Film crew hire/Edinburgh/Drone operator
Hire a drone operator in Edinburgh. Aerials of the Old Town and the coast, planned round the airport.
Drone operators for brand films, property, events and documentaries across Edinburgh and the Lothians. They plan the flight and fly to the CAA’s 2026 rules, with Edinburgh Airport’s permission inside its flight restriction zone, the council’s permission through Film Edinburgh to take off and land on council land, and Historic Environment Scotland’s consent at the Castle and in Holyrood Park. From £750 a day, with their own drone.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books, across the UK
Photos: Diana Măceşanu, Nicolas Luna, William Bayreuther, Goh Rhy Yan and Ivan Bokii
The role
What a drone operator does on your shoot
A drone operator plans and flies the aerial shots: the Old Town from above, the reveal along the Shore at Leith. In Edinburgh most of the work comes before the day: the airspace, the landowner’s permission for take-off and landing, and the weight of the drone against the council’s rules. We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, so we can scale from one operator for a morning to a full unit for a week. We book a drone operator who lives in or near Edinburgh first; when the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from elsewhere in Scotland, the north of England or London, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked.
Most of the planning depends on where you fly. Edinburgh Airport, west of the city, has a flight restriction zone round it and off each end of the runway. On council land the council is the landowner, so take-off and landing go through Film Edinburgh, planned below 120m and at least 50m from roads, buildings and people who aren’t involved. Drones of 2 kg to 25 kg can’t fly within residential, recreational, commercial or industrial areas at all, and near the tram lines Edinburgh Trams wants an Authority to Work permit. The operator checks which apply before quoting.
- Airspace cleared. Edinburgh Airport’s permission through the form on its website, asked for at least three working days ahead, when the flight is inside its zone.
- 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, people, roads, buildings and the tram lines, 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
- Edinburgh Airport’s permission inside the flight restriction zone, quoted on the brief
- The council’s drone permission through Film Edinburgh, £184 an hour plus VAT in a park, and Historic Environment Scotland’s drone charge, where the site needs them
- A second operator for the camera, on a bigger aerial shoot
- A spotter, where the site needs one
- Travel from outside Edinburgh, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Edinburgh.
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 Edinburgh shoot, or have us take the production on, the airport, Film Edinburgh and landowner permissions included.
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 the Old Town and the Castle for a brand film, taking off from Calton Hill. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- D–10 Airspace The site checked against Edinburgh Airport’s flight restriction zone. Calton Hill is well outside it; a site inside would need the airport’s form, at least three working days ahead, and nobody flies until it says yes.
- D–7 Permits The application to Film Edinburgh: take-off, flight path and landing on a map, below 120m and at least 50m from roads, buildings and anyone not involved, with the Flyer ID, Operator ID, insurance and a RAMS for this flight. Calton Hill is a park, so it’s a drone under 2 kg, and permission is £184 an hour plus VAT (checked October 2026).
- 07:00 Site walk Take-off and landing points on the hill, early walkers, the roads below and the 50m to anyone not involved checked. The area cordoned where needed.
- 07:30 Weather and airspace Wind, rain and any temporary airspace restriction checked on the morning.
- 08:00 First flights Low-sun reveals of the Old Town and the Castle from above the hill, while the light is soft and the paths are quiet.
- 15:00 Last flights and wrap Pick-ups in the afternoon light, and the flight log written up.
Which kind
Which drone do you need?
The drone is decided by the shot, the camera and, in Edinburgh, by what it weighs.
Standard aerials DJI Mavic 3 Pro or Air 3 From £750 a day
Small, quick and quiet, with good 4K or 5K cameras. The weight and the class mark decide how close to people it can fly: a UK2 drone flown on the A2 certificate keeps 30m from people, or 5m in low-speed mode (checked October 2026).
Best for property, events, establishing shots and social content.
Cinema drone DJI Inspire 3, full-frame Quoted on the brief
A full-frame camera with interchangeable lenses and RAW recording, often with a second operator on the camera.
Best for brand films and adverts. At about 4 kg, an Inspire 3 is over the 2 kg line in Film Edinburgh’s drone rules, so it can’t fly within residential, recreational, commercial or industrial areas (checked October 2026).
FPV Fast, close and through gaps Quoted on the brief
Small, fast drones flown in first person: through doorways, along a track, or close to a moving car or a person.
Best for sport, venues and action. Usually needs more permission and a closed set.
Near the airport Inside the flight restriction zone Plus three working days’ notice
Inside Edinburgh Airport’s flight restriction zone, permission comes through the form on the airport’s website, with at least three working days’ notice, and nobody flies near the airport until it’s given (checked October 2026). See drones and the airport.
Plan for it at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, next to the airport, and check the map for any site on the west side of the city.
What it’s for
What people book a drone for in Edinburgh
Buildings and developments
New offices round St Andrew Square and in the Exchange district, and the waterfront at Leith.
Brand films
The Old Town, the Castle rock and the skyline that open the film, cleared with the landowner first.
Events
Outdoor events and the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, with the airport’s permission where its zone reaches.
Documentary
The Pentland Hills, the beach at Portobello and the scale of the city.
Sport and venues
Murrayfield and the football grounds from above, with the ground’s say-so.
Recent work
Drones on our crews, and the Edinburgh rules we plan round
How we crew it · Edinburgh
Near the airport
Edinburgh Airport’s flight restriction zone takes in the airport’s traffic zone, the ground within 1km of its boundary, and a strip 5km long and 1km wide off each end of the runway, up to 2,000 feet (CAA). Flying inside it needs permission: the airport asks for its form at least three working days ahead, and nobody flies near it until permission is given (checked October 2026). The landowner has to agree to take-off and landing too. The Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston sits next to the airport, so for an event there we check the zone map first, and book the operator once the dates allow for the clearance.
How we crew it · Edinburgh
Over the Old Town and the parks
On council land the council is the landowner, so commercial drone filming goes through Film Edinburgh: a map of the take-off, flight path and landing, below 120m and at least 50m from roads, buildings and people who aren’t involved, with the Flyer ID, Operator ID, insurance and a RAMS for the flight. In a park, drone filming permission is £184 an hour plus VAT (checked October 2026). Drones of 2 kg to 25 kg can’t fly within residential, recreational, commercial or industrial areas, flying near the tram lines needs Edinburgh Trams’ Authority to Work, and the Castle and Holyrood Park need Historic Environment Scotland’s consent. When the shot needs a take-off point nobody will give, we look for another way to it: a long lens from a roof, or a site whose owner says yes.
Before you book
Things to know
Permission in Edinburgh
- Inside Edinburgh Airport’s flight restriction zone: the airport’s permission, through the form on its website, at least three working days ahead.
- On council land: the council’s permission through Film Edinburgh, with the flight plan, a RAMS, and public liability and drone insurance. In a park, drone filming permission is £184 an hour plus VAT (checked October 2026).
- At Edinburgh Castle and in Holyrood Park: Historic Environment Scotland’s consent, with at least £5m public liability, a risk assessment for the site and the drone, and the pilot’s CAA certification (checked October 2026).
The day
- 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.
- 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.
- Film Edinburgh asks for at least £10m public liability on every application, and drone insurance on top for a flight (checked October 2026).
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 Edinburgh.
Tell us the date, the place and the shots. We’ll check the airspace 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 Edinburgh, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Edinburgh, 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 Edinburgh. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Edinburgh.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Aerials in Edinburgh need the site checked against the airport’s zone, a landowner who says yes and, at the Castle or in Holyrood Park, Historic Environment Scotland, and each gets its own line on the quote, or you can sort them yourself.
01
Kit rental
Kit houses in Leith and out towards the airport, the crew’s own kit, and what comes from Glasgow or London.
02
Locations and permits
Film Edinburgh, Historic Environment Scotland, Waverley, the kirkyards, the trams and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
FirstStage in Leith, smaller studios for interviews and product, and set builds.
Questions
Hiring a drone operator in Edinburgh: questions
How much does a drone operator cost in Edinburgh?
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 airport, landowner and permit fees and any travel from outside Edinburgh. 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.
Can you fly a drone near Edinburgh Airport?
With the airport’s permission. Edinburgh Airport’s flight restriction zone takes in its traffic zone and a strip 5km long and 1km wide off each end of the runway, up to 2,000 feet (CAA). Flying inside it needs permission through the form on the airport’s website, with at least three working days’ notice, and nobody flies near the airport until it’s given (checked October 2026). The Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston sits next to the airport, so check the zone map before you plan aerials there.
Do I need a permit to fly a drone in Edinburgh?
On council land, yes. The council is the landowner, so commercial drone filming goes through Film Edinburgh: the take-off, flight path and landing on a map, the Flyer ID and Operator ID, public liability and drone insurance, and a RAMS for the flight. In a park, drone filming permission is £184 an hour plus VAT (2026–27, checked October 2026). A flight close to a road may need a traffic order as well, and the CAA’s rules apply on top. More in filming permits in Edinburgh.
Can you fly a drone at Edinburgh Castle or in Holyrood Park?
Only with Historic Environment Scotland’s consent, which it asks for before anyone flies a drone from a property in its care. It wants at least £5m public liability, a risk assessment for that site, that flight and that drone, and the pilot’s CAA certification. Flight windows vary site by site, and the drone is charged on top of the filming fee, which starts at £300 for up to two hours on site (checked October 2026).
What do drone operators need from the CAA in 2026?
A Flyer ID for any drone of 100g or more, and an Operator ID from 250g, or 100g with a camera. Since 1 January 2026 new drones carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6. There’s no separate commercial permit any more, but third-party insurance is required. Closer work in a city usually takes the CAA’s PDRA01 authorisation, which allows flights within 150m of built-up areas, keeping 50m from uninvolved people, with a GVC or RPC-L1 qualification, at £524 a year (checked October 2026). We check every operator’s paperwork before we book them.
Are your drone operators from Edinburgh?
We book drone operators who live in or near Edinburgh first. We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, and when the brief or the date needs someone else, they come from elsewhere in Scotland, the north of England or London, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked. Glasgow Queen Street is about 45 minutes from Edinburgh on the fastest trains, Manchester Piccadilly about three hours ten and London King’s Cross about four hours ten (checked October 2026). Our base is London, at 124 City Road, with bases in Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.