Dronedesk
From RAF helicopter pilot to pioneering drone entrepreneur with professional documentation that wins enterprise contracts
The Challenge: Building a New Industry Category
After 30 years flying helicopters for the RAF, Christopher Mace* had occasionally been asked to scatter ashes during flights, typically for former service personnel with connections to the Air Force. He realized that if a few families wanted this service, there might be many more who didn't have access to military aircraft.
So he founded Aerial Ashes, taking off-the-shelf drone equipment and carefully modifying it with full CAA approval to properly scatter ashes from the air. The service quickly found demand, with scatterings across the UK in locations as diverse as private gardens, university campuses, golf courses, race courses, beaches, and even over the North Sea towards Norway.
But pioneering a new industry category meant building operational processes from scratch, and the manual approach was becoming unworkable:
-
Scattered Records: Location notes, airspace details, and flight information stored in separate files with no central system
-
Clumsy Planning: Hours spent searching multiple maps and databases to understand airspace ownership and notification requirements
-
Partner Coordination: Difficult to share comprehensive flight information with funeral directors, landowners, and other operators
-
Audit Trail Gaps: No way to demonstrate professional processes to potential enterprise partners
For a service handling deeply personal moments for grieving families, professionalism and reliability aren't optional. The operational backend needed to match the care being delivered to clients.
The Operational Impact: What Dronedesk Delivers for Specialist Services
Everything in One Place
Drop a pin on the map and Dronedesk reveals everything about that location: airspace ownership, flight restriction zones, mandatory notifications, and optional contacts for good airmanship. Information that previously required hours of research across multiple sources is now available instantly, with a complete audit trail for every flight.
Professional Job Packs
Once planning is complete, Dronedesk generates comprehensive PDF job packs containing:
- Client details and operational statements
- Site maps with flight areas clearly marked
- Risk assessments and hazard mitigations
- Airspace information and notification records
Job packs can include everything or be customized to show only what's relevant for each audience. Funeral directors receive documentation that demonstrates professionalism. Partner operators receive everything they need to arrive prepared.
Airspace Notification and Visibility
Dronedesk doesn't just help identify who needs to be notified about flights. It also publishes flight information so other drone operators can see when and where operations are planned. For a service flying 15kg drones from beaches and open spaces, this visibility makes everyone safer. Other pilots arriving at the same location can immediately see that operations are already scheduled.
Multi-Operator Coordination
Aerial Ashes sometimes operates multiple drones simultaneously, either for filming while scattering or for coordinated releases of multiple sets of ashes. When a second operator is needed, they receive the job pack by email and arrive on site already knowing exactly what they're doing. A recent coordinated operation in Brighton required zero briefing time because the partner operator had already reviewed the complete plan.
See Aerial Ashes' CAA-approved scattering technology in action
Measurable Outcomes
National Partnership Won
Job pack documentation answered all audit questions
Continuous Operations
Complete flight history and audit trail preserved
On-Site Briefing Time
Partner operators arrive with job pack already reviewed
Coverage
Operations from private gardens to the North Sea
How Job Packs Won a National Contract
When Aerial Ashes began discussions with Co-op Funeralcare about a national partnership to offer the service to their clients, the Co-op needed evidence of professional processes and audit capability. The Dronedesk job pack answered every question.
The comprehensive documentation demonstrated exactly what enterprise partners need to see: systematic planning, proper risk assessment, complete record-keeping, and professional presentation. What might have required lengthy due diligence was resolved by showing the quality of operational documentation already in place.
Specialist Service Use Cases
Scattering Locations
- Private property and family homes
- University campuses and institutions
- Golf courses and sports venues
- Beaches and coastal areas
- Open water (North Sea, offshore)
Service Options
- Single drone scattering
- Filmed scattering (two-drone operation)
- Coordinated release (multiple ashes)
- Partnership delivery via funeral directors
- UK-wide coverage
Supporting Future Growth
After four years of operations, Aerial Ashes is expanding its network of trained operators to meet growing demand. Dronedesk provides the team management infrastructure to support this growth:
- Operator IDs and certification tracking
- Drone serial numbers and fleet management
- Maintenance schedules and requirements
- Flight hours logged per pilot and aircraft
- Certification renewal alerts
- Task completion visibility
As the founder scales from solo operator to managing a distributed team, Dronedesk provides oversight without micromanagement, the ability to track that tasks are completed, hours are logged, and certifications remain current.
Why Specialist Drone Services Choose Dronedesk
Professional Documentation That Wins Business
Job packs demonstrate professionalism to clients and partners alike. When funeral directors see comprehensive planning documentation, they're reassured they're working with a professional. When enterprise partners need audit capability, the documentation is already there. Quality presentation wins contracts.
Seamless Partner Coordination
When operations require multiple operators, everyone arrives prepared. Email a job pack and partner pilots have everything they need: site maps, risk assessments, operational details, timing. Zero on-site briefing time means more focus on delivering excellent service.
Aviation-Grade Airspace Awareness
For operators with aviation backgrounds, proper airspace management is non-negotiable. Dronedesk identifies mandatory notifications and optional contacts for good airmanship, while publishing flight information so other operators can see planned activities. Professional pilots expect professional tools.
Infrastructure for Growth
As specialist services scale from founder-operator to distributed teams, Dronedesk provides the management layer: pilot certifications, equipment tracking, maintenance schedules, flight hour logging. Oversight without bottlenecks.
The Bottom Line
Aerial Ashes created an entirely new category of drone service, bringing peace and closure to families across the UK. That innovation required equally professional operational infrastructure: comprehensive planning, shareable documentation, and systems that scale.
Dronedesk delivered all three. Job packs that wow funeral directors and win national partnerships. Planning tools that satisfy aviation professionals. Team management that supports growth without complexity. For specialist services building something new, Dronedesk provides the operational foundation to match the vision.
* Please note that since this case study was first written, Aerial Ashes has been acquired and is now run by Matt Young.
