Meet Your Neighbor: Vic Moss 
Continuing our series of interviews with our Southern Gables neighbors, to help us get to know and appreciate each other. Vic Moss runs Moss Photography and his work keeps him on the leading edge of changing technologies. Interviewed by Bruce McDonald.
How long have you lived in Southern Gables? Twenty-five years. The main reason for choosing this area when we moved here in the mid-1990s was the schools. The excellent reputation of the district and Green Gables Elementary in particular was a big draw. The Southern Gables neighborhood was attractive and well-kept. Keith Grebe, the Realtor who found it for us, was sold on it himself and when we moved here he became a neighbor as well.
What are a few things that you like the most about the Southern Gables community? The schools, as I mentioned; our kids went through Green Gables, Carmody Middle, and Bear Creek High. Then there’s the community feel of the neighborhood. The friendly waves as our neighbors drive by. I also like the convenient location, how accessible the rest of Denver is from our neighborhood.
Do you have a favorite memory with your Southern Gables neighbors? Walking to school with the kids, and being active at Green Gables Elementary. I got involved with the PTA — served as President for a time — and that deepened my sense of community connection.
What is the most neighborly experience you’ve had in our neighborhood? This is the kind of place where neighbors pitch in to shovel each other’s sidewalks, and being on either end of that is a pretty good feeling. Two of our neighbors put our fence back up after it was blown down while we were on vacation a few years ago. You don’t get that just anywhere. The sense of community ties into a favorite saying of mine, “It’s virtually impossible for one person to change the world, but it’s remarkably simple to change the world of one person.” One person at a time.
What are your hobbies? Drones and photography. More than hobbies, actually; those two “hobbies” are really my full-time work. I do architectural photography as a business. Like the ideal job should be, it’s something I love to do. I take a lot of pride in the results I achieve for clients. For aerial shots, before the advent of drones I spent a lot of time in the passenger seat of a Cessna 172 holding my camera out the window. Glad those days are over. Now I can fly a photography drone and get shots that would not have been possible from an aircraft.
So it seems this newer technology has led you into a new field; rather than being a passenger you have to be the pilot. Has that been difficult? It was hard at first, but as it became more natural it has really expanded my horizons. I see what you did there. Yes, but seriously, it has revolutionized my life. Of necessity, I’ve gotten involved with the rapidly-evolving field of regulations governing drones. I recently worked with the FAA and the City of Lakewood to get three parks opened for recreational drone flying, where otherwise they would be under the same restrictions that were imposed years ago for radio-controlled airplanes. I am a part owner of a drone school where we teach people about the rules and flying safely, and I am a volunteer on the FAA Safety Team. Most recently, I was appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation to the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee. Since I’ve been involved with safety education for a good while, this is a good opportunity to put my experience to work. I have found that people want to be smart about it, and fly safe.
Even though the drone aspect has come to dominate aerial work, I do a lot of commercial and industrial work on the ground as well as in the air. I’m still a photographer first.
Is there anything else you want us to know about you? We’ve loved living here, and are blessed to have been able to raise our family here. And if you see any drones flying over Green Gables, it’s probably mine. So don’t worry about it.