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What to ask before anyone flies over your site

August 30, 2026Grant Caswell

Anyone can buy an aircraft and offer to photograph your site. Far fewer can tell you what happens when a motor fails over an occupied work area, who is legally responsible for the airspace they are using, or where the flight record will be in two years when somebody disputes what the site looked like.

Who holds the certification, and for what?

Certification is not a single badge. It describes the kinds of operation a pilot is permitted to conduct, and those categories differ between jurisdictions. Ask which certificate the pilot holds, which authority issued it, and whether it covers the specific operation your site needs — not simply whether they are "licensed".

What does the insurance actually cover?

Ask for the certificate of insurance rather than a figure quoted in conversation, and check that the cover extends to the type of work being flown and the territory it is being flown in. A policy that covers recreational flying is not the same instrument as commercial aviation liability.

Is there a written procedure for the day?

A professional operation arrives with a site survey, a plan for the airspace, defined take-off and landing areas, and a briefed procedure for what happens if something goes wrong. If nobody can describe the emergency plan before the flight, there is no emergency plan.

What are you actually receiving?

Agree the deliverable before the aircraft leaves the ground. An orthomosaic, a thermal report, a set of stills and a measured model are different products with different processing behind them, and "we will send you the footage" is not a specification.

Where does the record live afterwards?

Aerial capture is most valuable as evidence, and evidence needs to be findable later. Establish who retains the imagery, in what format, for how long, and how you get it back if you need it for a claim, a dispute, or a handover.

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