Fortitude Communications has been awarded a drone operator’s licence for another year by the Civil Aviation Authority.
It means the Oxford based PR and video production agency remains fully certified and insured to operate drones to film for commercial purposes both in the daylight and at night-time.
Ever-shifting legislation around the use of drones currently means a drone weighing less than 250g can be used by video-production companies without training and without CAA approval, though heavier drones do still require certification for commercial work. Fortitude Communications has both a small drone and a larger drone and opted to invest in renewing its licence.
Greig Box Turnbull, Fortitude Communications director, said: “Many drone operators in the market are now only using 249g machines to save the costs associated with being licensed. We decided to maintain our licence and insurance to ensure we continue to operate to the highest standards of safety and professionalism. We believe this will provide important reassurance for our clients who commission us to provide aerial video and photography services.
“The content we have been capturing using drones has been fantastic and adds a brilliant dynamic to the videos we produce for clients. I’d encourage businesses who are considering to having video content produced to think about factoring in drone footage to add the wow factor.”
Thom Airs, Fortitude’s CAA-approved drone operator, said: “We felt it was imperative we invested in maintaining our licence, despite the opportunity to operate without one legally.
“Minimising risk while maximising creativity remains a central part of being a successful drone operator and so we remain committed to constantly staying abreast of best-practice. We greatly value the advice and governance of the Civil Aviation Authority who rightly treat drone pilots like pilots flying full-sized aircraft.”
Fortitude Communications is a PR and external communications agency founded by former Mirror journalist and Oxford United managing director Greig Box Turnbull. Its services include media relations, video production, social media management and copywriting. It has clients across a range of sectors including corporate, sport, leisure and charity.
