In aviation and in space terminology, a drone refers to an unmanned aircraft or spacecraft. Another term for it is an “unmanned aerial vehicle,” or UAV. On Earth, drones are often used for military purposes because they don’t put a pilot’s life at risk in combat zones. We utilise multi-rotor drone technology to capture aerial video, photography and topographical data. We work with some of the best studios and production houses in the UK as well as some big names in construction. Whatever the size of your project we have you covered.
In the UK, drones must be operated in accordance with the law, whether they are being used for recreation or commercial purposes. If operating commercially a Permit for Commercial Operation (PfCO) must be obtained from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
To operate within UK law all drone flights must take place within line of sight of the pilot. The maximum VLOS (visual line of sight) cannot exceed 500 metres. No flight must exceed 400 feet in altitude. The reason for this is to avoid areas of airspace used for commercial or manned aircraft.
Unless under control of the remote pilot, it is not permitted to fly within 50 meters of people, vehicles or structures.
It is not permitted to fly a drone within the Flight Restriction Zone of airports without permission from Air Traffic Control.
For more information read the Drone Code from the CAA
We have a range of aircraft each with their own operational limitations. We do not fly in extreme weather conditions but in some cases can fly in “controlled weather environments”. For safety reasons we do not operate during heavy rain or fog. Visibility is key and in order to maintain minimum VLOS an acceptable viewing distance is required.
Maximum operating temperature of 50°c and a minimum of -10°c.
Fixed wing has aerofoils and a build that resembles your typical plane that you may be familiar with. Wings that provide lift, rudder, and elevator, with a propeller to provide thrust. Rotary UAV’s are commonly quadcopter (x4 motors), Hexacopter (x8 motors), which provide lift and thrust. Rotary UAV’s allow the pilot to perform VTOL, Vertical take off and landing and to hover in a fixed position.
From project start to finish we’re here to support your requirements and exceed expectations. Initial review of project location & detail will reveal the correct equipment for the job. Flexible to flight requirements, payloads, weather or data capture needs, we pick the aircraft(s) best suited. A pre-project location analysis will reveal any early issues with filming due to FRZ (flight restriction zones) or topography challenges or obstacles etc.
If everything passes preliminary inspections a filming date is booked. Please note, we are unable to operate in extreme weather conditions (wind speeds > 25mph / heavy rain / snow) with the obvious challenges and safety concerns. Forecasts are regularly checked and monitored leading up to the recording date to anticipate any bad weather. Bookings may be re-scheduled or cancelled at no charge.
On the day, a remote pilot (drone operator) will attend and conduct an on-site ground survey and flight risk assessment. In this assessment the operator will discuss and agree the project objectives and deliverables. Flight paths and recording strategies will be agreed and a safe take-off / landing location identified. We regularly operate in two-man teams utilising a second man known as a remote observer. The remote observer will support the remote pilot by maintaining VLOS (visual line of sight) of the aircraft when required and also assisting in other more general observational awareness support for example spotting an otherwise unknown in-coming flock of geese! Additional ground support staff and security services are available upon request.
All pilots operating under Golden Planet Studios undergo significant flight, safety and aerial filming training. As a minimum pilots are required to hold a General VLOS Certification (GVC). The GVC is comprised of a theoretical examination and a practical flight test, which are both conducted at an RAE (Recognised Assessment Entity) facility. As part of commercial operations all pilots are required hold an additional approval from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) known as an operational authorisation or PfCO.
Our pilots follow an additional internal “Filming in Flight” training program which practices pilots on a range of manoeuvres & filming techniques including target tracking, rotational observation, flyovers and more. This ensures competency, steady flying and quality output for every project. There is nothing worse than a bad camera operator!
It is a legal requirement when conducting commercial operations to hold public liability insurance. We are insured up to the value of £10 million. All necessary equipment is on hand for every job in case of emergency including fire safety and first aid. We provide a very detailed comprehensive risk assessments. One before attending the site and an additional assessment on-site. We looking in great detail at air risk and any associated ground risks.
We have a range of aircraft each with a varied range of sensors. We predominantly use the UAV to capture 4k Ultra High Definition Video footage & photography. We can also capture and record infrared thermal imaging, near infrared, multi-spectral and LIDAR. With the vast array of sensory and aviation technology available we have every project requirement covered.
If you require a custom payload or specialist sensor that has not been referenced please reach out and we would be more than happy to discuss your custom requirements.
Both video feed and topographical data is streamed live to the flight crew on the ground & to the on-board memory storage units. Depending on the project requirements we can be flexible with data management and delivery. We are able to utilise closed-network systems during the flight so we keep your data safe.
For projects where speed is key, we can stream video data in real time to the cloud providing instance access.
We utilise a AES 256-bit end-to-end encrypted connection to the cloud in order to store and distribute larger files for some customers. Customers are invited to a personalised folder where you can download all project data securely.