Our 2022 summarised in 50 projects
We wondered if it would be possible to top 2021 and we’re incredibly proud of our achievements in 2022. It has been a phenomenal year and we’ve surpassed our goals and expectations. We’ve expanded our geographical reach as a drone company, honed our skills and expanded the team.
As Alumni of The University of Portsmouth we’ve worked with their final year business students to produce our five year business plan and are looking forward to what 2023 will bring.
We now support the Better Business Act and are a Carbon Neutral Business and thrive on enabling and creating opportunities for others.
Winchester Drone Roof Surveys
2022 was kickstarted with two drone roof inspections in the historic city of Winchester. One roof inspection was above a Chinese restaurant and the other above a lavish Toni & Guy. We hadn’t flown in Winchester before and it was a fantastic opportunity to see the area from the sky.
2. The Green Loop, Bordon
In the latter end of 2021 we worked on a project with Whitehill Town Council to promote active travel around The Green Loop in Bordon. We had a fun time filming their actors enjoying the loop and it was time to commence video editing after three days of filming. We also revisited The Green Loop in January for fun, exercise and to capture a few more FPV drone shots to complement the visuals.
3. Filming with the Royal Navy Leading Physical Trainer Qualifying Course 67 and 68
Having worked with the two previous courses on this fascinating video production project we were thrilled to be asked back to film this year’s course. You can read about our first year working with Navy Fit here and check out the highlights videos we produced for LPTQC67 and LPTQC68 below. In addition to these we also covered their two hour pass out displays on film with up to 8 cameras.
4. First Person View video with Milner’s
Milner’s got in touch with us after seeing the FPV drone video we produced for Volvo involving a remote control car. We were immediately excited to be speaking with a fellow family run business who wanted to work with us. They were a fun bunch to work with and we enjoyed spending time with both the owners and their staff.
4. Flying First Person View Drones for Associated British Ports
As approved suppliers of Associated British Ports who we had created a cruise highlights video for in 2021, we were asked to produce an FPV video for them to showcase their facilities at the new Horizon Terminal. The video has been used at the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Miami and we’re looking forward to more First Person View shoots down at the Port. The video was on display next to the Solent Stevedores stand who we also produced videos for.
5. Drone video for Bonhams’ 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera auction at Goodwood
The auctioneers at Bonhams Motorcars put a 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera rally car up for the bidding at the 79th Goodwood Members’ Meeting in 2022. Producer and precision driver Miles Lacey, who we previously worked with on a project for Praga in 2021, asked us to capture drone shots to promote the auction.
To watch the legendary Porsche flying around a rally track and read more about the project click here.
6. Drone footage for St John’s Cathedral
St John’s Cathedral in Portsmouth called us to ask about providing them with drone footage to brighten up their website visuals and increase engagement levels. Our DJI Mini 3 was the perfect tool for the job, on time and on budget. Here’s a short montage of the shots we captured.
7. First Person View drone fly through for the Business South Expo
We produced drone video footage for Portsmouth News at the Queens Hotel who were hosting the Southcoast Business Week. The FPV drone footage was utilised as an intro sequence for their live video broadcasts and pre recorded shows.
As a thank you to the Queens Hotel Portsmouth for the support they provide the community we also provided a fly through of their new wedding facilities.
8. Filming the Walk for Wards event
We’ve always been big supporters of the work Portsmouth Hospitals Charity do and where possible we support them by covering their events. Simply because they are amazing.
9. Celebrating Women In Maritime
We produced this fun video with Solent Stevedores to help celebrate International Women in Maritime. It was a fly by visit to capture the energy onsite and it was fascinating meeting some of the team we hadn’t yet met.
10. First Person Drone Filming at the Waitrose Charity Ball
On our second project with Well Pleased Events we were tasked with flying FPV drones around the event space before the event was live. The goal was to showcase the amazing work their team do to transform event spaces into magical wonders. In the evening we were invited to enjoy the event and entertainment from David Walliams and Ella Eyre.
11. Portsmouth Chilli and Gin Festival
Prior to the pandemic we were commissioned to capture the Portsmouth Chilli and Gin Festival. As it didn’t go ahead due to restrictions they rearranged their fantastic family friendly event for summer 2022. We’re proud to have produced a short highlight video and provided photos to help promote the event.
12. Camden High Street, London Roof Inspection
We attended a property on Camden High Street for our client TMD Building Consultancy as part of a buyers survey. This involved liaising with several parties to undertake a roof inspection, which included arranging access to a safe take off and landing area. Our competent observer kept a close eye on the drone due to the location and the many birds that passed.
13. Portsmouth Music Hub Sculpture Trail
As partners of the Portsmouth Music Hub we were asked to provide drone footage of local sculptures for their Pompey Sculpture Trail Project. It’s always fun working on local projects.
14. Drone video and photos of Hessen Yachts MY Lusine on the River Thames
The stunning 60 metre long superyacht worth over £50million was a joy to film with our DJI Inspire 2 as it effortlessly glided up the River Thames towards Tower Bridge. It’s always fun filming these memorable occasions.
Lusine is owned by Dubai billionaire Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, 63, who is also CEO of the Emirates Group.
Her exterior looks "clean and chiselled" and was styled to resemble a bird's wing.
15. Portsmouth Football Club FPV drone fly around
The Team attended Fratton Park along with The News Portsmouth to capture new seats being installed in the stalls. We utilised our smaller FPV drone to get a different perspective and overview.
16. Associated British Ports - Shore Power
We were excited to be back down at Southampton for our client ABP, but this time to film the amazing Shore Power Service they provide. We were tasked with producing a video of ‘Bobby’ arriving on the quayside and the process of attaching to the vessel to supply power whilst the vessel is at the berth.
17. Pagani Codalunga launch event, a £7m Hypercar
We had an amazing time at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed capturing the Pagani Codalunga launch event. Having captured the Pagani 20th Anniversary event in the UK we were privileged to be asked back to capture this event on film and photo.
18. A drone day at Belfry Golf Club
We were asked by the multi national company Michael Page to cover their golf event at the legendary Belfry Golf Club. We utilised sub 250g FPV and GPS drones to capture their event whilst chasing after the fast paced game on a golf buggy.
19. Simply Health staff festival
When we attended a site recce for this project we couldn’t believe our eyes! Simply Health’s staff festival was held at Broadlands Estate surrounded by meadows and beautiful views.
We set up late morning and filmed using three of our drones throughout the day. This involved filming a stage with music, bands and dancers, activities set out for the staff such as a zipwire and yoga tent, along with the big finale of fireworks in the evening. We aren’t permitted to share footage but here’s a BTS photo.
20. Filming Ballet Dancers with Rhino Audio Digital
Drone filming and photography for Rhino Audio Digital was a fun experience. Must have been one of the hottest days of the year too!
21. Daedalus Waterfront Development event coverage
We attended Lee-On-Solent’s Hovercraft Museum to capture Daedalus Waterfront’s event. The event showcased plans of a proposed development which was supported by presentations and an exhibit focused on the area’s history and the benefits developments will bring.
We filmed throughout the day and closed the weekend with a drone photo of the team and a First Person View fly through of the hovercraft where the event had taken place. Mike even got to sit in James Bond’s hovercraft.
22. WS Planning property photography and FPV drone fly through
The team attended a new development in Kingswood, Surrey recently completed by WS Planning and Architecture. We utilised our smaller FPV drone to undertake an indoor and outdoor fly through to showcase the property and area.
23. FPV drone rally car chase with Quadrant and F1 star Lando Norris
Gaming and lifestyle brand Quadrant, founded by McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris, called us up earlier in the year to ask us about our FPV drone services. That’s how we ended up chasing a Ford Fiesta WRC down a dirt track with a team that included one of the world’s best Halo players!
24. Filming green walls with ANS Global
ANS Global are an amazing company who provide and install living, green walls. We gained clearance from a local airport and headed to Duke’s Court in Woking to film their latest project. We captured FPV drone footage, establishing drone footage and ground footage which included an interview with a member of Woking council.
We provided several video edits both long and short form and a selection of top drone photographs.
25. Family Fun Army Day captured by drone at Southwick Park
When the British Army contacted us asking for a quote to capture their family fun day we were over the moon. As we’ve signed the Armed Forces Covenant we provide discounted rates for such events and we’re thrilled to have delivered drone photo and video content for them. An event never to be forgotten and well deserved for all. We got up close and personal on the day flying a SUB 250g DJI Mini 3.
26. Filming EU Legends Tour 2022 preparations at JCB Golf & Country Club
Ahead of the 2022 EU Legends Tour, JCB Golf & Country Club in Rocester contacted us about our FPV drone services. They asked us to film their mightily impressive course, the staff who keep it looking its best, and the JCB machines they use. So, early in July 2022, we set off up north!
27. Beach Dubbin’ Volkswagen Festival on Southsea Common
Fun in the Sun on Southsea Common for Beach Dubbin. Although our van wasn’t a Volkswagen they still let us on with our equipment! We set up in the corner and utilised our OSC to capture the day including vehicles and vendors arriving and events during the day.
We captured drone content pro bono to help them raise runds for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. Looking forward to producing videos to help promote next year’s event.
28. Farnham Hospital Drone Roof Survey
Drone roof surveys have always been a go to for our clients as Mike has a background in surveying. We captured drone photos and provided a written report utilising our Chartered Surveyor partners for the management company.
Our standards, equipment and experience make us a go to business for surveys in such locations.
29. Mackley - capturing drone progress photos of the Portsmouth Sea Defence works
We’re fascinated with the coastal engineering projects being undertaken in and around Portsmouth and had been capturing photos and film of these projects for our own and public records. When we received a call from the principal contractor requesting a quote to capture progress shots we were delighted.
We’ve since been attending the Mackley site on Eastern Road, Portsmouth fortnightly to capture coastal defence work progress. It’s been great to see the progress in our great City.
30. Solent Stevedores Rail expansion project
We’ve been regularly visiting the Solent Stevedores site in Southampton to capture site update photos and video content. It’s been fascinating finding out the technical details of the project and are starting to see it all come together now. Here’s a sneak peak..
31. Crazy golf First Person View drone fly through for Global Media
We travelled to Billericay to capture an epic one take drone shot. We say one take but it was in fact around 30 takes haha. There were over 35 stand ins to organise which we had to carefully fly around with precise timing and everyone had to be careful not to look at the drone and act out their piece at the same time.
We all had a fantastic time and were buzzing with excitement when the owner viewed the FPV monitor feed and relayed his feedback. We’re looking forward to sharing the project once live.
32. Chasing steam trains on the Swanage Trainline for Global Media
We absolutely loved visiting Swanage and working with Global Media on this project. It ticked all the boxes:
Chasing steam trains
Trackside operations
Beautiful weather
A castle
Stunning beaches
We even got to stay in this lovely hotel which had a beach as a garden! Thoroughly enjoyed cooling off in the sea after the shoot.
33. Victorious Festival Drone Mapping, Survey and Orthomosaic images
We pretty much mirrored the drone survey services we rendered last year but this year we had two drone teams. One utilising a Sub 250g drone for filming and photography and another team flying a larger survey drone.
We’re excited to start using our DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drone we recently invested in for this type of work as it cuts down survey time and increases accuracy due to having a global shutter and on board RTK.
34. Stagecoach Bus South - recruitment video production
We’ve been getting to know Stagecoach South over the past 5 years and were delighted they came to us when they needed a video produced to assist their recruitment campaign. From riding in a tiny bus around the workshop, visiting their training centre to flying first person view drones around the depot we had a fun time working with them.
A common phrase used by Stagecoach employees is ‘you get that family feeling working here’. Love it.
35. Bothwell Castle Golf Club event coverage - Pro Golf Tournament captured on film and photo
A recce in Glasgow complete with an amazing Scottish Breakfast quickly turned into a live project.
Our brief was to film the event low key on small cameras and to showcase the game with a highlights video. We also provided event photography and studio recorded commentary from the referee on the day.
We’re looking forward to sharing the completed project later in the year.
“Three major champions and Ryder Cup player tee up in Bothwell Castle centenary match. Three major champions were joined by a fellow Ryder Cup player to help Bothwell Castle Golf Club celebrate its centenary year.”
The Scotsman News
We produced event highlight photos within 24 hours
A 15 minute highlights video complete with entertaining commentary following the play
A hole by hole drone tour complete with the course pro providing tips and tricks
36. No1 Oxford Street - drone video marketing content
When a London based marketing agency enquired about capturing drone visuals both internally and externally for their client in this exclusive location, our team were keen to find out more.
After a site recce we started planning and obtained all the approvals required to fly in central London and got to work. To undertake the project safely we required two safety observers and radio communications. We flew from two separate live construction sites and then had the internals to ourselves for a fun fly through with FPV drones.
Our client loved the results, enjoyed the experience working with us and and their client was blown away by the visuals. Looking forward to returning when the new tenant moves in..
37. Boathouse 4 roof Inspection for Pritchard Architecture
Our first time working in the Naval Dockyard will never be forgotten. We inspected the roof of Boathouse 4 for our repeat client, Pritchard Architecture.
Accessing the Naval base wasn’t a quick task and after gaining the necessary approvals and finding the right weather window we got to work. Having not flown here before it was particularly interesting seeing views of the setting sun and the regular murmuration of starlings above HMS Warrior from a different perspective.
Sun setting in Old Portsmouth with HMS Warrior in the foreground
38. Drone filming the stunning Reflections flotilla on the River Thames to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
We were tasked by Alex Anderson of Maritime Filming UK to capture the flotilla on drones from the East side of Tower Bridge. It was an honour to be involved in the project and are delighted to be able to share the completed video.
A night-time flotilla, Reflections, marked the passing of Her Majesty the Queen and the accession of King Charles III. Over 150 illuminated boats travelled from Chelsea Bridge to Tower Bridge. The Queen’s row barge Gloriana was the centrepiece, rowed by Ben Fogle.
39. BAE Systems Boatrace in collaboration with Portsmouth UTC
On a hot summer’s day Sara and our film team met with UTC Portsmouth students and BAE staff at the Institute of Marine Sciences to capture their Boat Race event.
BAE have been working with UTC Portsmouth to design and build remote controlled boats to race in the sea. The boats were modified in the morning and tested in Southsea Marina ready for a race later that day.
We visited UTC Portsmouth after the event to capture talking head videos and produced several video edits showcasing the highlights.
40. Halloween at Solent Sky Services
We hired in a social media content creator who happened to love Halloween, literally all year round! We became absorbed and let our creative juices flow producing two spooky shorts for fun.
41. Filming Genshin on the River Thames for Forest Creative
We worked alongside Forest Creative, Comms8 and Positive Experience capturing drone visuals of Paimon from Genshin Impact floating down the River Thames.
Genshin Impact is a mobile game rated sixth in the world and the event was hosted to promote it’s release.
42. Capturing drone visuals for Associated British Ports to assist with their Southampton port master planning
We were tasked with capturing specific drone visuals in and around Southampton port. The visuals are going to have 3D Models tracked onto them later and will be utilised to support their planning applications.
43. Event photography for Solent Transport capturing the launch of Beryl Bikes by Breeze in Portsmouth
As two-wheel lovers, we were thrilled to have worked on this collaborative project involving both Southampton and Portsmouth City Council to capture their launch event at The Hard, Portsmouth. Beryl bikes have provided a multi-city bike sharing scheme and are promoting eco friendly active travel. We provided a photographer and assistant. It was a fun day had by all.
44. Visiting the ANS Global plant nursery
Having worked with ANS Global on repeat projects we were excited to visit their offices to meet the team and take a walk around their plant nurseries. It was fascinating taking a peek behind the scenes and we also captured a testimonial video when we were there. We’re grateful for their business and glowing testimonial.
45. Capturing drone data for art work at Embley School
Thrilled to have been asked to capture drone data for a bespoke art project at Embley School. We took our time to explore the grounds and capture the best angles.
It was interesting to find out that Florence Nightingale and her family used to live there from 1825. Florence was a pioneering nurse, writer and eminent statistician. She was born in Tuscany on 12 May 1820 and was the second daughter of William Edward and Frances Nightingale.
We hope to return again soon and look forward to sharing more details about the project.
46. Medieval wall drone inspections and mapping for Southampton City Council
The archaeology department are working hard to restore valuable historic walls throughout the city and needed help inspecting the condition of the tops of the walls. In several locations they also required 3d models to be produced to help with specifying repairs.
We spent three glorious days exploring the Southampton Wall Walk routes capturing drone data. We utilised a DJI Mini 3 to capture the majority of the data and captured a couple of locations with the Mavic 3 Enterprise.
47. Drone flying and history lessons Brookwood Cemetery
We visited Brookwood Cemetery for an interesting site recce following a project involving Woking Council. It’s the largest cemetery in the UK and has been spotlighted for recent video production projects with Netflix and David Attenborough.
We were treated to a guided tour and are looking forward to future projects.
48. Fly Like a Butterfly with Olana Light
Olana reached out about filming several events where her wearable sculptures are being showcased. We had been following Olana on social media and are huge fans of her unique work.
Olana named the project Fly Like a Butterfly. Perhaps the title is a metaphor: the main character (moth/butterfly/human) who wanted to fly like a butterfly.
Our first project with Olana involved filming the main character walking the Lantern Parade organised by Fratton Big Local at the We Shine Event in Portsmouth.
The video includes Luke Jerram’s Moon located in St Mary’s Church. We’re pleased Luke approved of the video.
49. The Elizabeth Foundation charity video project
The Elizabeth Foundation, a charity based in Portsmouth provide a wide range of services to offer deaf children the best possible start in life from birth to five years. Through all of their services they aim to help young children with all degrees of deafness learn to listen and talk.
They reached out to ask if we could fly drones safely close to the children and after careful research with their specialists it was agreed our drones wouldn’t interfere with their cochlear implants or hearing aids.
We’ve been working pro bono with the team at The Elizabeth Foundation to produce a series of videos to educate viewers about the amazing work they do and help raise more awareness and funds for their charity.
It’s been a heart-warming experience and we’ve enjoyed every second working with them. Looking forward to sharing the content we’re working on.
50. Christmas Drones visit Cascades Shopping Centre, Portsmouth
The drones were discussing their shopping lists at their Christmas Party and couldn’t wait to fly out to Cascades Shopping Centre. Turns out that you can quite comfortably fit two Christmas trees, Christmas lights and presents on one of our FPV Cinelifters
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Solent Sky Services
I’m forever grateful to be able to call all of this work my day job, and so lucky to be meeting so many fascinating and resilient people along the way. JCB and Stagecoach have to be two of the most inspirational businesses we’ve worked with as their employees get that family feeling at work.
Thank you to everyone — my family, our clients, our followers, and all the fellow drone experts out there making this such an exciting industry to be a part of - for making 2022 our best year yet. We’ve also made record turnover. Here’s to 2023!
