Absolutely. We safely share the airspace with everyone else through a combination of vertical separation, coordination with other operators, and technology such as ABS-B transceivers.

While thankfully nothing major has gone wrong with the aircraft while airborne, there are always problems that come up now and then. Most common problems are probably with RF links – whether it’s interference on the main video feed, on the gimbal control link, or the telemetry link. However, these issues are usually just an annoying nuisance that would require us to land to troubleshoot. Perhaps one of the more surprising challenges is just maintaining a set of charged batteries ready for your next flight when the chargers (or the generators powering them) become affected by electrical gremlins and decide they want to take a break from charging.

Although BATCAM is involved in the broadcast of various sports, most events we’re involved with are based at a stadium or smaller sports ground. However there have been some rare exceptions such as golf tournaments, surfing at the Olympics, and rowing at the Paralympics.

Yes, we do occasionally conduct non-live shoots; sometimes to accompany a live sports event but also various small pieces for a variety of TV shows.

BATCAM’s capabilities are unmatched in the UK, and so when broadcasters are considering their options for a live aerial camera, BATCAM continues to be their choice.