HI Guys
Has anyone got any experience with getting permissions for events?
I’ve been asked to put together a vid for a St Ives Biathlon and although I could shoot a lot of it away from the Start and Finish areas which will be congested would be nice to get some footage of start/finish.
Wondered if anyone has gone through this with CAA, it is a charity event as well so giving up time for free, don’t think that matters with CAA but worth mentioning
I’d contact them for firsthand information on this one they will respond to your request fairly quickly as I’ve found out.
Agreed - use their contact us form and tell them the plans, etc … They got back to me the same day for one of my queries.
You could always cheat for the finish line shots…
https://www.accesscameras.co.uk/telescopic-pole-camera-hire
Something like this would let you stand right in the finish zone with a camera 10.5 metres up
I have my standard PFCO, is there an extra charge for this sort of request?
We covered this on my course and I believe that you need Tom apply for an Operating Safety Case. It was suggested getting these can be quite in depth, depending on what you are applying for.
As I understand, an OSC can be for a one off or can be granted on an annual basis, again based on what you ask for. Having an OSC is how much of the filming is done in London, such as reducing your take off from 30m to much less, and distance from buildings and people.
- If your intended operation requires an approval with greater privileges than in a Standard Permission, you will also need to provide us with an Operating Safety Case to demonstrate that the intended operation is appropriately safe.
Details are available in our guidance document CAP 722, including the requirements for remote pilot competence.
It seems they can be expensive as the CAA charges vary on how much work is needed. I found this on the fly Icarus site.
Initial Application for an OSC - £1749
£1749 is the baseline cost for an initial application for an OSC + £173/hour for any work required over and above 7 hours.
This will make a lot of people consider the cost implications of applying for an OSC without any prior experience. If you are considering applying for an OSC to get your standard permissions lower than 50m (for <20kg aircraft) then we recommend you contact Open Sky Consulting for expert guidance when writing your first OSC.
The company where I did my PfCO run a course to help people wanting to get an OSC!
As said above by others, probably best to contact the CAA first, or get that long pole!
Please let us know how you get on.
I was thinking of getting long extended pole and using with the DJI Osmo Pocket. I think that could be very stable and be used with smartphone on Bluetooth 
Honestly Brian, I think it’s an essential in our kit.
I agree, perfect of some small survey work. Just looking for a suitable pole to use
Just spoke to drone desk at CAA -
pretty clear cut. If you want any exception to what is covered by the PFCO there is (what can be lengthy process) application and a fee of £1749
so I won’t be doing that! not for this anyway as is for a charity and a favour
Bloody hell. £1749, what a rip off.
Thanks for letting us know @lee
It is a big outlay, I heard that the paperwork is about 3 times the amount of an Ops Manual!
the chap i spoke to said its a lot of paperwork, i think its about putting as many people off as possible
You missed a decimal point, right?
You meant to say £17.49 surely…?
This is just insane…
Who has this kind of budget?! (film/production companies excluded)
I get the impression that this is those who go for the OSCs. This is because many get them to significantly reduce take off areas to 5m, significantly reduce distance from buildings etc and to BA able to fly above 400ft. As I understand much of the paperwork is about proving the safety of your equipment and showing your experience of flying.
As I mentioned before, many get them on an annual basis and then you have to renew annually. Our PfCO course instructor has one. He was a professional tv cameraman who then started with drones to include this in services.
If you having regular jobs which require the OSC then it’s worth it.
I can understand it being expensive as it adds that much more chance for something to go wrong.
Do you know if the OSC is a one off though or annual?
It can be both, my instructor had a annual and I understand many are - have to be really for that cost. 