Planning & Pricing
Good planning will reduce your cost substantially (if you stick to the plan)
Don't risk climbing to inspect barns
This is the detail you get from 1 frame of video or 1 still photo.
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Flight Rates vs Day Rate
Each flight, if it's well planned, is about 10-25 min and we can do up to three 20 min flights in an hour on-site. If well planned, this mission can be flown for as little a $150. That is usually more than enough time to capture half an hour of HD video or dozens of quality still shots, with excellent detail (See Below). It depends on PLANNING.
You can survey an entire 100 acre property in 1-2 flights to evaluate crops, estimate construction progress, survey drains, find lost cattle in the woods or check crop growth.These mission may take more than an hour or two. If your activity is more dynamic like Base Jumping or climbing cliffs I may need to hang around all day and do multiple flights, over several hours, to capture the one shot of activity you want. Then a 1/2 day or full day flat rate of $600-1200 would be more cost effective and that can also include some basic post processing (video production). Detailed Mission Planning might reduce that cost again, depending on location or a clear and simple goal for the whole shoot. We also work with an award winning nature photographer for advice on special photo projects. Mission Planning
Time spent planning the photos or videos you want will save you wasted time in the air, setup costs and extra flights EVERY time. There is no cost to discuss your project and work out a general Mission Plan. We can often give you an exact price over the phone, once we know the scope of your project. A few simple high-def photos or 20 minutes of unedited HD video can be as little as $100-150 if there is less <1hr travel involved.
WEATHER:We can fly in the rain if your plan calls for it, with our new SPRY 4K Ultra HD aircraft but, we normally plan for an alternate weather day (which could be just for the best lighting). We don't charge extra flight time if we miss an opportunity because of weather but we may charge travel time if we get there and you decide conditions are not right. No cost if we don't go, and we'll help you make those weather decisions early. RESTRICTIONS and LIMITATIONS: Altitude: Max 400ft. above Ground - 200ft above towers or structures. These are Canadian Rules for UAVs. Area: In sight of takeoff point- Generally <500meters or so but we can legally fly more than a mile from take-off if needed. We pioneered long-range VLOS years ago. Time: about 30-45min each flight. Unlimited flights. Day or night. Virtually all weather except rain or icing conditions and fog. PEOPLE: We need to keep 10m (~16ft) away from everything generally depending or closer if they are the subject of the shot and they agree. No direct hovering over people. We have active collision avoidance sensors that will stop flight into any solid surface (like your head). If filming will recognize faces, then individuals must know and consent to being filmed, especially if it's for commercial use. Also, we need the permission of the property owner to be on the property. (e-mail is fine). No sneaking up on people to take photos . . . although I used to love doing that when it was my job in NATO. AIRPORTS: No big deal. We can get permission to fly near or even on civil or private airports for certain activities. We are licensed and carry VHF aircraft communications. We can get permission to do commercial air terminals,but we avoid near power lines, busy highways (distracted drivers) or directly over beaches, boat marinas or sports crowds. With our 56x zoom we can often still get such photos from a distance (like a license plate at 1/4 mile). International borders cannot be crossed. . . . do your own smuggling! Cities and Industrial Sites: Yes, with permission from city, property/company owners and NAVCANADA or TPT CDA WATER : We can fly over water or even land on the water or fly underwater a few feet with out new SPRY drone with 4k HD video and photos. Generally within 1/2 mile (2500ft) of the shoreline, boat or floating platform. Flying from boats is also ok. While tricky it's fine as long as someone else is driving. INDOORS:Can be done safely if properly planned but normally NOT during crowd events. MILITARY OPS: Sure, 20+yrs military experience. . . Nothing is TOO HARD! Law enforcement, Search and Rescue support also. We don't do fires but we can coordinate with fire and search and rescue for disaster relief. Getting your own Drone License
Technically its a "Transport Canada sRPAS Certificate" either BASIC or ADVANCED (VLOS) and you'll need to do some planning . . and study. "s" for small RPAS.
There is a new Transport Canada Web Portal HERE 1. If you just want to fly legally simply register your drone. and pass the on-line Basic UAV Test, here. (There are get basic or advanced training courses available from schools across Canada. Here is a list. I am affiliated with Clarion Drone Academy, and I also recommend The Canadian Drone Institute. No Flight Test needed for BASIC. If you are in western Canada or specifically want Aboriginal UAS training, I'd recommend AB Training Services in Edmonton. Call Darcy Hunt. He supports First Nations anywhere in Canada. 2. If you want to fly commercially you'll need to pass the Advanced Exam, here and then do a Flight Review with an approved reviewer. I am a Flight Reviewer or you can find a list here for someone near you. 3. Contact me any time about a Flight Review, but before we can actually do the review you will need to bring your Advanced License Test Certificate and the unique "Reference Number" that certifies you have passed the Advanced Exam. This number is issued by the Transport Canada Drone Management Portal here. The first time you click there you will need to register with some legal ID to be given access to the Portal. This is also where you can register your drone if it's over 250g. |
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Post Production
Simply loading a 32Gig chip (your chip) or uploading your photos (about <500Mb) to youtube or DropBox etc. is included in any shoot cost, so RAW photos and videos are cheapest and easiest way of getting amazing aerial footage that you can do what you like with. Post production can be time consuming and ultimately cost a lot more than the Flight itself, if you are working on a movie or commercial. Basic titles, music overlays and some colour adjustment is normally included in the quoted price. Our specialty is flying in hard to film places, not making Hollywood films, so our base rate for more specific Post Production is $100/hr or a negotiated flat fee. We use the latest Adobe Premiere Pro for editing high-quality videos in virtually any format and we can get you in touch with a top notch photo/video artist if needed. . . . .if you are a Hollywood director though and just need an amazing camera pilot . . I'm your guy!
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Travel
Think of day travel as 100-300km radius of Sarnia Ontario. That's a day job. (See map under ABOUT tab). We don't normally charge exact mileage unless its off in the wilderness somewhere. We can easily shoot within a 300km radius in one day. Pre-planning estimates are FREE and we will usually offer a fixed fee once you define the goal and we can offer some alternatives as to how to make that happen . . . even same-day if it works for you. . . . . . Anything is possible!
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