Where drones are actually useful

We don't fly anything — pilots do. These are the nine jobs people hire them for. Pick yours, describe the job, and up to 4 checked pilots quote — free.

Which survey do you actually need?

Nine categories look tidy on a page; real jobs arrive as situations. Start from yours and the right page tells you what gets flown, what it costs and what you get back.

  • A leak, storm damage, or a roofer's verdict you'd like a second opinion on Roof surveys
  • Buying a house and the survey stops at “roof not inspected” Roof surveys
  • You need levels, contours or boundaries before designing or applying for planning Land surveys
  • A live site the lender, client or project manager wants documented visit by visit Construction monitoring
  • A solar array generating less than it should, and no idea which panels are to blame Solar inspections
  • Heat loss, damp or a fault that shows up as temperature rather than visible damage Thermal surveys
  • You need measurements, volumes or a 3D model — not just photographs 3D mapping
  • Crop stress, drainage trouble or a field to map before the season turns Agricultural surveys
  • A mast, stack or bridge that would otherwise mean rope access or a cherry picker Industrial inspections
  • A property to sell, or a project that needs footage people actually watch Aerial media

If your job straddles two of these — a roof check that needs measurements, a land survey with marketing shots on the side — don't agonise over the category. Describe the job as it is and pilots quote for what it actually needs; one visit often covers both.

What every quote should include

Whichever survey you land on, the quotes you compare should all state the same basics. A decent one covers:

  • A fixed price, and exactly what it buys — photos, video, report, data files
  • The pilot's CAA qualification (GVC or A2 CofC) and Operator ID
  • Public liability insurance, and the level of cover
  • Turnaround — when the deliverables arrive, not just when the flight happens
  • The weather policy: what happens when the wind has other plans
  • File ownership — whether you get the raw images, and how long the pilot keeps a copy

None of this is exotic, and a working pilot expects the questions. A quote missing half the list isn't automatically a bad one — but ask, and weigh how the answer arrives.

Covered across the UK