Do you need a license for the drone?

Yes to operate commercially. The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) assesses every commercial drone operator through their NQE license scheme, before issuing a license to conduct commercial aerial work. The NQE training course provides the drone operator with the necessary skills to be able to conduct this type of work in a safe and controlled manner.

Do you need insurance?

Yes, it is a legal requirement and we are covered up to £2 million public liability insurance.

Are drones safe?

We cannot say yes, as most equipment or operation has risks, but we take every precaution necessary to ensure any risk is at an acceptable level before we start. This includes:

• Pre-deployment survey – To ensure we can safely fly at your location and there are no hazards that will cause us concern.

• On-site survey – This is conducted on the day; if we have identified anything in the pre-site survey that causes us concern we will make a prior on-site assessment.

• Safety checks – We carry our safety checklists out before flight operations, and after flight operations to satisfy ourselves the drone is capable of undertaking any flight in a safe manner.

• Fail safes – The drone is fitted with several fail safe systems, which effectively return the drone to home automatically in the event of loss of power, loss of signal etc.

• Emergency procedures – We regularly practice our emergency procedures, to ensure we are calm and under control in the event of a system failure.

• Safety in general – We will never fly if it is not safe to do so.

Can you fly anywhere?

No, there are restrictions and laws. The CAA imposes strict rules to ensure public safety. Anything outside of the standard regulations would require further permissions to be granted.

How long does it take to setup the drone?

20 minutes for the first flight and then 10 minutes subsequently.

How long can the drone fly for?

Typically 18 - 22 minutes per battery, depending upon the drone and climatic conditions.

Can the camera be controlled from the ground?

Yes, the camera / gimbal operator can orientate the camera in virtually any direction.

How stable is the imagery?

Very stable. All our drones use the industry leading Zenmuse gimbals offering the best possible image stabilisation.

How long is your working day?

Usually 8 to 10 hours. Our working day is generally 8 hours on location and a further 2-4 hours maintaining the drones and charging the batteries for the following day.

Can you fly in bad weather?

Rain / Snow / Fog - We can’t normally fly in these, as moisture does not mix well with our equipment especially the camera; any water on the camera lens will spoil any imagery.

Wind - The maximum wind speed we can fly in is approx. 10 m/s or 22 mph, anything more is beyond the drones safe working limits.

What information do you need to provide a quote or plan a flight?

We will need some basic details of your requirements so we can assess the scope and suitability of your requirement.

Location where the work is required.
Proposed date and time.
Details of your requirements

With this information, we will be able to work out if we could deploy the drone, or if we would need to seek additional permissions.