AN East Sussex drone company is marking ten years since embarking on a mission to get its first permissions to fly from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Sussex Air Imaging was created in 2013 when owner, Paul Gibson, decided to use his flying skills to develop feature films and imaging.
At the time the company was accredited, there were only 400 operators in the UK who were licensed to fly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for commercial gain. This was a requirement by the CAA which conducted a range of comprehensive exams and inspected the company on the way it operates. It’s now one of the longest serving drone production companies in Sussex.
Since then, the company has been involved with a huge number of local and national projects, which Mr Gibson has been reflecting on as part of its decade celebrations.
A range of TV shows have contracted Sussex Air Imaging since its inception such as George Clark’s Amazing Spaces, BBC Songs of Praise, Bargain Hunt, ITV and BBC News are just some of the outlets the company has worked for.
It was even commissioned to gather footage for Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant’s album in 2016.
More locally, Sussex Air Imaging was involved in the Hastings Pier redevelopment project and also filmed the progress of the Sidley Bypass project in 2014 from start to finish. It has been commissioned by companies such as Rolls-Royce, WightLink, Xero, Ferrari, Hurst College, Brighton and Hove Albion and many estate agents across the county for drone property imaging.
Paul Gibson said: “It’s been an incredible journey, not only to work with some incredible clients from some huge firms, but also experience first-hand how drone technology has rapidly changed over the past decade.”
He added: “With these developments and a relaxation of the drone laws, we’re now able to do much more with our aircraft to deliver more incredible footage.”
News coverage has also been a key project for Sussex Air Imaging as it has coverage huge stories locally such as the Eastbourne Pier fire, flooding events and even flown alongside a Spitfire as it prepared to fly at Shoreham Airport.
The company is still offering drone filming services across Sussex as well as property photography for estate agents. It was shortlisted for a Sussex Life magazine award in 2017.
See an example of some the companies work below…
