A REMOTE-control aircraft enthusiast has combined his passion for flying and photography to create a new business.

Chris Ayres, of Poppleton, has been flying remote-control helicopters and planes for many years, and decided to use his hobby to give a new perspective on organisations’ marketing materials.

Also a keen photographer, Chris has launched his business, Skyline Images, which uses an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) – like a remote-control helicopter – to take aerial photographs and shoot high definition fly-by video.

His aircraft, a Droidworx XM8, is an eight-blade carbon-fibre aircraft, designed and built specifically to be able to carry a Canon full-frame DSLR camera.

The equipment enables him to take photographs from up to 400 ft in the air for tourism attractions. He is currently working for the National Trust on a new brochure for Roche Abbey, near Rotherham.

Chris has also worked with estate agents to photograph large estates and also a golf course, in the latter case providing a fly-by video of the holes on the course for its website.

The aircraft uses GPS tracking, which enables it to be accurately positioned, even in high winds, and can also collect GPS data for surveys. The remote-control handset shows the camera’s view, so the shot can be framed from the ground. Chris said: “A lot of people use a traditional helicopter or microlights to take photographs such as these, which is more expensive.”

Nonetheless, the owner and pilot has invested tens of thousands of pounds on training and equipment to comply with stringent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations governing the use of UAS and has passed a European competence exam, covering operational safety and flight skills.

“It is all governed very closely by the CAA,” he said. “It’s a very regulated industry; very young, but a lot of credence and importance is placed on safety and privacy.”