload capacity, cinema lens-class) and Mōvi Carbon (described as the world’s first handheld 5-axis camera stabilizer) at NAB.
  • 2016-11-02: Freefly announces the Mōvi Pro, adding integrated hot-swap smart batteries and a built-in stand.
  • 2015-08-03: Freefly launches the Alta 6, a ready-to-fly hexacopter drone platform with top- or bottom-mounted camera/gimbal payload capability and an integrated Synapse flight controller.
  • 2013-04-06: Freefly launches the Mōvi M10 at NAB, the first handheld electronic camera stabilizer using direct-drive brushless motors.
  • 2011: Freefly Systems founded in Woodinville, Washington; first product is the CineStar multirotor camera platform.

Key People / Key Organizations

  • Tabb Firchau — Co-founder, Freefly Systems (2011). LinkedIn: not found.
  • David Bloomfield — Co-founder, Freefly Systems (2011). LinkedIn: not found.
  • Hugh Bell — Co-founder, Freefly Systems (2011). LinkedIn: not found.
  • Megan Fogel — Co-founder, Freefly Systems (2011). LinkedIn: not found.

People — Last Reviewed: 2026-07-15

Sources

  • Freefly Systems - Wikipedia — company founding, headquarters, product history and specifications (CineStar, Mōvi line, Alta, TERO), employee count
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