Drone safety on set
Safe flying is what lets the creative work happen. Every Echo Valley shoot is planned, briefed and flown to a documented process, so your producers, crew and talent can concentrate on the shot rather than on the drone.
Planning starts well before the shoot day
Each set is different, so each job gets its own assessment. Before we fly we work through:
- Airspace – whether the location sits in controlled airspace or near an aerodrome, and the clearances that requires.
- Permissions – landowner consent, council or Auckland Transport permits, and DOC permits for conservation land.
- The site itself – take-off and landing zones, obstacles, power lines, where crew and public will be, and a safe place to put down if something changes.
- Weather limits – we don’t fly in rain, and we don’t fly in wind above 35 km/h.
- A job-specific risk assessment – hazards, controls and who is responsible for what, in line with CAA guidelines and the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
If your production needs it for the health and safety file, ask us for the risk assessment and flight plan for your job.
On set: two operators, one job each
We fly as a dual-operator team. The pilot looks after the aircraft, the flight path and the airspace around it; the camera operator looks after framing, focus and exposure. Splitting the roles is better for the image, and it is also safer: the person flying is never distracted by the shot. Before the first take we brief cast and crew on where the drone will fly, the take-off and landing zone, and how we’ll communicate on the day.
We also bring a backup drone to every shoot, whatever its size, so a fault never turns into pressure to keep flying a machine that isn’t right.
Working from boats and over water
Boat work needs its own plan. We agree launch and recovery with the skipper before leaving the dock, brief everyone on board, and allow for the vessel’s movement and the wind across the deck. Flying over water is part of what our CAA Part 102 certification covers, and we still plan each water shoot around who and what is underneath the drone.
A clean safety record
We have a clean accident record across our commercial flying – on film sets, over water and in remote country. That comes from the planning above, from turning down a flight when conditions aren’t right, and from crews who fly together often.
Fully insured
- $6.5 million public liability insurance
- $6.5 million aviation liability insurance
- Comprehensive cover for all Echo Valley owned and hired equipment
Certificates are available on request.