Mission overview.
When you commission a job with HELI TASK what is involved and what are you actually getting for your fee?
Historically drones had a bit of a bad press around Gatwick Airport back in December 2019 due to some irresponsible and dangerous usage which grounded all flights for 3 days. Drones are also often in the press for causing anti-social problems, to the point where councils must pass local Bylaws to control their usage and this behavior.
Following this, the UK tightened legislation regarding the use of all Un-manned Aerial Systems (UAS – drones) so the majority of hobby flyers, as well as commercial operators, are now required to undertake training and register themselves with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) before being permitted to fly.
For hobbyists this means taking a short online course, passing a test, registering, and paying a small fee to fly.
Commercial operators are required to attend a ground school, pass theory exams, and satisfy a practical flight test to qualify. In order to fly more complex flights, a detailed operations manual needs to be submitted in support of an application to the CAA for Operational Authority to operate UAS commercially in the UK. Unlike THE ‘HOBBYIST’, THIS allows flights to be conducted within 5km of airports with the appropriate permission.
HELI TASK holds the CAA qualifications and authority’s necessary so that your job will be carried out to the highest standards and will be risk assessed to ensure all aspects of safety, both in the air and on the ground are met, so that you will get the results that you want. Our qualifications enable us to SAFELY fly within THE controlled airspace of any Airfield Traffic Zone (ATZ)
So, what are you getting for your fee? A qualified, professional, and safe experience that seeks to completely fulfill your requirement and exceed your expectations. We handle any risk…so you don’t have to!
(See below for more detail)
The Mission Process
Each job undertaken by HELI TASK follows a tried and tested formula to ensure that everything is considered so that each job not only delivers absolute satisfaction for you the client, but also that everything is done efficiently, legally and above all, safely.
Stage 2
HELI TASK will then work with you and the information you’ve provided to draw up a ‘pre-site survey’.This is where your requirement starts to take shape and become reality, whether that’s as aerial video to enhance the record of your wedding photography or a roof survey to assess your property maintenance needs.
It’s not a very exciting phase of the overall operation but is certainly the single most important. It seeks to take into consideration all the practical, legal and safety aspects of the task in the form of a comprehensive and bespoke multipoint risk assessment, in order that on the day we fly, nothing is left to chance. (Unfortunately, the weather is the only thing that none of us can control!)
Your input during this stage is important as it will help to ensure you get exactly the result you are after. No detail is too small!
Stage 3
On the day that we fly (and weather permitting!) a short ‘on-site survey’ will be undertaken, just to make sure that everything is as we thought during the off-site survey and that nothing has been overlooked or changed at your location. In the unlikely event something is different it’s not necessarily a ‘showstopper’. HELI TASK always aims to come through for you, so no matter. A dynamic risk assessment can be done there and then to mitigate most eventualities. However, the Remote Pilot (RP) must remain alert to any safety implications, and their decision will be final.
Stage 1
The process starts when you contact HELI TASK with your idea. You can do this by calling directly to discuss your requirements, or by leaving details via the enquiry request page found at www.helitaskdrones.co.uk.
Stage 4
It’s now time to get on with the fun flying part! Your RP will identify and set up any landing zones and carry out some pre-flight checks, much the same as you’d expect your airline pilot to do before taking you on holiday!
You are always welcome to watch all of this activity and may even be asked to assist your RP acting as his observer(s). Don’t worry, if you are asked to help, your RP will tell you all you need to know as part of his short briefing, and it’s good to feel part of the team!
We will then fly your task to capture the unique raw imagery that you are after for your project. Once we have everything you need, we will land and carry out some brief after-flight checks, again, like the airline pilot, as we are both led by similar CAA rules. We will then recover all equipment and ensure that the flying area is left as it was found.
Stage 5
HELI TASK will then process your imagery for delivery, according to your preference, or supply it in a raw format (as originally taken on the day) for your own specific needs.
