Although there are many different sectors to the aerial photography industry such as event photography, oblique photography and survey photography
it is comparatively small and competition between companies is high.
Complying with all the regulations and certifications demanded by the
aviation industry is tough but these regulations are there to ensure
the safety of the aviators and photographers as well as people on the
ground.
In one of my previous articles Aerial Photographic Pilots
Licensing Requirements? I outlined the qualifications necessary to
undertake aerial work, whether the images are for immediate sale or
sale at a later date from an aerial photographic library. The licensing requirements for the pilot are a current and valid JAA CPL.
It is obvious with this type of aerial work that it is not just the
pilot who is subject to certification. Although the aircraft often used
for commercial aerial photography are high wing light aircraft such as
Cessnas which will automatically fall into the Private Category
Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) commercial aerial photography falls into the category aerial work which means the aircraft must have Public Transport C of A.
A public transport C of A increase the maintenance schedule and
decrease the amount the operator can do. For example an operator can
change the engine oil on an aircraft with a private category C of A but
can not do so on an aircraft with a public transport C of A. This
increase in the certification of the C of A must be adhered to or the
company will be operating illegally.
Keith McGregor is a partner of Strawberrysoup, a web design agency with offices in Chichester and Bournemouth. Strawberrysoup specialise in creative web design, content managed websites, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing and graphic design
