Safety and the Law

To fly a drone in UK airspace, operators must be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and if you wish to fly within the specific category an ‘Operational Authorisation’ is required. This is issued by the CAA and outlines what each operator can legally do in accordance with their Operations Manual. 

To obtain operational authorisation all pilots have to undergo set training, a ground school course and have to successfully pass a set of theory exams and practical assessment. When hiring a drone operator you should always check they are registered with the CAA and their operational authorisation, permissions, certification and insurance cover are valid and fully up to date.

At Sky Visual we take compliance and safety extremely seriously. We hold public liability insurance for £2m and our Civil Aviation Authority and Insurance documents are always made available to clients or others who request them. 

How we operate

Pre-Flight Planning

Every flight is unique and needs to comply with all the necessary CAA, safety, legal and local regulations. Our thorough pre-planning phase ensures that the necessary research has been completed on any air space restrictions and that all paperwork and permissions are in place. Non-standard flights require an absolute minimum of 2 weeks notice in order to obtain any necessary air traffic control permissions.

On the Day

All flights are subject to satisfactory weather conditions. When we arrive on location a pre-flight site survey and risk assessment will be undertaken of the flight area and proposed flight plan in order to identify any hazards not identified as part of our pre-planning. Wind speed is measured, safe take off/landing sites are identified and any necessary crew/client briefings are undertaken.

In Flight

Drones are only authorised to be operated within visual line of sight (VLOS). For complex flight plans a competent observer/spotter is appointed in order to assist the pilot and keep the flight safe. We only ever fly within the distances outlined by the CAA.