Hi can anyone offer advice with regard to operating a commercial drone for surveys, we are looking at trialing this idea so we can identify issues on rooftops of high rise buildings, is there certain licenses and insurances or stipulations around this type of work that anyone can give me advice on, i would be very grateful.
Hi I do similar
Assuming your drone weighs less than 250 grams
I have commercial insurance that I bought Towergate that covers me for commercial work
Also I have the A2 C of C drone licence that is also mandatory for commercial work, the online course is not expensive
Lastly be very careful near buildings as the wind can be very unpredictable
If you fly as a hobby you can use the Grey Arrows third party insurance which is fine
Commercial insurance covers you for when you are flying to make money
So your out on a paid job the drone lands on a moving car, the driver loses control hits a pedestrian then crashes the car into a building
The commercial insurance will cover all the damages however third party is just if you hit someone
You could ring Towergate and ask them or google commercial drone insurance for drone
The drone course I did said you have to conduct an onsite risk assessment and carry a copy of your insurance before you fly
The insurance company will also need your licence reference number as well as the operators ID
In the event of a claim, my insurer told me they would need to see a copy of the risk assessment
if it is not provided then you cannot claim
You cannot do the risk assessment after you crash
I beg to differ you can ask UAV Hub who do the drone courses see what they say
Plus you cannot get commercial insurance with out telling the insurer your licence number
I work with 8 commercial drone operators who all have the appropriate documentation and licences
We also find it frustrating that some of our commercial clients have drones and operate as cowboys illegally, it screws it up for the honest and legal operators
There is no distinction between flying commercially and flying for pleasure or recreation. This means that an approval just to operate commercially is not required. However, all commercial drone flights require valid insurance cover.
Any further requirements will be dictated by the category of the flight.
Operations under the Specific category will require an Operational Authorisation from the CAA
I have been dealing with this issue today and am actually getting a refund for the A2 course after confirming with the training centre it’s only needed to fly drones over 250g.