Kestrel Aerial (sample) is a small team of licensed drone pilots and one editor. We film, inspect and map for local businesses and homeowners.
The company began when a roofer asked one of us to check a chimney he could not reach (sample). Today most of our work is still close to home: roofs, houses for sale, building sites and farms within an hour of Springfield.
We keep the team small, so the pilot who checks your site is the one who flies it.
Three pilots and an editor. Every flight has a pilot and an observer who watches the sky and the ground.
Chief pilot (sample)
Plans survey flights and checks every airspace request.
Pilot and camera (sample)
Flies property and event films; former wedding photographer.
Pilot and survey processing (sample)
Turns survey photos into maps, models and volume reports.
Editor (sample)
Cuts and grades every film and checks it before delivery.
Survey drone
Mechanical shutter for sharp mapping photos
20 MP
Film drone
For commercials, events and slow, steady shots
5.1K
Small drone
For tight sites, gardens and close to buildings
Under 250 g
Ground control kit
Survey markers measured to the centimetre
GNSS
Kit list (sample). Spare batteries and a second drone come to every job.
Most people never see the paperwork behind a drone flight. Here is what happens before we take off on your site.
Pilot licences
Remote pilot certificates for all pilots (sample)
Every flight
Liability insurance
Public liability for every job (sample)
$5m
Airspace permission
Requested from air traffic control when the site needs it
Included
Wind limit
Above that, or in rain, we move the flight at no charge
38 km/h
Privacy
Neighbours are told, and footage of people is cut
Before we fly
Send the address and what the photos, film or survey are for. A pilot checks the airspace and replies with a fixed price, usually within one working day (sample).