The drone is the tool. Aviation is the method.
Aerial imaging and aerial data acquisition, delivered with an aviation mindset: missions prepared in detail, coordinated with the people involved, and flown to produce a deliverable that holds up.
A drone is an aerial data acquisition platform, not just a camera. Missions are built around what the image — or the data behind it — has to deliver, and around the preparation it takes to get there.
Aerial photography and video built around the final result: composition, light, movement and the quality of the delivered imagery.
Aerial imagery transformed into useful information to measure, document, visualise or monitor a site.
Some images are straightforward to capture. Others require understanding the airspace, preparing the necessary authorisations and coordinating multiple stakeholders before the aircraft can even take off. That preparation is part of the mission.
Manhattan from above
Urban aerial imagery
Selected personal aerial work, captured legally in New York City.
Operating in New York required strict coordination with air traffic control and continuous awareness of surrounding traffic.
Le Slip visible depuis l'espace
Brand activation · Aerial filming
Contribution to the aerial filming · Selected aerial shots
Filming alongside a wider production team, with shots prepared to fit the sequence.
Coordination in a sensitive environment
Aerial imaging · Stakeholder coordination
Aerial work carried out in Coxyde (Koksijde), Belgium.
Mission execution required coordination with air traffic control and, following an on-site check, liaison with military intelligence and law-enforcement services.
Alpine aerial operation · Mission coordination
Aerial work carried out in Zermatt, Switzerland.
The mission was coordinated with the local helicopter operator and supported by a detailed operational dossier defining the planned operating zones.
Aerial imaging
Aerial work carried out in Miami Beach, United States, during Art Basel week.
Photogrammetry · Volume estimation
Drone photogrammetry used to estimate the volume of earth to be removed from a construction site.
Flight pattern and site constraints prepared beforehand so the capture would support the volume estimation.
Aerial operation · Regulatory coordination
Aerial work carried out in the Maldives.
The operation involved obtaining the required permission from the CAA and coordinating with local seaplane operators.
Aerial imaging · Marine
Aerial imagery of boats and marine environments — compositions shaped by water, light and movement.
Some flights are straightforward. Others require understanding the airspace, preparing the necessary authorisations and coordinating multiple stakeholders before the aircraft can even take off. Every mission is prepared, documented and coordinated with the discipline of aviation operations.
Site review, feasibility, access, constraints and flight plan worked out before anyone is on location.
Assessment of the flight environment, regulatory research and the right authorisations — including coordination with Air Traffic Control and authorities where required.
Operational dossiers and liaison with the parties involved — client, production team, authorities and other airspace users.
Briefing, decision-making on site and the quality of what is captured. Underpinned by ten years of professional aviation operations experience.
Qualifications & registrations
European drone regulations provide a common framework, but every operation remains subject to national geographical zones, local airspace constraints and applicable procedures.
Owning a drone and knowing how to fly it doesn't mean you can operate it anywhere.
Complex airspace doesn't stop the mission. It changes how we prepare it.
Illustrative representation — always consult the current official national UAS geozone data before an operation.
European operations are prepared country by country, using current local rules and airspace data.
“Aviation has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
For the past ten years, I have worked in flight operations across several airlines and business aviation operators, building hands-on experience in operational planning, regulations, procedures and coordination.
Alongside aviation, I have always been involved in aeromodelling — and later drones, with a particular interest in multirotor aircraft. What started as a hobby naturally became another way of combining aviation, technology and imagery.
For me, flying is only part of it. I genuinely enjoy understanding the aircraft, maintaining the equipment and improving the way I operate. That same mindset led me to develop my own mobile drone operations kit: a self-contained field workstation designed around preparation, monitoring and efficient operations on location.
SQI Drone Services brings those worlds together: a passion for aerial imagery, ten years of professional aviation operations experience, and the same attention to preparation whether the mission is straightforward or requires permits, documentation and coordination with multiple airspace users.
Basile Desquiens
Founder — SQI Drone Services
Every mission is quoted individually — no fixed packages. Tell me what you have in mind and you get a clear proposal.
Simple missions from €250 excl. VAT
This starting point covers straightforward local missions. The final quote depends on location, operational complexity and coordination, mission duration and the requested deliverables.
Quotations on request. Prices excluding VAT.