We Flew a Drone at Dublin Airport

We flew a drone alongside an airplane taking off at Dublin Airport and got away with it!

The title might sound like clickbait, but this is totally true! You might think that drones and airports don’t mix, (and yes, they generally don’t) but drone flights actually can take place at international airports once you secure permission from the relevant Air Traffic Control (ATC). In our case, we got the approval of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). 

Aerial has been licensed to fly drones in Irish skies since 2014. Over the years, we have built up a strong track record of compliant, safe and incident-free flights. When applying for permission to fly at Dublin Airport our previous experience was really influential. The IAA must trust in your ability to fly safely. They must also have confidence that you can respond correctly if something does go wrong.

With well below normal traffic traveling through Dublin Airport in 2020, we decided it was a good time to apply to fly there. We worked with the Dublin Air Traffic Services team from the IAA to finetune our application. The flights were primarily for a client based near the airport, but we also wanted to get some additional imagery of the airport while we had permission.

All our flights were flown from the southside of the long-term car park, from there we could easily capture departures and arrivals into the airport. Using our telephoto lens on the DJI inspire 2 we couldn’t believe the fantastic results.

Keeping up with the aircrafts as they took off was very difficult. We operated a dual control system, where one person operated the drone and a second person was following the actual aircraft with the camera/gimbal. It took many attempts before we could nail the shot. The drone would fly in a straight line parallel to the runway, while the camera tracked the aircraft. We quickly realised that the aircraft was so fast that at a certain point in the takeoff procedure we needed to change tactics to capture the footage we needed. This led to us finding the right moment during takeoff, then fully turning the camera at full speed and holding it for a couple of seconds before taking the power off it again. The short lag on the camera controller screen meant that this was a learned behavior rather than a responsive behavior. This adjustment allowed us to track the plane perfectly as it took off the runway and into the sky.

We got some incredible shots of takeoffs and landings. We did get some strange looks from passersby and even a visit from the Dublin Airport police, but as they knew we were flying, they were friendly as always. It was great to have a chat with them about the weirdest year in aviation and just talk with them in general.

After our runway shoot, we thought we should get some better shots of the airport itself. For these shots, we decided to shoot on Christmas Day as the airport would be closed. This way we could get shots of the parked planes that really tell the story of 2020. 

Thankfully, the weather was good for flying on Christmas Day (although it was bitterly cold). We flew from a GAA club near Dublin airport which kindly hosted us. On Christmas morning we were looking for a shot that would reflect the stillness of the airport; that sense of pause is one of the things we love most about shooting at the airport on Christmas day. 2020 was our third attempt at flying at the airport on December 25th and our first successful visit. All those years having Christmas morning breakfast in a service station finally paid off and we got some images that we are really happy with.

Flying at the airport is something that should never be done without the full support of all appropriate authorities and relevant Air Traffic Control. If done without proper procedures and protocols it can have beyond disastrous consequences.

If you would like to see more of our stills or video from Dublin Airport drop us a line.