About Us
Pete Wareham, Owner and Chief Pilot - Moonraker Drones
My journey began in the military, where I developed a strong basis in leadership, precision, and teamwork under pressure. This excellent foundation led to over thirty years in global leadership roles at companies such as Cisco, Motorola, and NCR in the telecommunications and technology sectors. Leveraging this experience and coupling it with a long-term passion, I have now embarked on an exciting venture as a small business owner and commercial drone operator.
Origin of the Moonraker Name
No, it's not from the James Bond Movie!
Although I have lived happily with my family in the US for the last 30 years, I am originally from the UK, where I was raised in the South of England in the County of Wiltshire. Many counties in England have nicknames and folk from Wiltshire carry the nickname Moonrakers. And here is why...
The story goes that in 1791, smugglers in Wiltshire had hidden contraband brandy in the Crammer pond, located in the heart of the small market town of Devizes. Their presence at the Crammer one particular moonlit night had drawn the attention of a team of customs and excise men who had been tipped off that something untoward was happening at the Crammer. Taking cover nearby, the excise men waited patiently for their quarry. In due course, the smugglers arrived and began pawing at the pond's surface with what appeared to be rakes. Unknown to the excise men, the smugglers had also been tipped off and had hatched a cunning plan.
Seeing enough and with their suspicions aroused, the excise men broke cover and quickly confronted the smugglers, enquiring as to their business. The smugglers played dumb and said they were from Bishops Cannings and were "taking out that gurt yaller cheese in yonder pond." Briefly translated, it means, "We are trying to get that great yellow cheese out of the pond." Hearing their explanation, the excise men believed these rogues as simpletons from the village of Bishops Cannings (a village that had acquired a reputation for more than its fair share of fools over the years and had become the butt of many jokes), so they were inclined to believe their ridiculous story. Satisfied they had just encountered several fools attempting to rake in a reflection of the moon on the pond, thinking it was a giant cheese, they rode off. Little did they know that the 'village idiots' had just had the last laugh!