FAQ - KIWI AERIAL SHOTS

DRONE FILMING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

As a professional Dutch drone film production company we get many drone requests and drone-related questions. Below we are trying to answer the most frequently asked drone questions. If you have any other question or you are not satisfied with the answer regarding your drone film production, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help you out.  You can contact us through the details below or our contact page.

  • WIND

It al depends on the strenght of the wind but in general our drones can take a lot of wind. As they can fly up to 95 kilometers / 60 miles an hour they can aslo fly in windgusts of around that speed. That makes it that our drones and experiences certified pilots can still easily fly our drones withwind force six.

  • RAIN

Rain is a bit more difficult than wind. This is not because the drone itself can’t handle the rain but mostly because you’ll get raindrops on the camera lens that will make the drone footage unusable. We do make drone shots when it rains depending on the wind direction and the amount of rain. Our experienced pilots know how to protect the lens untill the shot itself and can fly with the wind to minimize the risk of raindrops on the lens.

  • CAMERA OPERATOR

Our DJI Inspire 1 and DJI Inspire 2 drones can be operated by one single pilot that handles both the drone and the camera. At Kiwi Aerial shots we almost always prefer to work with an additional camera operator next to the drone pilot. This way we can make the best possible shots as both operators can focus on their own specific drone tasks. The camera operator can fully focus on the best frame and lighting as the pilot can observe the drone directly while making the most extreme drone maneuvers.

  • OBSERVER

In some areas in the Netherlands, it is obligated by law to bring an observer when flying a drone. This observer can spot the sky for other air traffic like helicopters, low flying airplanes or paragliders. One of the locations in the Netherlands this is needed is around the Dutch coastline. When the observer is watching the sky the drone pilot can make a carefree flight.

The Dutch drone regulations are constantly changing and party under influence of the European drone regulations. As we are a professional drone company we are always up to date regarding the latest drone laws. As both our drones and professional drone pilots are fully certified we have access to airspace that other companies are not allowed to fly. Let us know when you need specific information regarding the Dutch airspace and your drone production so we can be of help. We can tell you where you are allowed to fly, how high you can go and if you need any extra approval for the airspace itself. We have all the contacts to help you out.

Flying a drone in the Netherlands is not something you can do without checking the concerned airspace on CTR zones. In these zones, you are not allowed to fly a drone. The reason can be because it’s nearby an (international) airport, it’s next to a hospital with a helicopter pad or that its an army air force area where drones are not allowed. Because we are a fully certified drone company we have access to airspace where others are not allowed. Let us know where you want to fly so we can check the drone regulations for that specific area and even contact the authority that can give the permission.

When we arrive at the location we need something like 15 / 20 minutes to get up and running. This is when we fly with an Inspire 2 drone. The bigger Matrice 600 drone takes a bit longer. When arriving we have to get the drone out of its case, get the propellors on, mount the lens of our choice and set up the right camera settings. When there wasn’t any recce before the shoot we also have to make a risk analysis on location.

The period between flights for changing batteries or changing lenses is just one or two minutes.

Our Inspire 1 and 2 drones can fly for around 20 minutes on one battery set. We always bring multiple sets so we can offer lots of airtime with our drones. Next to that, we have a charger in our van so when we can fly relatively close to the van we can keep on flying for the whole day. The bigger Matrice 600 drone can stay up in the air for around 15 minutes and for this drone as well we have multiple sets so we can make lot’s of airtime.

At Kiwi Aerial Shots we work four to eight hours respectively for a half and whole production day. Next to these hours comes the pre- and post-production which adds up to a 10 hour day for 1 day of production. Let us know when you need us more than 8 hours for one day, for example when a sunrise and sunset is needed to be filmed during summer. We will come back to you regarding the possibilities and can give you a specific quotation to meet your wishes.

Kiwi Aerial Shots exist now for a bit more than eight years. The founders of the company are Kim Hoogervorst and Willem de Groot. Kim and Willem a.k.a. KiWi.  So no new-Zealand roots in this Dutch drone company but just a mix of two Dutch names. Willem no longer works for Kiwi but Kim is still here making every drone production count!