Up up and away with my beautiful … drone!
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10 Mar 2021 1:39 pm
Up up and away with my beautiful … drone!
I’m very proud to announce that, after studying feverishly through the winter lockdown, I am now a certified commercial drone pilot. I took the photos here whilst hiking and practicing my drone flying in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while as I really wanted to upskill. I love the practical and creative video and photos you can create with drones. It also takes me back a little to my university years when I studied aeronautical engineering, suffice to say I found studying aerodynamic flow and the principles of lift again, the easiest part. It was a natural progression for me, I’ve finally become a pilot!
Everyone has had a Covid Lockdown project and getting my commercial drone certification was mine. I’ve continued with my studio still life work but it was also great to learn a new skill and one that involves working outside as it has made continuing to working during pandemic restrictions much easier. In any case, as much as I love studio work I love being outdoors.
Usually studying for drone certification would mean spending a week in a classroom with an instructor but because of the Covid 19 Pandemic it’s now online modular learning. When I had completed all the modules I sat my exam at home using a Zoom meeting with an instructor invigilating remotely. I was running the exam on my laptop while the invigilator watched me via the laptop webcam and an iextra pad camera so he could see my hands on the table I was working on, to make sure I couldn’t refer to any of my course material. In other words to make sure I couldn’t cheat! It was a highly regulated and robust process, as it should be, as flying drones needs a huge amount of responsibility because of the potential dangers. After I’d passed my online exam I drove to a remote field near Peterborough to take a practical flight test, in front of an instructor,to show that I could safely fly and control a drone, operate safely and knew what to do in an emergency.
Drone certification is awarded by the Civil Aviation Authority, the same body that oversees all flying In Uk Airspace. Did you know you have to prove that you know UK avaiation law and can fly as safely as if you were flying a 747 with hundreds of people on board before they’ll issue your drone certification. Drones can be dangerous – a small drone crashing from 120 metres has the same amount of energy as a tv being thrown out of a second floor window. You wouldn’t want either landing on your head. It makes sense that you to prove you understand the dangers, know how to minimise the risks and, most importantly, show that you can fly a drone safely.
So what will I be using my drone for? Not for closing down Gatwick airport that’s for sure.
Drones are great for doing practical things such as roof surveys and inspecting bridges. They’re a quick, cost effective and easy way of finding leaks or cracks or checking whether structures are safe or dangerous. They also have huge creative potential. Drones have been a huge game changer for film companies and drone shots are now common place for tv and film productions. Whereas previously film crews would have been restricted by a cherry picker or had to organise and pay for a helicopter, now most of these shots can be created using a two man crew and a drone which is much quicker, cheaper and easier.
For a couple of years now I’ve been working alongside Paul Reilly of Redcopters Ltd drone company as a camera operator whilst he flies the drone. Together we have surveyed roofs of houses, churches and large warehouse buildings, checking for damage and leaks and helping surveyors produce condition reports. Drones are a very valuable tool for the construction sector. Developers, architects and surveyors can just sit at their desk and see the condition of a structure way above ground level where it would be difficult or impossible to inspect in person. I’ll be continuing to work with Paul while offering my own independent drone services, and of course together we are now available as a two person drone team too.
For now, I’ve just been commissioned to shoot a series of portraits of artists for upcoming London Arts Festival E17 Art Trail @E17arttrail on Instagram. I’ll definitely be using the drone. It’s a perfect opportunity to expand my creativity and take some really unusual portraits from the air, something that I couldn’t do before. It’s a great commission and I’m really looking forward to shooting it, come back shortly to read more and follow me on Instagram, @SharpyLondon, to see the photos.
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