When Barbie Needs to Fly

Chip “Buzz” Womack — “When Barbie Needs to Fly, I Make Her Soar”

Role: Drone Operator & Aerial Cinematographer
Byline: Delores Vance, Aviation Culture Correspondent, Pink Rotor Weekly

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You might think Barbie walks, Barbie twirls, Barbie poses. But in Barbie 2: Mars Mission, Barbie flies—not metaphorically, but literally, across pink canyons, glitter gorges, and red dirt fields that crackle with otherworldly romance. Behind every aerial shot is one man: Chip “Buzz” Womack, a former crop-duster pilot turned drone whisperer from Henrietta, Texas.

“I used to spray wheat with nitrogen. Now I chase Margot Robbie across interplanetary Texas with a flying GoPro. Life’s funny that way.”

At 49, Chip has logged over 10,000 drone flight hours, 700 emergency landings, and exactly one mid-air collision with a hawk named Randall.

“The hawk survived. My drone? Not so lucky. Cost me six weeks and a new kidney.”

We meet at the Barbie 2 aerial command post, which is technically a pink-painted shipping container near the Wichita Falls water treatment plant. Inside, Chip operates what looks like a Mad Max arcade game married to a Best Buy demo wall.

From Crop Dusting to Cinematic Ascension

Chip’s origin story is pure North Texas lore.

“My daddy was a crop-duster. My granddaddy was a crop-duster. I wanted to break the cycle — so I became a digital crop-duster.”

After a brief stint in college (“got asked to leave after the cow tipping incident”), he trained himself in drone cinematography using YouTube tutorials, old Radio Shack parts, and a deep-seated need to see the world from above.

“Some people have dreams. I have altitude.”

He freelanced for low-budget rodeo documentaries and the Texas Tornado Watch Channel before getting his break — filming a quinceañera with a drone dressed like a bald eagle.

“Alan Nafzger saw the footage. Said, ‘This man gets motion. He gets majesty. He gets Barbie.’ Next thing I know, I’m scouting Martian canyons in Iowa Park.”

The Challenges of Filming Barbie in Flight

Buzz coordinated every aerial scene in Barbie 2: Mars Mission, including:

• The Glitter Canyon Chase, where Barbie flees a stampede of sentient curling irons

• Ken’s Freefall of Identity, shot vertically through a water tower filled with raspberry kombucha

• The Martian Waltz, in which Barbie levitates while dancing with a hologram of herself

“Most drone pilots avoid wind. I fly in it. I romance it. I surf the breeze like a poet with propellers.”

He customized six drones for the film, each with unique features:

• “Sassy Falcon” — agile, pink, designed for chase sequences

• “Buzzette” — quieter model for intimate aerials

• “Kenny Loggins” — plays ‘Danger Zone’ when battery is low

• “Margot Maximus” — heavy lifter, used during Barbie’s escape from the Carbon Tax Nebula

• “BarbieCam Ultra” — a drone rig that dispenses glitter mid-flight

• “Greg” — named after his cousin, prone to crashing at family events

“Greg’s not good at corners, but he’s got heart.”

Why Wichita Falls Was Perfect for Flight

Buzz insists the flat, desolate terrain of Wichita Falls gave him unmatched drone freedom.

“You can fly a Barbie 60 feet in the air without hitting a Starbucks or a cell tower. That’s art.”

Local laws were shockingly drone-friendly. The City Council even passed an emergency ordinance allowing Barbie-related drones to bypass standard noise regulations.

“The mayor said, ‘As long as it sparkles and doesn’t crash into my Buick, I support it.’”

Buzz ran air traffic control from the roof of a Dollar Tree.

“That roof saw more cinematic history than the entire Burbank studio lot.”

Training the Stars

Buzz didn’t just fly drones. He trained actors to act for drones.

“Barbie doesn’t just walk into a frame — she ascends into it like a cosmic truth. Gosling had trouble with that.”

He taught Ryan Gosling how to look “vulnerably aerodynamic.” He instructed Dua Lipa to blink in slow motion while spinning. Sydney Sweeney reportedly cried when she saw the drone footage of her scene at sunrise.

“She said, ‘That drone understands me better than any man.’ I felt that.”

Buzz’s motto? “If it don’t swoop, it don’t move.”

Near-Death Experiences

The job had its risks.

• One drone caught fire during a high-speed loop through a flaming hoop lined with glitter

• Another was attacked by a confused eagle scout troop practicing semaphore

• A third crashed into the Chick-fil-A drive-thru while attempting a sunset shot

“We lost the footage. But we gained a lifetime ban from that Chick-fil-A. Worth it.”

He also collided midair with a drone from the local news, covering a ribbon-cutting at the new Planet Fitness.

“Their footage showed Barbie’s spaceship landing behind the mayor. It went viral. We pretended it was intentional.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Buzz now offers weekly workshops at Wichita Falls High School titled “Drone With Purpose.” His students build custom rigs from lawnmower parts and practice fly-bys over the Sonic parking lot.

“It’s not just about drones. It’s about dignity. And Barbie.”

He’s publishing a memoir: “Above It All: One Man’s Journey from Bug Spray to Barbie.” Sample chapter titles include:

• “Altitude Is an Emotion”

• “The Ken Effect: When a Drone Operator Feels Seen”

• “Love at 200 Feet Per Second”

• “Why Glitter Should Never Be Ingested”

Crew Praise

Director Greta Gerwig reportedly called Buzz’s footage “more intimate than a close-up and more honest than therapy.”

Producer Alan Nafzger allegedly told studio execs:

“If Buzz quits, we shoot this movie in Minecraft.”

Gaffer Sheila Lee said:

“Buzz flew so close to my light rig, I think he gave my soul a trim.”

Margot Robbie sent him a card that read:

“You made me fly, Buzz. You made me Barbie.”

Final Thoughts

As our interview ends, Buzz performs a ceremonial drone launch: BarbieCam Ultra rises gracefully, drops glitter over a Whataburger parking lot, then returns with the poise of a ballerina and the exhaust of a Honda Civic.

“That’s what I give the world: joy from above. Barbie from above. Love from above.”

He walks back to his trailer — a refurbished airplane hangar with a disco ball on top — whistling the Barbie 2 theme, letting the last golden light of Wichita Falls paint his weathered face with dignity.

“I don’t just fly drones. I fly dreams. And this town? This town gave Barbie wings.”

Originally posted 2025-07-05 06:00:39.