FAQ’s

Yes - All are experienced pilots and passed the CAA-approved exams and flight assessments for multi-rotor aircraft under 20kg.

Quite simply it is against the law to use someone who does not hold a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and has a drone for commercial work who does not hold Permission for Commercial Operation (PfCO). If you hire someone who does not have permission to fly for commercial operations you are putting yourself at great risk, a serious incident could cost you millions in damages; saying you did not know will not hold up in court.

We offer a very fair and competitive quote to cover our expenses, insurance, vehicle and drones. There are many untrained operatives in the industry without the correct insurance, we will however price match with a reputable CAA PfCO approved operator.

We have the authority to fly in air traffic control regions, we liaise with Air Traffic Control (ATC) to organise operational times and locations, we also contact the Police Authority to obtain a log for flight duration. New restrictions ban all drones to fly within 1km of protected airport boundaries.

We keep a close update of weather conditions before any operation, if weather forecast predicts rain or high winds then the assignment will need to be rescheduled at no additional cost. Ideal conditions are light to no wind and sunny to slightly overcast.

If however we both decide to stay with the day and we have bad weather, our pilots will wait on site as long as possible in the hope of a break in the weather.

Weather is known business risk in the UK so we are as flexible as possible to ensure that bookings can be rearranged.

We do not fly in high winds and rain. We also use a wind speed instrument to measure the wind on the day. We can fly in winds gusting up to 20mph. Our advanced camera gimbal system gives very smooth shots in winds of up to about 15 mph.

Our drones are capable of flying in light rain but rainwater on the camera lenses can spoil any shots.

Our drones will fly in temperatures from -10°c to 40°c.  In very cold weather we make sure the battery packs are warmed and kept warm before flying.  The maximum drone flight times on one battery of 24 minutes can be reduced by up to 50% in very cold temperatures.

Yes - Ark Air is fully insured against injury and damage for each flight with £1million public liability to fly at altitudes of up to 400 feet.

Under CAA regulations we are allowed to fly from ground level up to a maximum altitude of 400ft.  The airspace for manned aircraft is over 500ft so this leaves a separation zone of 100 feet.

The maximum flight time on a single battery in normal conditions is upto 25 minutes. On average we fly up to 20 minutes before landing and changing the battery. We carry spare pre-charged batteries on each shoot. It only takes a few minutes to change the battery and get back in air. So we are able to fly all day with very little disruption.

This depends on the job.   In most cases we send a single pilot to client sites.  For a more complicated shoot we have a pilot and a separate camera operator, also spotter if in busy airspace.

Yes - We stream the aerial drone footage in real time to the pilot’s remote controller which allows the client on the ground to see what the aerial camera is capturing.

This lets us to adjust the camera pan, tilt, framing and drone flight path as we fly to get the best shots.

The maximum airspeed of our drones is over 40 mph.   Our maximum range permitted by the CAA is 500m with the pilot maintaining a visible line of sight at all times to the UAV.  Our maximum permitted altitude by the CAA is 400ft.

Our CAA approval clearly defines where and how we can fly.

The main operational conditions for a small unmanned aircraft SUA are:
• Maintaining a distance of 50m from people and property not in control of the pilot.
• During take off and landing maintain a distance of 30m from people and property not in control of the pilot.
• Permission of the landowner to take off and land.
• Directly overhead or within a minimum distance of 150m from an open air assembly of over 1000 people.
• Maximum height of 400ft above ground level.
• Maintain visual line of sight of the SUA to a maximum distance of 500m.
• During daylight hours, so that you can clearly see the SUA and take avoiding action from other air users if required.
• Outside of controlled airspace.
• Restrictions apply to certain areas of Central London and additional permissions to fly in these areas need to be sought from the CAA.
• Restrictions and rules apply to flying near an airport and aerodrome.

We can fly close to buildings and people when we have consent of the owner and the people in close proximity have been briefed and are under the control of the pilot.

This allows us to do close survey work of building, roofs, building sites, hotels, golf courses and other filming requirements.

Our prices may vary depending on the complexity, associated risks and location of the drone aerial photography. Please call or email us to discuss your plans and requirements.

Each job is unique and because all aerial photography drone flights are covered by CAA regulations.  We carry out a detailed online Pre-flight survey before we send you a final quote.

We are very happy to offer a short demonstration flight along with example footage in conjunction with a site visit.