One of the disadvantages of providing los VHF/UHF TV service (though it looks to be VHF what with those standard "Batwing" type antenna radiators at the top of the tower) over a flat terrain without mountain tops to place the transmitter on I guess.
I was wondering the same thing; I read through the comments on the video and the author says they consulted with local aviation authorities who said they have clearance for 500' in any direction for drones. By the way, in case anybody was wondering, that tower is the now inactive KDLT-TV analog broadcast antenna near Salem, SD
And aren't commercial/professional drones under a different set of rules? I believe mining exploration companies, search and rescue, and movie studios all use drones. Heck, aren't they using drones for high voltage long distance power line inspections, since they're so much cheaper than helicopters?
About 2hrs would be a guess. I've been up the elevator in the old Griffin tower about 25yrs ago as oeta leased space on the tower. It was 1572ft. Some guys got stuck at 900ft on the equipment deck when the elevator broke and it took them just over an hour to climb down