Film crew hire/Manchester/Drone operator
Hire a drone operator in Manchester. Aerials, flown legally, over a city with an airport in it.
Drone operators for brand films, property, events and documentaries across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They plan the flight, get the permissions, and fly to CAA rules, inside Manchester Airport’s restriction zone if they have to. From £750 a day, with their own drone.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 48 hrs from enquiry to confirmed crew, on most Manchester bookings
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books
Photos: Diana Măceşanu, William Bayreuther, Mylo Kaye, Goh Rhy Yan and Here Now Films
The role
What a drone operator does on your shoot
A drone operator plans and flies the aerial shots: the reveal over the city, the coastline, the building from above. Most of the work happens before the day: checking the airspace, getting permission from the airport and the landowner, and assessing the site for people, roads and wires.
On a bigger aerial shoot the job splits in two: a pilot flies the drone and a camera operator works the camera on its own controller. FPV (first-person view) pilots fly small, fast drones through gaps and close to the action.
- Permissions sorted. The airport, the landowner and Screen Manchester, asked in time.
- Flown to CAA rules. Operator ID, Flyer ID, Remote ID, and an Operational Authorisation where the site needs one.
- A site assessed. Take-off, landing, people, roads, power 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 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
- Airport and landowner fees, where they charge
- A second operator for the camera, on a bigger aerial shoot
- A spotter, where the site needs one
- Travel outside Greater Manchester, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Manchester.
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.
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 new building at MediaCityUK, inside Manchester Airport’s restriction zone. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- D–14 Permission Airport permission requested through NATS, at least 14 days ahead. The estate’s permission for take-off and landing.
- 07:00 Site walk Take-off and landing points, people, roads and wires checked. The area cordoned where needed.
- 07:45 Weather and airspace Wind, rain and any new restrictions checked. The airport called before the first flight, if the permission asks for it.
- 08:00 First flights Golden-hour reveals of the building and the Quays, while the light is low.
- 10:00 Ground cameras Aerials matched to the ground shots: frame rate, colour profile and direction of travel.
- 13:00 Lunch Batteries charged, footage checked, cards backed up.
- 15:00 Last flights and wrap Pick-ups in the afternoon light, then the flight log written up.
Which kind
Which drone do you need?
The drone is decided by the shot, the camera and where you’re flying.
Standard aerials DJI Mavic 3 Pro or Air 3 From £750 a day
Small, quick and quiet, with good 4K or 5K cameras. Light enough for the simplest CAA categories.
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, adverts and anything graded with the main camera.
FPV Fast, close and through gaps Quoted on the brief
Small, fast drones flown in first person: through doorways, along a track, close to a moving car or a person.
Best for sport, venues and action. Usually needs more permission and a closed set.
Heavy-lift A cinema camera on a large drone Quoted on the brief
A large drone carrying an ARRI or RED, flown under an Operational Authorisation with a pilot and a camera operator.
Best for high-end adverts and drama.
Inside the airport zone Manchester Airport FRZ Plus 14 days’ notice
Flights inside Manchester Airport’s flight restriction zone need the airport’s permission through NATS, at least 14 days ahead. See drones and permits in Manchester.
Plan for it on anything in south Manchester, Stockport or Trafford.
What it’s for
What people book a drone for in Manchester
Buildings and places
Offices, campuses, stadiums and new developments, from above.
Brand films
Establishing shots of the city, the Peak District or the coast that open the film.
Events
Festivals and outdoor events, with the crowd and the site in one shot.
Documentary
Landscapes, reserves and the scale of a place.
Sport
FPV and aerials of training, races and grounds.
Recent work
Drones on our jobs, in the North West and beyond
Crew hire · Martin Mere, Lancashire · 2026
FPV over a wetland reserve
An FPV pilot for a conservation charity’s films at its wetland reserves, Martin Mere in Lancashire among them: low, fast flights over the water and the reeds.
How we crew it · Manchester
Aerials that cut with the ground cameras
We set the drone to the same frame rate and colour profile as the ground cameras, and plan the flights round the edit, so the cut from the sky to the street doesn’t jump in the grade.
Before you book
Things to know
Permission
- Inside Manchester Airport’s zone: the airport’s permission through NATS, 14 days ahead.
- Every site: the landowner’s permission for take-off and landing.
- Near the highway: Screen Manchester wants 4–6 weeks’ notice, often with a road closure.
The day
- Flying depends on the weather: wind and rain can ground a drone.
- A weather day is agreed on the quote.
- Half days on request, for a few shots.
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 the flights are covered by the operator’s own aviation insurance, which we check 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.
- Most Manchester bookings confirmed within 48 hours
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a drone operator in Manchester.
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 Manchester, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Manchester, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 05
- 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 Manchester. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Manchester.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Aerials need permission, and often a location and a van. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides to sort them yourself.
Questions
Hiring a drone operator in Manchester: questions
How much does a drone operator cost in Manchester?
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 any airport or landowner fees. Cinema drones, FPV and heavy-lift 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 in Manchester?
Yes, with planning. Inside Manchester Airport’s flight restriction zone the airport’s permission is needed, through NATS, at least 14 days ahead. The landowner has to agree to take-off and landing, and Screen Manchester wants notice for flights near the highway. Our guide to drones and permits in Manchester has the detail.
What do drone operators need from the CAA?
Since 1 January 2026, a Flyer ID for any drone of 100g or more and an Operator ID from 250g (or 100g with a camera), with Remote ID on newer drones. Commercial flying in a city usually also needs an Operational Authorisation from the CAA. We check every operator’s paperwork before we book them.
Can you fly at MediaCityUK?
Only as part of a wider shoot: the estate allows drones that way, with its permission. MediaCityUK is also inside the airport’s zone, so the airport’s permission is needed too.
What happens if it rains?
Drones don’t fly in heavy rain or strong wind. We agree a weather day on the quote, and plan the ground shots so the day isn’t lost.