A FORMER helicopter pilot forced to give up flying has used his expertise to start a successful drone business.

Matt Williams set up Aerial Motion Pictures with wife Natalie after an accident damaged his neck and spinal cord, bringing his RAF career to an end.

He said: “I never wanted to leave the air force but had to accept I will never fly a full-size aircraft again.”

Mr Williams, 31, who was medically discharged in April this year, runs his firm from Howbery Business Park in Wallingford.

AMP offers certified commercial drone licensing courses, provides aerial filming and photography for film and TV companies and sells drones priced from £500 to £30,000.

It is the first company in the UK to provide the theory and practical knowledge needed for full Civil Aviation Authority Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle certification in one place.

Mr Williams said the monthly courses, which account for three-quarters of revenue, will go weekly from September.

As a qualified pilot who spent 12 years in the RAF, Mr Williams said safety was his first concern.

He said: “People love the fact they can learn from someone who has been to war and flown military helicopters.

“I have been all over the world, from Norway and the Arctic Circle to operations in Kenya and Iraq.”

The firm, which has two employees and is taking on another two, plans to expand into full-size aircraft training in the future.

Mr Williams added: “I went to a very dark place this time last year when I realised I would never fly again but this has given me the focus to move forward.

“We want to be a centre of aviation excellence.”