Wedding shoot advice please

Zap222 said:

JAG be careful make sure you understand the rules of CAA The PFAW is now PFCO - permission for commercial operations as CAP 393 changed on August 25th See ANO CAP 393 articles 94 and 95.

If you're flying a 0-7 kg MTOM multi rota then:

You can fly over people but no closer than 30 metres if they are not under your control or 7 meters if they are under your control

If the wedding is 1000+ people then you cannot fly over them or within 150 metres

You also need land owners permission for take off and landing.

Get there some time before the first guest and fly all the outside shots. This will enable you to do multi takes at your leisure which will help calm your nerves.

Make sure you have either multiple batteries or multi charger as you will eat the power.

See attached image. We used rope to lay out the shape well before the guests got there. Climb to a good height and make sure it looks ok. Then when the guests get there get them to stand on the rope and face the UAV. then just before the shoot get your spotter or someone to remove the rope.

Visit the venue before the day in question so you can plan and create a shooting plan so you don't forget stuff on the day. Someone else mentioned an OSMO - get one buddy they rock the inside scenes.

Also, most people cannot view 4k very well or even 2.7k - Converting 4k to 1080p is often problematic when mixing frame rates etc. So think hard about your formats

Take stills too as a screenshot of your video is much less quality.

Post your results buddy, have a great day and safe flight mate - good luck mateView attachment 9661

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1. (a) over or within 150 metres of any congested area;
2. (b) over or within 150 metres of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons;
3. (c) within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft; or
4. (d) subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), within 50 metres of any person.

Zap222 said:

Sorry thats my own rating with the CAA. CAP 393 (95) simply says in section 4 that the pilots of SUSA (Sub 7kg MTOM) Paragraphs (2)(d) and (3) do not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

Clear as mud i know but hope this clears it up for you guys


Small unmanned surveillance aircraft

95.—(1) The person in charge of a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not fly the aircraft in any of the circumstances described in paragraph (2) except in accordance with a permission issued by the CAA.

(2) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) are—

1. (a) over or within 150 metres of any congested area;
2. (b) over or within 150 metres of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons;
3. (c) within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft; or
4. (d) subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), within 50 metres of any person.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), during take-off or landing, a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not be flown within 30 metres of any person.

(4) Paragraphs (2)(d) and (3) do not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

(5) In this article, “a small unmanned surveillance aircraft” means a small unmanned aircraft which is equipped to undertake any form of surveillance or data acquisition.

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John said:

In the USA, How do you get around flying within 500 of people? The Section 333 exemptions state: All flight operations must be conducted at least 500' from nonparticipating persons unless protected by barriers or structures, of an FAA waiver. The new Part 107 Rules going into effect this coming week state: No flights directly over a human being unless directly participating in the operation, or under a covered structure unless granted a waiver by the FAA. Attendees to a wedding or event are not directly participating in the UAS operation, right?

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IrishSights said:

Zap, in the spirit of your own post... be careful you quote CAA 393 correctly. If that's what you are quoting your understanding might need to have a reassessment based on the actual. The people rule in the latest ANO is still 50m not 30m (except takeoff and landing) and no mention of a 7m rule under your control unless your CAA permission is different from mine. I know there can be different CAA permissions but are we not taking about a Standard permission here?

These sort 'facts' are important in a public forum as some take posts as gospel without delving further.

For clarity can you please explain your statements and let us all know if we have missed something. Thanks.

PFAW Holder
BNUC-S Qualified

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Zap222 said:

Sorry thats my own rating with the CAA. CAP 393 (95) simply says in section 4 that the pilots of SUSA (Sub 7kg MTOM) Paragraphs (2)(d) and (3) do not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

Clear as mud i know but hope this clears it up for you guys


Small unmanned surveillance aircraft

95.—(1) The person in charge of a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not fly the aircraft in any of the circumstances described in paragraph (2) except in accordance with a permission issued by the CAA.

(2) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) are—

1. (a) over or within 150 metres of any congested area;
2. (b) over or within 150 metres of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons;
3. (c) within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft; or
4. (d) subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), within 50 metres of any person.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), during take-off or landing, a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not be flown within 30 metres of any person.

(4) Paragraphs (2)(d) and (3) do not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

(5) In this article, “a small unmanned surveillance aircraft” means a small unmanned aircraft which is equipped to undertake any form of surveillance or data acquisition.

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John said:

Do you have a definition or specification for "congested area?" (We have similar in the US, but have not been able to find an FAA definition for it.)

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