Local firm has its feet on the ground and head in the clouds!
The sky’s the limit for an Inverness based company that specialises in bespoke aerial photography.
Caledonian Air Surveys Limited was established in 2005 by Tim Whittome who has a keen eye for detail and an abundance of enthusiasm for beating challenging weather and delivering vertical aerial photography to deadline.
The company operates its own Cessna 172 light aircraft fitted with a camera port and can work anywhere in the UK. From its base in the Highlands the team can reach anywhere in Scotland within two to three hours.
Over the past seven years Tim has carried out assignments covering forestry (planning, storm damage assessment, species mapping), environmental monitoring and assessment, towns and settlements, rivers and estuaries, pipeline surveys and power line routes, wind- farms, estates, and golf courses such as Turnberry, St Andrews, Carnoustie, and courses closer to home such as Castle Heather.
Some of the company’s clients include Scottish Natural Heritage, Cairngorms National Park, National Trust for Scotland, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Bluesky International.
Tim says he thrives on the variety: “The work that we attract can be so incredibly diverse. On a beautiful day I feel really privileged to be up in our aircraft ensuring that the photographs that have been requested are of the best quality and specification. We really are very dependent on the weather when it comes to this as a cloudy or wet day can prevent us even taking off for photography. We always consult at least three weather forecasts and even then we know that one rogue cloud can call a halt to our mission.
“We can provide a rapid response service to suit client needs. We have more than once been tasked with urgent aerial photography of a site and been able to deliver within 24 hours. On this occasion we were of course very fortunate that the weather was favourable at the time. We are also experienced in working in special conditions such as tidal states.
“Our work is extremely rewarding. For example, we have taken numerous sets of photographs of the same area to show how it changes season to season. For this to be truly effective we must have the exact same coordinates. When you line up the photographs showing winter and then summer the contrast is stunning. This is something that we can appreciate with the naked eye, and when it’s backed up with such clarity and detail it is quite amazing.
“Aerial photography really lends itself to some quirky modern day marketing. We photographed the River Garry a few years ago for the owner. He then invited buyers to invest in sections that were each a square metre in size. The idea was to raise finance so that the owner could set up a local trust to continue to maintain the riverbanks. He’s recently recreated a similar idea for squares of turf at Norwich City Football Club (see www.canarysquares.co.uk ).
“Our experience and technical ability means that we can meet a lot of unusual requests. Obviously there is a great deal of planning in what we do and because we are weather dependent it is advisable to contact us as early as possible. We take pride in our advance preparation.
Tim was joined by production assistant Ashley Thomson four years ago. The company also has a regular team of local pilots.
The expertise at production level means that Ashley and Tim can also deliver false colour infrared imagery that is often used in species identification, habitat or plant disease monitoring and to identify water pollution.
To find out how Tim’s team at Caledonian Air Surveys Limited can meet the aerial photography needs of your business call 01463 732 566 or email: i…@caledonianairsurveys.co.uk
