The roof is where the claim is, and the roof is where nobody wants to send a person
Calgary sits in one of North America's most active hail corridors. After a significant event the constraint on claims handling is not adjudication capacity — it is how many roofs a person can physically stand on in a day.
Does Fly4MEdia work in insurance and claims?
Yes. Fly4MEdia captures roof and property condition for claims and loss assessment across Alberta and British Columbia. Imagery is dated and flight-logged, captured at roof level without a ladder or a person at height, and delivered to the adjuster's specification.
What gets captured.
Roof condition
Surface condition at close range across the whole roof plane, including areas a ladder cannot safely reach.
Storm and hail damage
Impact pattern and distribution across a property, and across a neighbourhood where the claim requires event context.
Property extent and outbuildings
The full insured footprint in one frame — including structures a street-level inspection does not reach.
Pre-loss and post-loss comparison
Where prior capture exists, the same frame before and after the event.
What actually constrains the work.
- Post-event demand is concentrated. A hail corridor generates hundreds of claims in the same week, so surge capacity and scheduling discipline matter more than any single capture.
- Most Calgary addresses sit inside the CYYC control zone. An operator without an Advanced RPAS certificate cannot legally fly them, which becomes acute precisely when volume spikes.
- Overcast light is better than direct sun for surface damage assessment. Bright midday conditions hide impact marks that flat light reveals.
- Flight logs are retained per sortie, so the date and location of capture are documented rather than asserted.
The numbers a business case is built on.
Every figure carries its publisher, its year and a live link. Where a number is an industry aggregate rather than a published study, it says so.
68% faster
Listings marketed with aerial photography have been reported to sell substantially faster than those using ground photography alone.
On a listing carrying monthly holding costs, the weeks removed from time-on-market are the return on the shoot.
Reported by RubyHome, real estate photography research roundup, 2024
403% more enquiries
Listings that include video have been reported to receive several times the enquiry volume of listings without it.
Enquiry volume is the top of the funnel. A listing that starts more conversations closes from a larger pool.
Reported by RubyHome, real estate photography research roundup, 2024
Industry standard
The National Association of Realtors maintains dedicated guidance on commercial drone use in listing marketing, including the certification and airspace rules an operator must meet.
Aerial media is an established part of listing marketing with real compliance requirements. The question is whether your operator meets them, not whether to use it.
30% more
McKinsey research cited across the inspection sector finds that organisations relying on manual inspection spend materially more on maintenance and safety than those using drone-based assessment.
For a portfolio of assets, the inspection method is a recurring cost line, not a one-off purchase. The differential compounds annually.
Reported by McKinsey & Company, cited by Averroes, 2025
Who commissions this.
- Independent and staff loss adjusters
- Claims managers and TPAs
- Restoration contractors documenting scope
- Property managers substantiating a claim
Engagements are quoted against a written scope and can be invoiced to a prime consultant. Vendor onboarding, certification evidence and confidentiality posture are published rather than answered by email.
What is delivered.
- High-resolution stills, colour-managed
- Edited video in the format the end use requires
- Repeat-capture sequences for progress or condition monitoring
- Raw files where the engagement calls for them
Insurance and claims questions, answered.
Can a drone assess hail damage on a roof?
It captures roof-level imagery of the whole plane without a ladder or a person at height, including areas that cannot be safely reached. The assessment remains the adjuster's; the aerial capture is what puts every part of the roof in front of them.
Why does aerial capture matter after a hail event specifically?
Because volume is the constraint. A single storm can generate hundreds of claims in one corridor, and the limit on throughput is how many roofs a person can physically climb. Aerial capture removes the climb from the bottleneck.
What light conditions are best for damage assessment?
Overcast. Flat light reveals surface impact marks that bright midday sun flattens out entirely. Scheduling a damage capture for the sunniest part of the day is a common and expensive mistake.
Related sectors and coverage.
Adjacent sectors
The rules referenced on this page
- Transport Canada — Flying your drone safely and legallyThe RPAS certification and operating rules every Canadian flight is conducted under.
- NAV CANADA — NAV DroneThe authorisation tool used to check and file for controlled-airspace flights.
- Parks Canada — Drones in national parksThe prohibition that governs Banff, Lake Louise and every other national park.