How do events organisers choose a safe and legal drone operator?

Aerial videos and photos are a fantastic way to show off your event on social media and in promotional material. However, it is important to make sure your drone operator has the correct permissions and training before you hire them.

Note: This article was written in 2019, and legislation has since been updated. Whilst the principals below are still true, please contact Adarak with regards to specific details to ensure they are accurate to current rules.

Licence and insurance

Make sure they have a Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO), i.e. a license to fly a drone. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has a list of organisations that have a valid PfCO that it updates every month, which makes it easy to check. Ask the drone operator for their public liability insurance to ensure they are covered.

Area of operation

There are certain restrictions that your chosen provider must abide by to operate safely, other than the obvious example of near to airports. For example, at outdoor events they must not fly above or within 150m of a crowd of over 1,000 people. This does not mean they cannot capture any shots of the event, as the best view is often from a short distance away.

Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival 2019

Take off and landing must not be within 30m of people or buildings that are not involved in the shoot, and once the drone is in the air, this is increased to 50m. This does not restrict the pilot from flying over other buildings as long as the drone is at least 50m above them, which becomes especially relevant within towns and cities.

A drone operator must survey the area where they will take off and land, as well as where they will be flying to remain safe at all times. They do not necessarily need to visit the location, but they need to document the potential hazards. You can ask to see this in advance of the shoot day, along with their risk assessment if you want this for your records.

Closer to the date of the shoot, the drone operator will be keeping an eye on the weather forecast and will advise you if there are likely to be any problems with flying on the day. The good news is that most drones can fly in winds up to 38kph, the bad news is that almost none of them can fly in the rain! They must also be checking for any non-standard air operations taking place in the area such as hot air balloons, RAF training or police helicopter exercises.

On the day, an on-site survey will take place where they sketch out the area to note any hazards that weren’t visible during the initial survey. This could be power cables, vehicles operating nearby or simply a high number of birds flying around the area.

Once the situation is deemed to be safe, the flights can take place to capture your event in its beautiful surroundings and get the amazing shots that get real engagement with your audience.

Find out more

Dan Waters runs Adarak, a Leeds-based provider of professional and affordable videography, photography and aerial footage. We’re here to help you turn your ideas, products, and case studies into something you’ll be proud to share.