Partnerships

For those in TV who wish to film with drones but don’t want to go through the rigmarole, time and expense of becoming a drone operator we have a solution for you. We can train you to be a drone camera/gimbal operator and add you to our C.A.A. commercial permission (what used to be called a PfCO), supply you with a drone, pilot and insurance. There are many advantages to this partnership:-

-You will be able to concentrate on filming and not flying (many production companies including the BBC require drones must be operated by two crew, pilot and camera operator for safety reasons, so even if you had a PfCO in many situations you’ll have to provide a second trained crew member). When the drone arrives on location you’ll be accustomed to the equipment saving time and making your shots smoother.

-You will have an experienced pilot, BNUC qualified since 2013 and over 7 years as a Grip who will focus on safely and smoothly flying the drone to your requirements. Think of it as having your own “flying grip”.

-Avoid the expense of training, qualification, licence/ annual renewal fees, insurance costs, drone/ancillary purchases and upgrades. We will provide everything needed.

-Avoid the time spent writing/ amending an operations manual, site/risk assessments, flight/battery logs and other associated paperwork and permissions. Plus you will not have to keep up to date with drone regulations and maintenance/firmware upgrades. More importantly you can be more efficient on location as your pilot will set up the drone, go through checklists and manage batteries, everything apart from framing, filming and camera settings so you can concentrate on the shoot.

-Control the look and quality of the aerial footage being edited into your film and charge an extra fee for aerial filming. Production will pay for the pilot and drone at a rate previously agreed between partners as we will be working with your clients.

The number of partnerships will be limited to a select few who will not be charged for training or any costs incurred in the modification of our permission or Insurance. Applicants should contact us (using the form below) and discuss this directly with chief pilot Alex Meacock. As well as our drones other types are available from a rental house. For those who have a commercial permission it may make more financial sense to let your permission/insurance lapse and move your own drone onto ours and focus on what’s important… filming.