We were delighted to be invited to come and film alongside the team from the BBC’s The One Show down at the Swanage Railway.
We were part of an article that they were creating regarding the rejoining of the Swanage train station to the main railway line, something that’s been achieved through a huge amount of work by a team of volunteers in a large part. We were to provide aerial footage of the beautiful steam engine puffing its way along the route – the chocolate box Dorset countryside and you really couldn’t ask for a more picturesque backdrop.
A very friendly farmer allowed us to use his field as a takeoff and landing site as it was adjacent to the rail track, giving us the opportunity to get beautiful views of the train as it headed over from Corfe Castle towards Swanage. Then we moved off to Norden station where we were able to interact even more closely with the train as it left the current final station on the line, filming almost trackside to create rising views of the drone disappearing into the steam plumes as the engine chugged beneath.
Despite relatively high winds on the day, our Matrice and Inspire fleet of craft were more than equal to the task of creating stable and stylish footage to capture both the engine and the environment with plenty pieces of the footage being used in the finished piece on BBC 1.
Drone or Ladder: What Changes When a Solar Inspection Leaves the Ground
A drone or a ladder? The two are not the same solar inspection done two ways, and they produce different evidence. A visual check finds visible damage. A handheld thermal camera sees heat but, from a ladder, looks across the array at an angle where glass reflects the sky. A drone records every module from above under one set of conditions. This post sets out what each can see, why angle and timing change the reading, and where each belongs.
Simplified or Detailed: Which IEC 62446-3 Inspection a Rooftop Solar Array Actually Needs
IEC TS 62446-3 does not describe one solar thermography inspection but two. A simplified inspection confirms that modules and connections are working, reading thermal patterns only. A detailed inspection measures, normalises and classifies what it finds, and is the level at which module condition can be reported with confidence. This post explains the difference, where a drone flight over a rooftop array sits between them, and why the level should be agreed in writing before the aircraft is booked.
What the Office Cannot Fix: Why Aerial Data Quality Is Decided on Site
A drone survey flight produces photographs and positions, and that is the whole of the raw material. Everything afterwards is interpretation, so a gap in the imagery stays a gap and a soft frame stays soft. This post sets out what the day of capture actually decides: the light, the wind, the state of the ground, where ground control can physically go on a working site, and the narrow set of checks worth making before the van doors close.
