NLSometimes no standard platform fits your production. The camera is too heavy for a regular drone. The conditions are too extreme. The flight profile is too specific. In those cases, Drone Department designs and builds a bespoke drone that does exactly what you need. We have been building our own drones since 2006 and have built dozens of custom platforms for film, TV, and industrial applications in that time.
In this article, we discuss when a custom drone is useful, what types of customization we offer, what our development process looks like, and what EU regulations say about flying with self-built drones.
When do you need a custom drone?
Most drone productions can be perfectly executed with standard platforms such as the DJI Inspire 3 or our FPV racing drones. But there are situations where these systems fall short. Here are the most common scenarios where a bespoke solution is the only option.
Scenario 1: Heavy or Unusual Payloads
Your director wants to mount a RED Komodo, ARRI Alexa Mini, or Sony Venice on a drone. These cameras weigh 2 to 6 kg, excluding lens and gimbal. No consumer platform can carry that. We build heavy-lift frames that can lift and stabilize payloads up to 15 kg.
Scenario 2: Extreme Conditions
A shoot on a glacier at -20°C. A recording over open water with force 7 winds. A flight through an industrial environment with metal dust and sparks. For all these situations, we build drones with reinforced frames, weatherproofing, and adapted battery configurations.
Scenario 3: Specific Flight Profile
Sometimes a production requires a drone that can fly both very slowly and very fast. Or a platform that can take off vertically in a shaft and then transition horizontally into a long tracking shot. These types of hybrid flight profiles require custom motorization and flight controller settings.
| Challenge | Standard Solution | Custom Drone Department Solution |
|---|---|---|
| ARRI Alexa Mini payload | Not possible | Heavy-lift hexacopter with custom gimbal |
| Flying at -20°C | Limited (battery loss) | Heated battery compartments |
| Wind force 7+ | Not safe | Reinforced frame, larger motors |
| Unique camera angle | Limited by standard gimbal | Custom gimbal/mount to specification |
| Longer flight time needed | Max 28 min (Inspire 3) | Larger batteries, more efficient frame |
Our Development Process: from concept to flight-ready
Building a custom drone is not a matter of ordering parts and screwing them together. It is an engineering process that we approach methodically to deliver a reliable, safe, and certified platform.
The Four Phases of Custom Drone Development
- Intake and Specification: we discuss your exact requirements. Which camera? What weight? What flight conditions? What flight time? Based on this, we draw up a technical specification.
- Design and Sourcing: we select the optimal frame, motors, ESCs, propellers, and flight controller. For heavy-lift projects, we perform extensive calculations for thrust-to-weight ratio and centering.
- Build and Testing: the drone is built in our workshop and undergoes a series of test flights. We test stability, failsafe behavior, battery performance, and camera stabilization.
- Certification and Deployment: the platform is included in our safety management system under our EU Specific license. Then it is ready for deployment on your set.
Applications: examples of custom drone projects
Over the years, we have built dozens of bespoke drones for various applications. Below are some examples that give an idea of the possibilities.
Film and TV Productions
- Heavy-lift Cinema Drone: a hexacopter carrying a RED Komodo with a Sigma Cine lens (total 4.2 kg) for a feature film production. Flight time: 12 minutes
- Weather-proof FPV: a rain- and wind-resistant FPV drone for a documentary on the North Sea, with a GoPro in a waterproof housing
- Ultra-slow Cinema FPV: a large FPV frame with oversized propellers that can fly very slowly and stably for smooth tracking shots in interiors
Industrial and Scientific Applications
- Inspection Drone: a compact platform with a thermal camera for inspecting wind turbines and solar panels
- Research Drone: a drone with a custom sensor package for a university measuring air quality over urban areas
- Show Drone: platforms for drone swarms at events and product launches
Check our projects for more examples from our portfolio.
EU Regulations for Self-built Drones
Flying with a self-built drone entails additional regulations compared to standard commercially available platforms. EASA regulations distinguish between drones with a CE marking (standard commercial products) and privately built UAS (self-built).
What does this mean in practice?
Custom drones almost always fall under the Specific category of EASA regulations. This means you need an Operational Authorization to fly them. At Drone Department, we have already arranged this through our EU Specific company license (NLDoyhg6yl91zgtj).
Every custom platform we build is:
- Included in our Operations Manual with technical specifications and limitations
- Subjected to an extensive risk analysis (SORA methodology)
- Equipped with a failsafe system (return-to-home or controlled landing upon signal loss)
- Fully insured for commercial operations in the EU
- Tested and approved before it is first deployed at a client location
In Short
When standard drones do not suffice, we build the solution ourselves at Drone Department. With 18 years of experience in designing, building, and flying custom drones, we combine technical expertise with the creativity needed to turn your production challenge into a flying platform that does exactly what you need.
Do you have a production for which standard equipment falls short? View our complete service offerings, get to know our team, or contact us directly to discuss the possibilities.