Drone firm takes flight

A DRONE company has been awarded enhanced permission to fly commercially by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Lunar Aerial Imaging, based on Princess

Drive, Bollington, provides drone services to television and film production houses.

The new CAA permission also allows the company to fly within 75m of gatherings such as festivals and sporting events, compared to the previous 150m limit.

This non-standard permission has so far been granted to only a small number of professional drone companies and commercial pilots have to prove to the CAA that they have the necessary skills.

Lunar works with clients in the property and construction sectors and the new licence means they can better capture aerial images of property developments.

Greg Chivers, managing director of the company, said: “We can now operate in spaces and places which up until now have been excluded.

“Our new permission gives us and our clients more freedom to get video and photographs in built up and populated areas.

“It’s a great asset for Lunar Aerial Imaging, we love an aerial city scape and we are looking forward to discovering more viewpoints this will enable us to do.

“The drone we have has geo-fencing which acts like a virtual safety barrier and is a key feature for getting this special permission.”

Greg and Jinny Chivers set up Lunar in 2015, and now operate with a team of eight. Its clients include the BBC, ITV, British Cycling, AMG Mercedes and Manchester Airport Group.