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Drone’s Eye – Terms & Conditions

We have no desire you confuse you with lots of small print to catch you out with extra rules and charges so we have made this page as straightforward as possible. Please note, however, that these conditions must always be adhered to both by you and, where applicable, us as well unless other arrangements and responsibilities have been mutually agreed.

Pricing & Invoicing

Prices quoted for work as generally a firm quotation and often we may even carry out additional photo/video requests if already in the air and doing so can still be accomplished under existing risk assessments/insurance cover and batteries! We generally quote for jobs in advance but a verbal agreement will also be acceptable if already on site or there is no time to formally quote for the work. We can also work at an hourly or daily rate should the timescale or complexity of the job be unknown in advance. Prices quoted will usually also provide a degree of post photography editing but we can, if required, simply provide images straight from the camera. In the latter instance of providing unedited material we will not accept claims relating to quality of photography unless, of course we have taken the wrong subject!

Our standard invoicing terms are payment within 14 days after date of invoice. We reserve the right to charge interest on commercial invoices that are not settled by the due date at the government stipulated rate of 8% plus the current bank rate. We will also levy the government approve debt recovery charges at the rate of £40 for invoices up to £999.00 and £70 for invoices above that value. Charges will be by separate invoice for each 30 day period the invoice if overdue. (for more information see www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery/charging-interest-commercial-debt)

Flight Operation Limitations

Whilst our drones are pretty tough and can cope quite well with various weather situations we are bound by certain limitations as set out in our CAA submitted Operations manual. (A copy of this is available on request) These limitations relate to a number of factors such as..

Weather – We can operate in wind speeds up to around about 20 kts average but as the photo quality may be inadequate at higher wind strengths we may choose to fly as a maximum lower wind speed should the task require. We cannot operate during rainfall due to the risk of damage to the complex electronics on board our drones but generally image quality during rain is very low and not of an acceptable standard anyway. We will, if there is a likelihood of a break in rainfall still attend to fly although the final decision of whether to operate rests with the pilot and not the client. Temperature may also be factor in our ability to operate, especially in more remote areas due to Health and Safety considerations that we extend to our pilots.
Congested Areas – We have CAA permission to fly to within 50 Metres of structures, vehicles or people not under our control but much closer if those within that distance have been informed and are in agreement.
Altitude – We are permitted to fly to a maximum altitude of 400 feet (approx 120 metres). Permissions can be obtained, in certain circumstances, to fly at higher altitudes but generally a 400 foot above ground height is more than sufficient for most requirements.
Visibility – It is a requirement that we operate all drone flights within ‘line of sight’ meaning that our drone must always be visible to the pilot when in the air. The accepted maximum distance for flights is usually 1500 ft (approx 500 metres) although this distance may be less in situations of poor visibility or restricted lines of viewing.
Airports – Contrary to general opinion we can operate close to airports but only with specific permission from the Airport involved. If your location comes within this type of area we will naturally advise you of the fact and explain how we go about obtaining special permission.
Day of the week – Please note that we are prepared to operate over weekends as this is often a quieter time and thus allows less intrusive operations.
Night-time – We are licensed by the CAA for night operations although a daytime site survey must always be undertaken prior to any flights at night.

Flight Bookings

We can often be available for same day drone photography subject to initial pre and on arrival site surveys being satisfactory. All permissions to operate would also need to be arranged and in place. Should we arrive at site and decide that additional research or Risk assessments be required we would not fly. Generally though, bookings are made a few days to a month in advance to allow both parties (ie you and us) to properly plan the visit to ensure best and safest results. Often we will request a deposit be paid in advance although this is sometimes not required. Please note that, unless there are special circumstances will not fly our drones for the purposes of surveillance of individuals or general activity or for the photography of another person’s property. Special rules apply for the photography of Sporting Events and Public Gatherings of more than 1,000 people when our closest proximity is reduced to 150 metres. However, due to the high resolution of the cameras used we are often able to zoom in in post photographic production to still produce quality imagery.

Permissions

As stated above the CAA authorise us to operate in certain areas and down to certain parameters. That authorisation requires us to fulfill and meet certain standards regarding both safety and privacy. Most of this is explained above in our Flight Operations Limitations section. Please also not however that for us to complete your requested flights we need to ensure that permission to take off and land at an adjacent location has been obtained by either you or the respective landowner. We also have to establish that permissions are obtained for both people and buildings within 50 metres of our flight area. This does not only include people but also permissions need to be obtained from the owners of any buildings within that 50 metres. In certain instances, we may also require CAA or airport permissions as well as local authority ones. We will generally manage all of this ourselves but there may be times when you, as the client, may be able to assist in this matter to help reduce costs. Please note that any special permissions obtained will be billed in the event of cancellation by you. See Cancellations below.

Cancellations

We will usually only cancel a flight if weather conditions make flying unsafe or practical and, if that happens, we will give you as much notice as possible. We always ensure we have up-to-date weather forecasts for your location and can generally confirm our definite attendance a day or two before your appointment. If we do have to cancel due to weather being unsuitable, be it at the venue or in advance, we will not charge you again for an additional attendance other than for any additional mileage. If we cancel for any other reason, your deposit will carry forward to another date or will be refunded.

If you cancel your booking we will arrange a revised date at no extra charge provided at least 24 hours notice is given. If you cancel completely we reserve the right do deduct any expenses already incurred from the deposit with the balance being refunded.

Copyright

Drone’s Eye retains copyright to all images it has taken, but permits the client exclusive and perpetual use for their own purposes. It does not permit the client, however, from passing on that media to a third party for their own use without our specific permission in writing. We do not insist on credit or reference to us as the provider of such material but would appreciate any reference to us that you could give. We reserve the right to add a small watermark image on our photos or videos unless specifically requested not to do so.

Images on our website are also copyrighted and we reserve the right to charge appropriately for the unauthorised use of any of our images elsewhere on the internet or indeed in any other published form such as video or print. The use of our images elsewhere is deemed to be the acceptance of our policy and an understanding that such unapproved use will result in fees being payable even if those images are subsequently removed from a website or cease to be published.