This was quite a good ‘recreational’ project, done for the Parish of Torteval. Done over several months, the idea was to capture by air some of the iconic structures in the parish. Thanks go to everyone who gave their permission and Guernsey Air Traffic Control.

Really good to see a photo of mine, taken a few weeks back on the UAVHub page. This photo was of the beautiful Beaucette Marina in Guernsey – taken with the permission of the marina and the restaurant.

There was a bit of planning to get some shots of the beautiful Torquay Harbour. Thanks to Torbay Harbour and Torquay Harbour Office for giving me permission to fly on the 1st October. Nice also to pop into the Harbour office to agree the flight.

Thanks to Herm Island (again) for letting me fly my drone on the island last week. A first for me, getting some 1,000 likes, plus shares. Great marketing and publicity for Herm Island.

The drone was used on a commercial basis with approval from Herm Island and our Director of Civil Aviation in Guernsey.

Castle Cornet, Guernsey

What an opportunity to be able to fly in the controlled Harbour area of Guernsey.

Our Drone Code does restrict flying in this area, but it is possible with an approved Risk Assessment and flight plan. The procedure is to make a telephone call into the Harbour office prior to take off, and again on landing. Same applies to ATC  (air traffic control). 

Doing a job for a client, I managed to get this amazing shot of the Castle. The light was perfect, with a flight time of around 4 minutes. 

Taking an aerial photo may look a simple task, but this photo took a fair amount of planning.

Firstly, a pre-site survey needs to be done to assess the site itself – are there any structures, like boats or buildings that need to be factored in. Any metal objects which could interfere with the compass on the drone, overhead wires, and the place where the drone is to be launched from.

A risk assessment is then prepared, which covers any potential issues with the planned flight. Examples are weather on the day, low flying birds, potential uninvolved persons there (those not involved in the drone operation) and any potential low flying aircraft. Assessing the risks and how these can be mitigated.

For this photo, permission was needed from Guernsey Harbour. They need to review and approve the above risk assessment and a flight plan.

When all the above is complete – the flight can take place, subject to all the conditions on the risk assessment being met when on site. Human factors also play a big part, so if anything does not feel right on the day, I generally postpone the flight for another time. 

It’s great news to get my AWP approved by the Director of Civil Aviation in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. A lot of hard work studying the relevant legislation and putting together an Operations Manual.

This would have not been possible without the course proved by a CAA Recognised Assessment Entity.

Great to see two of my drone pictures used by ‘My Guernsey’ and Herm Travel Trident