Comparing quotes
Eight questions worth asking all three firms
- Question 1
Is the operator registered with the CAA, and what is the number?
Why it matters
Anyone flying commercially in the UK needs to be registered as an operator, and the pilot needs a Flyer ID. It takes one line in an email to ask and one line to answer, so a firm that goes quiet or sends a screenshot of something else has told you a lot.
A weak answer sounds like
A vague we are fully CAA approved, with no number offered.
Our answer
Registered as an operator with an Operator ID and a Flyer ID held. Ask and the numbers come back with the quote, before you have committed to anything.
- Question 2
What certificate does the pilot hold, and what does it allow?
Why it matters
This is where most quotes are quietly different. The certificate decides how close the aircraft may legally fly to people and property outside your control, which decides whether your site can be flown at all.
A weak answer sounds like
Naming a certificate without saying what it permits, or implying a certificate removes every restriction.
Our answer
An A2 Certificate of Competency, which allows flying closer to uninvolved people than the default. There is no GVC. If your job needs to be flown very close to people or property outside your control, the area has to be brought under your control for the flight window or we will not take it on.
- Question 3
Who is insured, for how much, and can I see the certificate now?
Why it matters
Most managing agents and facilities teams need a certificate on file before a contractor sets foot on site. A firm that cannot produce one at quote stage will be scrambling for it the day before, or flying without it.
A weak answer sounds like
Insured, certificate available on request, then a week of chasing.
Our answer
Commercial operations insured with Coverdrone. The certificate goes out with the quote rather than after the booking.
- Question 4
Who actually turns up, and did they write the quote?
Why it matters
Plenty of firms subcontract the flying. That is not automatically wrong, but you should know before the day, because the person on site is the person deciding what to photograph and what to leave.
A weak answer sounds like
One of our pilots, with no name attached.
Our answer
Sam Hembury quotes the job, flies it and writes the report. On larger commercial sites a second person comes to watch the ground while he flies.
- Question 5
What aircraft and what camera, and why does it matter here?
Why it matters
Camera resolution decides whether a report can show you a cracked joint or only a general area. Thermal work needs a radiometric camera, not a colourised visual one, and the two are easy to confuse in a quote.
A weak answer sounds like
Professional grade equipment, with no model named.
Our answer
A DJI Mavic 4 Pro with a 100 megapixel Hasselblad camera and 6K video for detail, and a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced with a 640 by 512 radiometric thermal camera for temperature work.
- Question 6
Is the price fixed, and does it include travel and the report?
Why it matters
This is where two quotes that look thirty pounds apart end up two hundred apart. Ask specifically about mileage, about report writing, and about what happens if the visit takes longer than expected.
A weak answer sounds like
A day rate, plus travel, plus reporting time, plus expenses.
Our answer
One fixed price for the job, agreed in writing before the visit, travel inside it and the report inside it. If what is on site is materially different from the description, the price is re-agreed before anything is flown.
- Question 7
What exactly do I receive, and when?
Why it matters
A folder of photographs is not a survey. Ask what the written output looks like, whether the imagery comes with it, and whether you can forward the whole thing to a roofer or an insurer without a covering explanation.
A weak answer sounds like
Images sent over after the flight, with a report if you want one.
Our answer
A written report inside 48 hours of the flight, findings set out one at a time with the images that show them, plus the full resolution imagery, yours to use and to pass on.
- Question 8
What happens if the weather stops it, or the survey cannot answer the question?
Why it matters
Every flight is weather dependent and every survey has limits. A firm that has never mentioned either has either not thought about it or is hoping you will not ask until you have paid.
A weak answer sounds like
Silence on weather, and a report that describes everything as if the camera settled it.
Our answer
Rescheduling for weather costs nothing, and nobody is charged for a flight that did not happen. Where a finding needs opening up, testing or a specialist, the report says so rather than implying a photograph decided it.
Warning signs
Three things that should make you pause
A price with no address behind it
A firm quoting a firm number before knowing the building, its height, its access and its surroundings is quoting a hope. It usually turns into a variation once someone is standing there.
A report you cannot forward
If the output only makes sense with the person who flew it talking you through it, it is not much use to your roofer, your board or your insurer. The test is whether you could send it on with no covering note.
A site that only lists strengths
Every survey method has limits and every certificate has a boundary. A firm that has written none of them down has either not thought about them or has decided you would rather not know.
See how a job runs
Put the same questions to us
Send the address and what needs looking at. The quote comes back with the price, the date, the insurance certificate and the registration numbers, so there is nothing left to chase.