Film crew hire/Cornwall/Drone operator
Hire a drone operator in Cornwall. Aerials over the coast and the moors, planned round the landowner.
Drone operators for brand films, tourism, property, events and documentaries across Cornwall. They fly to the CAA’s 2026 rules, with Cornwall Council’s drone permission on council land, the landowner’s say-so everywhere else, and the airspace checked round Newquay, the Lizard and St Michael’s Mount. From £750 a day, with their own drone.
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK
- 30+ of them in and around Cornwall
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
Photos: Diana Măceşanu, Here Now Films, Nicolas Luna and Simon Godfrey
The role
What a drone operator does on your shoot
A drone operator plans and flies the aerial shots: the reveal over a cove, the harbour from above, the road across the moor. In Cornwall most of the work comes before the day: checking the airspace, getting the landowner’s permission for take-off, landing and the flight, and watching the wind.
Much of the coast people want from the air is land where a drone needs special permission. The National Trust doesn’t allow unauthorised drone flying at any of its land or places, and says flying over or from its land without permission may be trespass or nuisance. It may grant permission for commercial drone filming in certain circumstances, through its Filming and Locations Office, for a location fee and a drone processing fee (checked October 2026). English Heritage, at Tintagel and its other sites, asks commercial pilots for their paperwork, a risk assessment and a flight plan, and to fly outside opening hours (checked October 2026). St Michael’s Mount is a flight restricted zone. On the Lizard for Cohere, the clifftops were a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and there were no drones at all.
Cornwall Council’s drone permission is £132 a half day or £216 a full day on top of the location fee, with a flight path document, a CAA-qualified pilot, drone insurance and a drone risk assessment (checked October 2026). Then the airspace. Most airports and airfields are protected by a flight restriction zone, so the operator checks Cornwall Airport Newquay, RNAS Culdrose and Predannack on the Lizard, Land’s End and, on Scilly, St Mary’s, before quoting.
We crew a Cornish operator where we can, and check every one’s CAA registrations and insurance before we book them. Our own films have drone work from Bude’s tidal pool, Heligan, and over Goonhilly for Tate St Ives.
- Airspace cleared. Flight restriction zones checked against the site, and air traffic control’s permission asked for where a flight needs it.
- Flown to CAA rules. A Flyer ID, an Operator ID, and an operational authorisation where the flight needs one.
- A site assessed. Take-off and landing, walkers on the path, the tide, the wind off the sea, and a plan B.
- Shots that cut in. Matched frame rate and colour profile to the ground cameras.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A day’s flying, with their own drone, batteries and spares
- Flight planning, the site assessment and the airspace check
- Their CAA registrations and any operational authorisation
- Their aviation insurance, checked before we book them
- The rushes at wrap, matched to the ground cameras
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- Cornwall Council’s drone permission and the landowner’s fees, where the site needs them
- Air traffic control clearance inside a flight restriction zone, quoted on the brief
- A spotter, where the site needs one
- A weather day, agreed on the quote
- Travel from outside Cornwall, hotels where the day needs them, mileage and parking, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Cornwall.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a drone operator for your own shoot, or have us take the production on, with the landowner and airspace permissions in our name.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel.
We do
- Find, book and brief the crew, and pay them
- Book kit, travel and hotels too, if you want them
- Send the full price before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
- Employers’ liability for the crew we book, and insurance on kit we hire in
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its permission and its public liability
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
What the 2% insures: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. Quoted as a production.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the day
- Locations, permits, kit, studio, travel and hotels, booked and paid in our name
- Insurance for the whole shoot, public liability included, plus the risk assessment and the call sheet
- One contract and one invoice, so overseas teams need no UK company
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
What the 5% pays for: our production insurance across the whole shoot, £10m public liability included, and the contingency.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a drone operator, call to wrap
Aerials of a harbour town and the coast beside it for a tourism film, taking off from Cornwall Council land above the harbour. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- D–14 Airspace and owners The site checked against flight restriction zones and the map of who owns what: the harbour has its own harbour master, the foreshore may be the Duchy of Cornwall’s, the headland may be the National Trust’s.
- D–10 The council Cornwall Council’s drone permission through FilmApp, £216 a full day on top of the location fee, with the flight path document, the pilot’s CAA qualification, drone insurance and a drone risk assessment, ten working days ahead (checked October 2026).
- D–1 Harbour and lifeguards The harbour master told the flight times, and the RNLI lifeguards told before any filming over a patrolled beach.
- 07:00 Wind and weather Wind, rain and any temporary airspace restriction checked on the morning. Culdrose, on the Lizard, averages a mean wind of 12 knots (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).
- 07:30 Site walk Take-off and landing points, walkers, the car park and the quay checked. The area cordoned where needed.
- 08:00 First flights Low-sun reveals of the harbour and the town behind it, before the quay gets busy.
- 11:00 The coast Along the cliffs to the next cove, clear of people on the path, the battery count on the call sheet.
- 15:00 Last flights and wrap Pick-ups in the afternoon light, the flight log written up, the cards copied.
Which kind
Which drone do you need?
The drone is decided by the shot, the camera and, in Cornwall, by who owns the land and the sky above it.
Compact drone for tourism, property and social
Small, quick and quiet, with good 4K or 5K cameras. The weight and the class mark decide how close to people it can fly: since 1 January 2026 new drones carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6 (checked October 2026).
Best for property, events, establishing shots and social content.
Cinema drone for brand films and adverts
A full-frame camera with interchangeable lenses and RAW recording, often with a second operator on the camera.
Best for brand films, adverts and anything graded with the main camera. The largest classes, UK5 and UK6, need an operational authorisation from the CAA.
FPV drone for fast, close moves
Small, fast drones flown in first person: along a cliff edge, over a surfer, or through a gap in the rocks.
Best for sport and action. Usually needs more permission and a closed set.
Near restricted airspace Newquay, the Lizard, the Mount and Scilly
At a protected aerodrome the flight restriction zone is the aerodrome traffic zone, a 2 or 2.5 nautical mile radius, plus runway protection zones 1km wide and 5km out from each end of the runway, up to 2,000 feet, and flying inside it needs permission from its air traffic control (checked October 2026). On the Lizard, RNAS Culdrose and Predannack are naval airfields, and danger areas off Predannack can be activated for drone flying (checked October 2026).
St Michael’s Mount is a flight restricted zone: drones are banned on the beach, the causeway, the car parks and on or near the island, and flying needs written consent from Penzance Heliport, St Aubyn Estates and the National Trust, granted at least two weeks before (checked October 2026). On Scilly, St Mary’s Airport’s flight restriction zone is active at all times for drones of any weight, with air traffic control’s permission needed, and Tresco bans drones without the estate’s permission (checked October 2026). See filming permits in Cornwall.
What it’s for
What people book a drone for in Cornwall
Tourism and hospitality
Hotels, holiday parks and harbour towns from above, from St Ives to Padstow, with the landowner and the harbour master asked first.
Brand films on the coast
Coves, headlands and beaches that open the film, where the land under the flight allows it.
Gardens and attractions
Estates and attractions from the air, on their terms: the Eden Project allows drones only outside opening hours, with its own Permission to Fly form (checked October 2026).
Conservation and documentary
Moorland, peat and woodland on Bodmin Moor and in West Penwith, with the reserve’s permission: Cornwall Wildlife Trust asks for no drones on its reserves without it.
Events and sport
Festivals, surf contests and open-water swims from above, with the organiser, the beach owner and the lifeguards told.
Recent work
Drones on our jobs, from Bude to Heligan
Our work · Bude, Cornwall
Kärcher × RNLI: Float to Live
A film for Kärcher and the RNLI at Bude’s tidal pool, through MSL Group, which ran the campaign. One of our team worked it as a one-person crew: camera, interviews and the drone, with the film edited within two days and delivered for press.
Our work · Heligan, near Mevagissey
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Two summer campaigns for Heligan, Play and Jungle Giants, the second with Leap Creative, and The Regenerative Farm, a documentary filmed over a year. One of our co-founders flew the drone, with a probe lens and a dolly on the ground.
Before you book
Things to know
Permission in Cornwall
- Cornwall Council’s drone permission is £132 a half day or £216 a full day on top of the location fee, with a flight path document, a CAA-qualified pilot, drone insurance and a drone risk assessment (checked October 2026).
- National Trust land: no unauthorised drones; commercial drone filming only by agreement with its Filming and Locations Office.
- St Michael’s Mount: a flight restricted zone, with written consent needed at least two weeks before.
- Cornwall Council asks for £5m public liability and a location-specific risk assessment with every application.
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime at card rates, agreed with you before it happens.
- Wind and rain can ground a drone: a weather day is agreed on the quote.
- A temporary airspace restriction can close the sky at short notice, so the operator checks on the morning.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the operator.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Moving the date? Tell us as soon as you know.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the operator we book: £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- Nothing else on a crew hire. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
- The drone and its flights: the operator’s own aviation insurance, checked before we book them.
From £750 a day
There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for drone operators: they price per day, with the drone.
| Operator and drone, a day | £750 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £75 |
| Insurance, 2% | £15 |
| One day, before permissions and travel | £840 + VAT |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the operator we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the operator.
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
- Every line on the quote before anything is booked
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a drone operator in Cornwall.
Tell us the date, the place and the shots. We’ll check the airspace and the landowner before we quote. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Cornwall, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Cornwall, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner £245
Camera 07
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Focus puller £461–575
- Clapper loader £355–448
- Steadicam operator From £950
- Gimbal operator £529–656
- Drone operator This page From £750
Data and playback 02
- DIT £527
- Video playback £334–518
Sound 01
- Sound recordist £550
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up £398
- Costume £519–694
Art department 02
- Art director £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
How our rates work: crew rates in Cornwall. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Cornwall.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Aerials depend on the ground under them: Cornwall Council’s drone permission, the landowner’s and the airspace each go on the quote as their own line, or you can sort them yourself.
01
Kit rental
Kit in West Cornwall and Falmouth, the crew’s own kit, and what comes down from Bristol and London.
02
Locations and permits
Cornwall Council, the National Trust, Natural England, the harbours and the drone rules.
Questions
Hiring a drone operator in Cornwall: questions
How much does a drone operator cost in Cornwall?
Our drone operators start at £750 a day with their own drone. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day comes to £840 + VAT, before council, landowner and airspace fees and any travel from outside Cornwall. Cinema drones and FPV are quoted on the brief. There’s no APA/Bectu card rate for drone work.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
Two things. Employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m, and insurance on the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote. The 2% doesn’t insure the rest of the shoot: public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot, public liability included.
Do I need permission to fly a drone in Cornwall?
Almost always, from the landowner, and sometimes for the airspace as well. Cornwall Council’s drone permission is £216 a full day on top of the location fee, with a flight path document and a CAA-qualified pilot; the National Trust and English Heritage don’t allow drones without permission, and St Michael’s Mount is a flight restricted zone (checked October 2026). On council land the drone permission also needs drone insurance and a drone risk assessment, and the council asks for ten working days’ notice. More in filming permits in Cornwall.
Can you fly a drone over National Trust land?
Only with the trust’s agreement. The National Trust doesn’t allow unauthorised drone flying at any of its land or places, and says flying over or from its land without permission may be trespass or nuisance. It may grant permission for commercial drone filming in certain circumstances, through its Filming and Locations Office, for a location fee and a drone processing fee (checked October 2026). So check who owns the clifftop before you plan the shot.
Can you fly a drone near St Michael’s Mount or on Scilly?
With the right consents. St Michael’s Mount is a flight restricted zone: drones are banned on the beach, the causeway, the car parks and on or near the island, and flying needs written consent from Penzance Heliport, St Aubyn Estates and the National Trust, granted at least two weeks before (checked October 2026). On Scilly, St Mary’s Airport’s flight restriction zone is active at all times for drones of any weight, with air traffic control’s permission needed, and Tresco bans drones without the estate’s permission (checked October 2026).
What about Newquay airport and Culdrose?
Check before you plan. At a protected aerodrome the flight restriction zone is the aerodrome traffic zone, a 2 or 2.5 nautical mile radius, plus runway protection zones 1km wide and 5km out from each end of the runway, up to 2,000 feet, and flying inside it needs permission from its air traffic control (checked October 2026). Cornwall Airport Newquay is at St Mawgan. On the Lizard, RNAS Culdrose and Predannack are naval airfields, and danger areas off Predannack can be activated for drone flying (checked October 2026). The operator checks the current zones and notices for every site before quoting.
What do drone operators need from the CAA in 2026?
A Flyer ID for any drone of 100g or more (the threshold was 250g until 1 January 2026), and an Operator ID from 250g, or 100g with a camera: £12.34 a year, held by someone 18 or over. Since 1 January 2026 new drones carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6, and the two largest classes, UK5 and UK6, need an operational authorisation (checked October 2026). We check every operator’s paperwork and insurance before we book them.
Are your drone operators from Cornwall?
We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, 30+ of them in Cornwall, so we can scale a crew from one camera operator on a beach to a full unit on a clifftop. Cornish crew first. When a shoot needs more hands, or a role that’s scarce down here, they come from Bristol, Devon or London, and the travel and hotels are on the quote before anything is booked. Our own team flies too: the drone work at Bude for Kärcher and the RNLI was one of ours.