Aerial Drones are being used to survey some pretty inaccessible areas of many interesting buildings where other – more inconvenient – access equipment dare not go. However, a professional nationwide drone company, Overdrones, has done some recent work at Hampton Court Palace which must surely be one of the most challenging environments.

“We had to take extra care in our flight planning,” said Dean Overton, Overdrones’ Director and Chief Pilot, “because there is Public access to the Palace’s grounds at all hours of the day, making health and safety an overriding priority.” Couple this with the fact that the Hampton Court in under the main flight path to Heathrow; the gardens are a renowned wildfowl sanctuary and, of course, the building’s status as one of the country’s most iconic palaces with its priceless architectural treasures – and you soon realise this was not an average aerial video and photographic survey.

The objective was to gain a better understanding of Hampton Court for Historic Royal Palaces by using both high resolution photography and Full High Definition (FHD) creative video (which HRP hope to use later for their marketing).

“It all comes down to experience,” Dean Overton said, “With 35 years as a pilot, flying in challenging environments like this comes naturally. Our clients expect us to have all our CAA paperwork, licenses and insurance in order: but what they get as a hidden extra is the peace of mind that can only come from a company that understands that aerial drones – just like a commercial airline – must be flown with an uncompromising approach to safety.”