A Norwich-based commercial drone operator, founded in 2011, that does surveys, mapping and inspections and holds UK approval to fly drones up to 9km from the pilot.
HexCam is a UK commercial drone operator based at Felthorpe Airfield near Norwich. It was founded in 2011 and serves the renewable energy, construction and property sectors with topographic surveys, mapping, inspections, aerial photography and filming. Its directory entry lists aerial imaging, surveying, mapping and inspection for construction, property marketing, events, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture and wind turbine inspection. A topographic survey records the shape and height of land, and a drone can do it much faster than a person walking the site with instruments.
In July 2024 a trade site reported that the UK Civil Aviation Authority had given HexCam full approval for its latest Operating Safety Case, which allows its DJI M300 series survey drones to fly up to 9 km from the remote pilot. It had earlier been authorised to fly up to 2.5 km. Flying beyond the pilot's line of sight is normally restricted, so it takes careful safety planning. The approval relied on drone control over the mobile phone network, high-output strobe lights, electronic conspicuity equipment that shows nearby aircraft, and visual observers stationed along the route. The pages do not give a mission statement and we have not made one up.
HexCam is based in Norfolk, in the East of England. A business directory gives its address as Place Farm, Drayton, Norwich, and a news item about its sale says it is at Felthorpe Airfield. A trade piece on agricultural technology also describes a HexCam field trial in the region. The company is therefore a regional specialist rather than a national chain.
ACQUIRED: by StirlingX in March 2025, according to a Dutch start-up news site. We could not confirm from the pages read whether HexCam continues to operate under its own name. We found no founders, staff names or culture material, so we cannot describe the working life there. It is described only as a long-running UK drone operator.
Roles at a drone survey company include remote pilots, visual observers who watch the aircraft on long flights, data processors who turn photographs into maps and 3D models, and safety and compliance specialists. The long-range approval suggests a team that works closely with the regulator. For someone interested in surveying, geography, engineering or aviation, a firm like this shows how drones are changing traditional jobs. Check its website for current vacancies.
Website: hexcam.co.uk
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE