Find a Qualified Drone Pilot

With the cost of drones reducing as the technology improves you may be tempted to buy a drone and produce footage yourself. If your vision is a movie-quality video it’s far better to hire a drone pilot with the right skills, equipment and experience. Aerial filming with a drone takes a combination of skills - you need to be able to fly a drone safely and within the law, have an eye for cinematography and composition and know the best way to capture the subject from the air.

Drone Safe Register is the UK’s largest network of drone professionals, and we can help with all your video production needs. The DSR website features a map allowing you to search for local qualified pilots and obtain prices via our free-to-use instant quote system. This connects you with up to four drone operators giving you a range of choice - a very effective way to find a qualified drone pilot right for your needs.

Determine Budget Requirements.

Once you have found a qualified drone pilot, you will need to determine what kind of budget you have available. The cost of a drone operator can vary depending on a number of factors. 

If you’re producing a promotional video for a website the quality doesn’t have to be as high as you would need for a television production. An operator would need a high-end drone able to carry professional cameras for the latter. The equipment a drone operator uses will affect their price to reflect the investment they’ve made. You should expect to pay more if you want the aerial footage edited as this adds time to the job and the operator will need software and specific skills to do this.

The subject of your video production is another factor affecting the cost. For example, if you want to record a music video you’ll need a pilot with experience in this niche. For something like a video of a hotel or golf course a more general drone video operator would be suitable.

Choose A Location

The location of your video must be taken into account in the planning. There are restrictions around flying drones near airports, power plants and prison facilities for example. City centres, particularly London, can involve additional planning which will affect the cost of your video. Our members will be able to advise you on all of these points and make recommendations about locations.

Start Shooting!

A professional drone operator will carry out risk assessments and rigorous preparations before the day of the shoot. In the UK the weather is inevitably a factor, and if you want blue skies for your aerial shots you may need to cross your fingers! Once the groundwork is done the excitement begins and you can let your drone operator apply his creativity and skills to produce stunning aerial footage.