Drone Pilot (RPL) — Johannesburg
Aerial work in South Africa is a compliance job as much as a flying job. Every commercial flight we book runs under a valid SACAA Remote Pilot Licence, on an operator certificate, with airspace clearance and third-party liability cover in place before the crew leaves. If your paperwork is current and your flying is smooth, there is steady work here.
The flying itself is property and development-led: a clean establishing plate, an orbit that reveals the site without wobble, a reveal over a ridge or a dam, and top-down plates for site plans. Cape Town work brushes the CTIA and Ysterplaat zones; the Sandton–Lanseria–OR Tambo corridor and the Hartbeespoort basin need pre-flight calls every time.
You keep your own logbook and insurance, we brief the shot list and confirm the site permissions.
Working in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is our commercial and corporate engine: head-office portrait sessions, development launches, commercial property media and interview production across the northern suburbs. Crew here spend real time in access control — estate gate registers, building management, loading-bay slots — so someone who handles that calmly is worth more than someone who is only fast on a camera. Drone work sits inside the Lanseria and OR Tambo corridors, so pre-flight discipline is non-negotiable.
Where the work happens: Sandton, Hyde Park, Bryanston, Rosebank, Melrose, Illovo, Parkhurst, Fourways, Dainfern, Bedfordview, Midrand, Alberton, Eye of Africa and Edenvale.
What you'll do
- Run pre-flight airspace, NOTAM and weather checks and file what the zone requires
- Fly establishing plates, orbits, reveals and top-down site plates to the shot list
- Maintain sub-45m ceilings and terrain clearance where the corridor requires it
- Keep a compliant flight log and hand over graded-ready, labelled footage
- Brief homeowners, security and body corporates on the day before you launch
What you need
- Current SACAA Remote Pilot Licence and third-party liability insurance
- Own aircraft capable of 10-bit log or D-Log recording
- 100+ logged commercial hours, with a reel showing smooth, usable plates
- Own transport and valid driver's licence
- Familiarity with the airspace in the city you are applying for
Nice to have
- Operating under an existing ROC you can fly against
- Ground-camera skills for the non-aerial half of a shoot day
- Mapping or photogrammetry output for development clients
What we offer
- Flight-day rate agreed per booking, with clearance admin handled jointly
- Sites confirmed and access arranged before you travel
- Pilot credit on aerial work used in portfolio and case studies
- Regular development and estate work through the year
How to apply
Send a link to your reel or portfolio, your city, your kit list, and one line on why this role. No cover letter needed. Coleman Gellatly reads every application and replies inside two working days.