Single Operator vs Dual Operator Drone

Drone pilot Stefanie Williams of Aerialworx has over 30 years flying experience. She has a passion for flying drones and has been flying these wonderful aircraft for almost eight years now. She has a natural skill for flying a variety of drones and complex aircraft in adverse weather conditions. She has flown both single and dual operator configurations and understands that there is a time and place for both and each and every production is unique and different. 

Read Stef’s top tips for choosing the correct single or dual operator configuration for your production.

Single Operator

In a single operator drone setup, the pilot flies the drone and controls the camera at the same time. As there’s so much to focus on, single operator only really allows for simple shots such as general views, simple reveals and shots with minimal camera movements. Single operator setups are ideal for basic shots, productions on low budgets or productions in remote areas where the ground camera operator is also undertaking simple drone shots.

Dual Operator

In dual operator drone setups, the pilot flies the drone and a separate drone camera operator (also known as Drone DOP) controls the camera. The advantage of a dual operator setups is that the dedicated pilot is generally more experienced and can fly in more difficult and complex situations and conditions whilst the dedicated drone camera operator can operate the camera and achieve far more complicated shots such as flawless 360 panning around moving subjects, accurate tracking shots and change camera settings mid flights based on lighting conditions and alike. Dual operator setups are ideal for more complex shots, typically high end broadcast quality productions where complex shots are the expected.

Summary

The bottom line is that there’s a time and a place for both. It all depends what kind of shot you’re after. If you’re not sure, give me a call and I’d be more than happy to help. Around 70% of our work is dual operator and 30% is single operator.

Stef x