Chad Copeland / Developer · Pilot · Visual storyteller
A life beyond
the ordinary.
Aircraft. Expeditions. Images with a point of view. I bring a life in the field to the things I build and the stories I tell.
01 / Development
Built from experience.
Charlie Hanger
The F-15E, built for a different kind of flight. Aircraft research, systems development and simulator evaluation at Charlie Hanger.
FALCRIN
Pilot health, flight information and emergency guidance, brought into one connected iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch experience. In development.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
An 18-month Microsoft Flight Simulator contract evaluating more than 100 simulated aircraft, from flight behavior to the smallest cockpit interaction.
Charlie Hanger aircraft concept · independent development
One career / Many perspectives
Curiosity.
With conviction.
I’m Chad Copeland. My path runs through Air Force operations, commercial flying, Seattle Center, global expeditions and documentary production. Today, I draw those experiences into aircraft simulation, pilot safety technology and independent ventures.
Follow the career timeline →02 / Aviation
Both sides of the radio.
From the F-15 to the DA62, from a radar sector to an aircraft in development: a wider view of flight, built through experience.
03 / Expeditions
Beyond the familiar.
Greenland · Songs of Giants
Greenland, September 2024. A boat, a field camp and a question that began a decade earlier in Tonga: what can we learn by listening to whales?
Iceland · Fire & ice
From ice caves to the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption: a study in scale, change and working close to the elements.
National Geographic · China
Custom-built aerial camera systems opened a different way to see China’s extraordinary karst landscapes.
Tonga · Beneath the surface
Whales, water and the patience required to make an image from within the environment.
On assignment
From the field.
The expedition atlas / 34 locations
A life in longitude.
Representative places and regions from my assignments, service and expeditions. Regional markers locate the general area; they do not identify a filming position, flight path or whale encounter. Geography: Natural Earth. Map notes & sources.
04 / Film & photography
A considered point of view.
Microsoft Windows 10
A global photography commission, built from time in the field: diving, flying and exploring the places that became part of the Windows experience.
Space Needle · Looking Upwards
Space Needle: Looking Upwards documents the transformation of one of the world’s most recognizable structures.
Adventure Calls
A six-episode series exploring the people, landscapes and experiences of Central Oregon.
05 / Ventures
Ideas with
a life of their own.
FALCRIN. Charlie Hanger. Wild Actual. 1892 Social Club. Technology, documentary and a historic gathering place, shaped by a personal commitment to each.
Explore the ventures →