Flying Pictures
Flying Pictures is a UK-founded aerial cinematography firm supplying helicopter and drone filming, tracking vehicles and tracking yachts to film, TV, commercial and live-event productions across six offices in the UK, France and the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersWest London, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Flying Pictures does
Flying Pictures is a UK-founded aerial cinematography company that supplies helicopters, drones, land-based tracking vehicles, and a 40ft tracking yacht to film, television, commercial and live-event productions. Established in the late 1970s by Colin Prescot originally as a hot-air balloon operator, the company expanded into helicopter filming during the 1980s and added a dedicated drone division in 2016, now offering FPV drones, light-lift drones, heavylift drones, and lighting drones alongside its helicopter fleet.
The company operates what it describes as the largest global fleet of helicopter gimbal systems and has developed a proprietary heavylift drone, the Raven X8, which carries dual flight controllers and ballistic parachutes. It holds a UK Civil Aviation Authority Operating Safety Certificate permitting flight within 10 metres of the public and buildings, a credential that unlocks tight urban filming. Flying Pictures' crew is Great Britain Camera Technique (GBCT) accredited, and its credit list spans 300+ productions including the James Bond franchise (13 films), every Harry Potter film, every Mission Impossible film to date, Star Wars, Marvel features, and television series such as Ted Lasso, The Crown and The Great, plus commercials for brands including McDonald's, Emirates, O2 and IKEA.
Flying Pictures is privately held and founder-led, with no external funding rounds disclosed. It operates from six offices — London, Winchester and Sheffield in the UK, Lyon in France, and Nashville and Los Angeles in the United States — positioning it to serve productions shooting across both sides of the Atlantic. Revenue is generated on a project-by-project basis through bespoke quotes and day-rate billing, with no publicly disclosed pricing, subscription, or recurring revenue contracts. Customer mix is concentrated at the top end of the film industry but diversified across hundreds of credits over 45+ years.
Flying Pictures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flying Pictures
- Legal name
- Flying Pictures Film Services Ltd
- Website
- https://flyingpictures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Flying Pictures is a UK-founded aerial cinematography firm supplying helicopter and drone filming, tracking vehicles and tracking yachts to film, TV, commercial and live-event productions across six offices in the UK, France and the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Flying Pictures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Flying Pictures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Aerial Filming Services: Project-based professional services providing aerial cinematography for film, television, commercials and live broadcast productions. Revenue generated through day rates and project fees for helicopter filming, drone filming, and tracking solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Flying Pictures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flying Pictures provides professional aerial cinematography services to the film, television, commercial, and live broadcast industries. Offerings include helicopter-mounted stabilized camera filming, heavylift, FPV and light-lift drone filming, helicopter and aircraft rental, land and water-based tracking solutions, and drone-mounted lighting, delivered with cinema-grade camera systems and an award-winning camera crew worldwide.
Product overview
Flying Pictures is a specialized aerial filming services provider offering a comprehensive one-stop-shop for aerial cinematography. The core offering spans helicopter filming services (using Shotover K1, F1, M1, EclipseXL, Cineflex systems) and drone filming services across three tiers: heavylift drones (Freefly Alta X, Alta 8, Raven X8), FPV drones (hybrid, standard, and micro), and light lift drones (DJI Inspire 3, Inspire 2, Mavic series). Supporting services include helicopter rental, ground and water-based tracking solutions (including purpose-built boat Cambria), and innovative lighting drones for aerial illumination. The company operates the largest fleet of helicopter gimbal systems globally and maintains an unrivaled selection of drone systems to suit every filming niche. Services are delivered globally through experienced pilots, award-winning camera crews, and a worldwide network of crew and suppliers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Helicopter Filming Aerial cinematography service using helicopter-mounted stabilized gimbal systems (Shotover K1, F1, M1, EclipseXL, Cineflex, GSS, FLIR) paired with cinema-grade cameras (Sony Venice, Arri Alexa, RED Raptor) for feature film, television, and commercial productions worldwide.
- Heavylift Drone Filming Aerial cinematography service using heavylift drone platforms (Freefly Alta X, Freefly Alta 8, Flying Pictures Raven X8) capable of carrying cinema cameras up to 16kg with permissions to fly within 10-20m of people and buildings under CAA OSC authorization.
- FPV Drone Filming First Person View drone cinematography using hybrid FPV systems, heavylift FPV drones, standard 5-inch FPV drones, and micro FPV drones (under 250g) for dynamic high-speed shots and access to tight spaces.
- Light Lift Drone Filming Mid-weight aerial cinematography using DJI Inspire 3 (8K), DJI Inspire 2 (6K), and DJI Mavic series drones with permissions to fly close to people, offering versatile aerial shots for productions.
- Helicopter and Aircraft Rental
Companies that use Flying Pictures
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Flying Pictures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Flying Pictures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Flying Pictures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DJI: Global leader in drone manufacturing whose platforms (Inspire, Mavic, Ronin) are widely used for aerial cinematography. Comparable to Flying Pictures as the dominant equipment manufacturer whose light-lift drone fleet Flying Pictures uses and competes against via integration.
- Shotover Camera Systems: Manufacturer of professional helicopter gimbal systems (K1, F1, M1) used widely in the aerial cinematography industry. Comparable to Flying Pictures as the primary equipment vendor whose systems Flying Pictures operates; represents the broader incumbency in the gimbal system market.
Direct peers
- Skyhook Aviation: Aerial filming and helicopter services company providing cinema-grade aerial footage for film and TV productions. Comparable to Flying Pictures in the aerial cinematography service niche with similar helicopter gimbal capabilities.
- Helicopter Film Services (HFS): UK-based helicopter aerial cinematography provider serving film, TV, and commercial productions. HFS is the closest direct competitor to Flying Pictures in the helicopter-gimbal aerial filming niche for motion pictures, offering similar Shotover and Cineflex systems to major studios.
- Western Drones: UK-based drone filming services company providing aerial cinematography for film, TV, commercials, and live broadcast. Comparable to Flying Pictures as a UK-based drone filming service provider serving production clients.
- TomKat Aerial: US-based aerial cinematography company providing helicopter and drone filming for film, TV, and commercials. Comparable to Flying Pictures in offering a full-spectrum helicopter plus drone aerial filming service to the North American production market.
- Aerobotika: Aerial filming and cinematography specialist serving commercials, film, and television. Comparable to Flying Pictures in providing high-end drone and helicopter aerial cinematography to the film and advertising industries.
Emerging players
- Cinefly Pro: Drone cinematography company focused on high-end film and commercial productions using cinema-grade drone platforms. Comparable to Flying Pictures' heavylift and light-lift drone offerings for professional film and TV clients.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flying Pictures social profiles
Digital presenceFlying Pictures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flying Pictures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Flying Pictures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flying Pictures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flying Pictures
What does Flying Pictures do?
Flying Pictures provides professional aerial cinematography services to the film, television, commercial, and live broadcast industries. Offerings include helicopter-mounted stabilized camera filming, heavylift, FPV and light-lift drone filming, helicopter and aircraft rental, land and water-based tracking solutions, and drone-mounted lighting, delivered with cinema-grade camera systems and an award-winning camera crew worldwide.
Is Flying Pictures a public or private company?
Flying Pictures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Flying Pictures founded?
Flying Pictures was founded in 1970. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Flying Pictures based?
Flying Pictures is headquartered in West London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Flying Pictures make money?
One revenue line is on record: aerial Filming Services.
Who are Flying Pictures's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DJI and Shotover Camera Systems. Direct peers are Skyhook Aviation, Helicopter Film Services (HFS), Western Drones, TomKat Aerial and Aerobotika. Cinefly Pro is listed as an emerging player.
Does Flying Pictures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flying Pictures.