Helicam Pro are a Christchurch, New Zealand based, CAA Part 102 certificated commercial drone operations company.
We specialise in professional drone video and drone photography for the construction sector, commercial real estate, residential real estate, aerial drone mapping, TV & film productions, live events and broadcast news.
Jared is the managing director of MicroTech Limited, a Christchurch, New Zealand based group of technology companies specialising in multi-media marketing. A well-known videographer, with over 25 years of experience of filming, editing and production, Jared has expanded his skill set to include UAV technology. He is an accomplished pilot with extensive flight hours in varied and challenging environments. Jared enjoys the unique challenges presented by aerial imagery and saw a great opportunity to provide this specialised service, missing from the market. A background in computing, photography and video have allowed Jared to pursue his passion for UAV technology.
Article from Airshare – April 5th 2016
Helicam Pro CEO Jared Waddams, has become the first drone pilot in Canterbury to become certified to operate outside of strict new Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules introduced in New Zealand in August 2015.
Waddams spent 6 months preparing his Part 102 application to CAA which included submitting comprehensive operations manuals, undergoing written and practical training, having detailed background checks, and being formally interviewed by New Zealand CAA staff who travelled from Wellington to assess his application.
Operating under CAA Part 102 has allowed Waddams to provide a comprehensive drone risk operations plan to clients before each job, which has been a timely requirement with the new Health and Safety at Work Act coming into force this month.
Certification also relaxes some of the restrictions other drone operators have such as being able to fly higher than 120m, fly at night, being able to fly close to airports and aerodromes.
As the only certified operator in the entire Canterbury region, workloads have been overwhelming especially in the building and construction industry as the regions earthquake recovery peaks.
A typical day for Waddams could include filming progress for construction companies in the CBD, cliff-side inspections for local city council, 3D aerial surveying for land developers, or documenting accident scenes for New Zealand WorkSafe investigations.
With New Zealand government authorities, emergency services and corporate principals increasingly aware of the need to reduce hazards and manage risk by using certified contractors, Waddams is looking to expand the company staff in the future to cater for the strong demand for safe and certified drone pilots.