About Skyhook

The CAA stipulates a UAV flight ceiling of 400 feet (120 metres). This is to keep a safe separation zone from the airspace of manned aircraft, which must keep to a minimum in-flight altitude of 500 feet.

However, in rural or remote spaces, flight over 400 feet could be achieved if certain safety precautions are taken.

In special circumstances, applications can be made to the CAA to fly above the flight ceiling, even in built-up areas.

Flights cannot be made overhead of members of the public without their prior knowledge and consent. Between the UAV and people, property or roads not under our control, a horizontal separation zone must be maintained of 30m while taking off and landing, and 50m during flight (see clause 2(e) of our PfCO).

This separation zone does not apply to clients or staff on-site—they will have been briefed of the presence of the drone before flights take place, putting them under the control of the pilot.

As long as we have notified and received consent from neighbouring residents or businesses, we can fly as close as is necessary.

Within the UK, in certain situations requiring flights within 150 metres of built-up areas or large crowds, Skyhook must make an application to the Civil Aviation Authority for clearance. Approval of this application can take up to 14 days, so shoot locations and dates must be given to Skyhook with enough time for this process to be carried out. Please get in touch for more information on this.

We can fly in wind speeds of up to 30mph gust, in a temperature range of -10°C to 40°C.

Some of our aircraft are water resistant, though if taking pictures that rely on clarity, little can be done for rain on the lens, so we strongly advise on zero precipitation for jobs like this.

For mapping jobs where the camera is facing straight down towards the ground, this reduces the chance of water on the lens, so we can be more flexible here in terms of precipitation.

When you book a date with us, we automatically include 1 day either side for weather contingency. As the date approaches, we use advanced forecasting services to monitor the weather on that date. Up to 48 hours before the shoot, either Skyhook or the Client can make the call that the weather will be unsuitable, and the shoot can be rebooked at no extra charge. Please get in touch for more information on our weather terms.

This depends on factors including the specific aircraft, temperature and weather conditions and the weight of the payload, but it is usually between 1 and 20 minutes per flight. We can land, replace batteries and take off again within a couple of minutes.

We have a live video downlink to our ground station, with a separate monitor for the client. We usually recommend that the client or a representative is present on the day to give live feedback as the job happens, e.g. a surveyor guiding the pilot to points of interest discovered during the flight.

Yes, and this is also covered by our insurance. In addition to the skilled piloting required to fly in these spaces, many of our drones also have collision avoidance sensors.

Zoom lenses also help us to inspect certain items at more detail, whilst flying at a safe distance from the subject.

For flights in confined, hazardous or structurally unsound places, please see the information on our collision-tolerant drone.

We can fly any route, as long as it is safe. Most of our flying is done manually by our skilled pilots, but we also make use of autonomous flights for the purposes of mapping, where the drone is programmed to fly in grid section (like a lawnmower) up and down the site to take the images which will be stitched to create the map.

Flying these ‘waypoint missions’ can be repeated, and will allow the creation of maps showing the progress of a site’s construction over time.

If there is anything else you would like to know, please get in touch with us through the Contact page. We’d love to hear from you!