aerial-decisions

Author: Jim Gibson

  • 5 Reasons for Drone Service Providers to Log their Flight Time

    5 Reasons for Drone Service Providers to Log their Flight Time

    Why do drone pilots log their flight time?

    1. The FAA Recommends that Drone Pilots Log Maintenance and Inspections

    Although the FAA does not require drone pilots to log flight data, they strongly recommend it – primarily for the purpose of tracking the flight time accumulated by each drone, along with maintenance and inspection records. Paragraph 7.3.5 of FAA Advisory Circular 107-2 states: “ . . . Recordkeeping of documented maintenance and inspection events reinforces owner/operator responsibilities for airworthiness through systematic condition for safe flight determinations . . .”

    2. Enhanced Overall Safety of Drone Operations

    Further, § 7.3.5 of FAA Advisory Circular 107-2 states that “. . . Maintenance and inspection recordkeeping provides retrievable empirical evidence of vital safety assessment data defining the condition of safety-critical systems and components supporting the decision to launch”.

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    Aerial Decisions: The Benefits of the Shield!

    3. Legal Compliance

    When applying for a Part 107 waiver, you may be asked to show documentation of flight training and experience to demonstrate risk mitigation. Additionally, in the unfortunate event of an accident, you may be asked to provide aircraft maintenance logs to show that the aircraft was properly maintained. 

    4. Competitive Advantage

    In order to differentiate yourself from the ever-increasing field of Drone Service Providers, it is important to leverage experience and capabilities that give you a competitive advantage. One way of standing out from the crowd is to document and highlight your flight hours. This can be easily done by maintaining a log entry for each flight – whether for practice flights or actual missions – in a hard copy or electronic flight log.

    5. Reduced insurance Premiums

    Insurance underwriters often consider a pilot’s flight experience and safety record when pricing liability policies for drone pilots. Those with well-documented processes and recordkeeping systems in place – and the flight data to back it up – may find themselves rewarded with reduced insurance premiums.

    Conclusion

    Yes – keeping flight logs does add to the list of things that a drone pilot must do. However, proper recordkeeping of flight logs and aircraft maintenance can provide many benefits for commercial drone operators, including regulatory/legal compliance, cost avoidance and competitive advantage.

    From The Editor:

    Do you need to hire a professional drone service provider?  To speak to an aerial data specialist, fill out a form, email us or for even faster response times, give us a call at (833) FLY-4YOU or (833) 359-4968.  Check out our transparent pricing at Drone Photography Pricing and watch this space as we expand on the above topics and more over the coming weeks and months.  If you like this post, feel free to click the share button at the bottom of the page.  We appreciate you helping us by spreading the content we share on our blog.

  • Top 15 Most Common Drone Industry Acronyms

    Top 15 Most Common Drone Industry Acronyms

    If you’re like me, you may sometimes wonder if the English language has been reduced to words containing only 3-4 letters.  We often see it in almost every industry we’ve encountered in our professional lives.  

    What am I talking about?

    Acronyms.    

    Image of Drone Plants X
    Drone Flying Over Vegetation

    For those of us in the drone industry, it’s no different.  In fact, given the relatively early stage of our industry’s evolution, it can be quite daunting to keep up with the latest drone industry acronyms.  You’re probably saying, here comes yet another 3 letter word I have to learn.  OMG!

    Well, I thought it would be a great idea to gather a few of the most common drone industry acronyms and provide a definition for each.

    Without further ado, here are my Top 15 Most Common Drone Industry Acronyms (in alphabetical order):

    AGL – Above Ground Level: In aviation, the term AGL generally refers to the height of an object above ground level.  As it relates to Part 107, a drone pilot cannot fly an sUAS (see below) higher than 400 feet Above Ground Level.  The only exception to that rule is if the drone is flown within a 400-foot radius of a structure and does not fly higher than 400 feet above the highest, permanently attached, point of the structure.

    ATC – Air Traffic Control: is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers to direct aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC worldwide is to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of air traffic, and provide information and other support for pilots.

    BVLOS – Beyond Visual Line of Site: BVLOS is a term relating to the operation of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and drones at distances outside the normal visible range of the pilot.

    COTS –  Commercial Off the Shelf (Drone): COTS is an acronym that refers to commercially available drones but is more recently associated with a COTs drones’ inter-operability with “Drone-in-the-Box” remote charging solutions for BVLOS applications.  The industry is collectively working towards developing charging solutions that are drone manufacturer agnostic and can be used to charge a variety of popular commercially available off-the-shelf drones.

    eVTOL – electric Vertical Take-Off & Landing: eVTOL is a type of aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically.  In the drone industry, eVTOL is often associated with metropolitan airbus transportation and UAM (see below).

    FAA – Federal Aviation Administration: The Federal Aviation Administration is the largest modern transportation agency and a governmental body of the United States with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation in that nation as well as over its surrounding international waters.

    NAS –  National Air Space: The NAS is airspace that is regulated by the FAA and can be either controlled or uncontrolled airspace.

    NTSB – National Transportation Safety Board: The NTSB is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation safety and accident investigation.

    OAS – Obstacle Avoidance System: An integral on-board software and optical system that enables unmanned drones to “see and avoid” obstacles to minimize mid-air collisions.  You will often hear OAS mentioned in conjunction with BVLOS as it is a critical function to enable safe autonomous flight planning initiatives. 

    sUAS – Small Unmanned Aircraft System: Similar to UAS, there are many terms for UAS technology such as Drone, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aircraft (UA), Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS). These acronyms are often used interchangeably in industry circles.

    UA – Unmanned aircraft: this term refers to drones, or any aircraft, that are designed to operate autonomously or to be piloted remotely without a pilot on board.

    UAM – Urban Air Mobility: UAM refers to air traffic systems that are designed to transport people by air.  Unlike modern airspace rules that guide commercial aircraft at higher altitudes, UAM is designed for commercial eVTOL air transportation at lower altitudes within urban and suburban areas.

    UAS – Unmanned Aircraft System: Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) typically refers to an unmanned drone and its related equipment that enables a remote operator to allow the drone to operate autonomously.

    UATM – Urban Air Traffic Management: Often referred to in connection to UTM (see below), Urban Air Traffic Management represents a highly coordinated system of urban air traffic management for autonomous drones.

    UTM – Unmanned Traffic Management: Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) is an air traffic management ecosystem that creates defined “rules of the road” for uncontrolled airspace below 400 feet AGL.

    Clearly, I have only touched the surface of the acronyms you will see in our industry.  As the drone industry continues to evolve, there will no doubt be more to come!  If you feel I have missed an important one, hit us up on Social Media and let us know what you think (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).

    From The Editor:

    Do you need to hire a professional drone service provider?  To speak to an aerial data specialist, fill out a form, email us or for even faster response times, give us a call at (833) FLY-4YOU or (833) 359-4968.  Check out our transparent pricing at Drone Photography Pricing and watch this space as we expand on the above topics and more over the coming weeks and months.  If you like this post, feel free to click the share button at the bottom of the page.  We appreciate you helping us by spreading the content we share on our blog.

  • 5 Reasons to Prioritize Pre-Flight Checklists for Drone Services

    5 Reasons to Prioritize Pre-Flight Checklists for Drone Services

    1. Safe and Professional Operations

    Just like commercial airline pilots use a checklist before each flight, drone pilots use  pre-flight checklists to ensure their operations are safe and legal. In addition to ensuring aircraft readiness and considering things like weather, site safety and crew briefings, checklists also help pilots ensure compliance with FAA, state and local regulations that govern the commercial use of drones.

    2. Redundancy = Consistency

    Checklists augment pilot memory to ensure that all required actions are performed in an orderly manner and without omission. When properly implemented, checklists are used redundantly and consistently before every flight, regardless of how many times the pilot has flown a particular aircraft or mission.

    3. Complacency = Missed Steps

    The aim of implementing a checklist is not simply to read through and check off items. Rather, the objective is to prevent complacency by methodically following every step. Forcing oneself to read each checklist item may seem awkward and time-consuming to a drone pilot who has flown a particular aircraft many times before. However, if a pilot scans the items to be checked quickly due to time pressures, versus taking time to consider each step, missed or incorrect steps can result in disaster.

    4. They’re Not Just for Pilots

    The pre-flight checklist is an integral part of effective Crew Resource Management, which enhances teamwork, increases communication and transforms operational hierarchy to improve safety and reduce risk. When used effectively, the checklist is key to ensuring that the entire flight crew is on the same page and properly briefed for every mission.

    5. They’re Not Just for Pre-Flight

    Pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight procedures are all part of a comprehensive checklist. Best practices should include, but not be limited to, these high-level considerations:

    Pre-flight

    – Airspace restrictions and weather considerations

    – Pilot and crew mental and physical fitness

    – Site inspection and mission walk through

    – Take-off, landing, safety perimeter and emergency abort zones established

    – Crew and bystander briefing

    – Aircraft, payload and flight system inspection

    In-Flight

    – Take-off procedure

    – Maintain visual line of sight with aircraft

    – Maintain safe operating distance from people and obstavles

    – Monitor airspace for other aircraft

    – Maintain “sterile cockpit” to avoid pilot distraction

    Post-Flight

    – Landing procedure

    – Power down sequence

    – Data acquisition procedure

    – Post-flight aircraft inspection

    – Flight logging

    Conclusion

    Replacing human error with a strong safety culture and reliance on proven procedures is paramount to the success of any drone services provider. Aviation safety studies have shown that consistent and methodical use of checklists reduces risk by virtually eliminating mistakes and oversights. A strong emphasis on team intelligence and effective procedures like operational reports and checklists can ensure teams are on the same page and operating at peak effectiveness.

    Bottom Line: Take the time to do it right – or don’t fly

    From The Editor:

    Do you need to hire a professional drone service provider?  To speak to an aerial data specialist, fill out a form, email us or for even faster response times, give us a call at (833) FLY-4YOU or (833) 359-4968.  Check out our transparent pricing at Drone Photography Pricing and watch this space as we expand on the above topics and more over the coming weeks and months.  If you like this post, feel free to click the share button at the bottom of the page.  We appreciate you helping us by spreading the content we share on our blog.

     

  • 5 Reasons for FAA-Certified Drone Service Providers

    5 Reasons for FAA-Certified Drone Service Providers

    This is the first in a series of “Five Reasons” articles. Over the next several months, we’ll explore key areas for consideration, what to look for and questions to ask when hiring a commercial drone service provider to fly your important mission.

    5 Reasons to Insist that Your Drone Service Provider is an FAA-Certified Remote Pilot

    1. Flying a Drone for Commercial Purposes Without FAA Part 107 Certification is Illegal 

    The civil penalties for flying a commercial drone without an FAA remote pilot’s certificate are up to $32,666 for each incidence. After the violator receives a letter of warning letter from the FAA, this fine may be charged per day for continual illegal use of a drone for commercial purposes. The FAA may also impose criminal sanctions, which include a fine of up to $250,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to three years upon conviction (49 U.S.C. § 46306(b) and (d)).

    2. Hiring an Unlicensed Commercial Drone Service Provider is Illegal

    Federal statute (49 U.S. Code § 46306(b)(8)) declares that “a person shall be fined (up to $250,000) under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 3 years, or both, if the person . . .  knowingly and willfully employs for service or uses in any capacity . . . an individual who does not have an airman’s certificate authorizing the individual to serve in that capacity”

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    A Safe Bet: Certified and insured drone service providers

    3. Aviation Knowledge and Regulatory Compliance

    A commercial drone pilot has a primary responsibility to follow all regulations established by the FAA to keep our national air space safe for everyone. A certified commercial drone pilot will understand where, when and how high they can fly and, if needed, they’ll know how to get permission to fly in different classes of air space. 

    4. Safety

    Flying a drone is relatively simple and straightforward, but flying safely is an entirely different matter. Licensed drone pilots spend many hours learning FAA drone regulations – rules that are designed to keep people, property and air space safe. They understand how wind speed, visibility, clouds and other conditions can affect flights;  and make safety a priority by adhering to crew resource management and medical guidelines while following proven risk management protocols and procedures.

    5. Professionalism

    A licensed drone pilot should be expected to demonstrate professionalism through an unwavering commitment to FAA regulatory compliance, safety procedures, respect for privacy, and legal and ethical operations. Additionally, it’s important to  factor in their level of experience and ability to capture the high-quality aerial data required for your important project. 

    Conclusion

    As the drone industry transitions from nascent to mainstream, demand for FAA-Certified Remote Pilots continues to grow as well, and it becomes more important than ever to protect yourself from personal and professional liability. When hiring a drone service provider, ask to see their FAA Remote Pilot credentials, insurance, and preflight checklists to ensure that you are working with someone who is truly committed to professionalism and regulatory compliance.

    From The Editor:

    Do you need to hire a professional drone service provider?  To speak to an aerial data specialist, fill out a form, email us or for even faster response times, give us a call at (833) FLY-4YOU or (833) 359-4968.  Check out our transparent pricing at Drone Photography Pricing and watch this space as we expand on the above topics and more over the coming weeks and months.  If you like this post, feel free to click the share button at the bottom of the page.  We appreciate you helping us by spreading the content we share on our blog.

  • 5 Benefits of Hiring Licensed and Insured Drone Pilots for Real Estate Agents

    5 Benefits of Hiring Licensed and Insured Drone Pilots for Real Estate Agents

    The simple fact is the real estate market is a veritable magnet for drone service providers of all skill and experience levels; from the most tenured real estate drone photography company to the guy who splurged on a Mavic 3 and read Drones for Dummies (yes, it really exists!).  In the case of the former, these drone photography companies have invested significantly in training and equipment; more importantly, they have secured their FAA credentials and are adequately insured.  The latter, well, let’s just say that shortcut could cost you dearly.

    Explosive Growth: Opportunity and Risk

    The drone industry is expected to grow at 15.37% CAGR over the next five years – and that growth is expected to continue. Sales of consumer drones in the US exceeded $1.25 billion in 2020 and, as of January 2021, there are 873,576 drones registered in the US.  Of that number, registered commercial drones total 365,194.  To round out the total drone population, the FAA reports 504,878 registered drones that are used primarily for recreational purposes.

    This is incredibly exciting news for the drone industry and aligns with most industry experts who project the commercial drone industry to grow to $63.6B (yes Billion!) by 2025.  But with the industry’s explosive growth, we foresee a proverbial land rush of new aerial photography service providers entering the marketplace – unfortunately, a few who will knowingly cut corners to make quick cash.  When you consider only 225,866 (or roughly 26%) of the total drone population are operated by drone pilots who hold an FAA Part 107 Certification, it becomes even more critical for real estate professionals to ask drone service providers a few very important questions.

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    Photo: Courtesy of Jim Brammer Photography

    Amateur Drone Operators Drawn to Real Estate

    Being acutely aware of the current real estate bull market, we see significant competition for real estate drone photography.  Novice drone operators are naturally drawn to real estate photography.  With minimal overhead and modest investment in their business, the untrained and un-insured drone operator can compete on razor thin margins and offer super low prices.  Without sufficient professional training and insurance coverage, it’s easy to see how something might go wrong.  It’s understandable, however, that we see so many real estate professionals opt for the lowest bid but know there are risks associated with going that route – not only to the drone pilot but also the agents themselves.

    Image of Fram
    “You Can Pay Me Now, or Pay Me Later”

    This brings to mind the old Fram Oil commercial where the auto tech famously said, “You can pay me now or, you can pay me later”.  In short, it’s wise to consider more than just price when hiring a drone photography service.   We hope these 5 questions help:

    1. Minimize Financial Risk and Personal Liability: You don’t have to look far to find evidence of near catastrophic drone-related accidents.  There are plenty of examples: Here in Southern California, as recently as last September, a Hollywood man was charged with reckless operation of a drone when after responding to a report of a burglary, the suspect flew his drone into an airborne police helicopter, forcing an emergency landing after the mid-air collision.  Just last December, a Philadelphia man was slapped with a $182k fine, the 2nd largest of all time, for conducting at least 26 unauthorized drone flights from December 2019 through August 2020.  Fortunately, both incidents were single-entity related but know that, if either of these incidents were being performed in the course of providing commercial drone services, the legal actions could extend to the hiring entity.  Action:  Ask your drone pilot to show evidence of current aviation liability insurance from a reputable drone insurance carrier.  It is a good practice to insist that your drone provider carry a minimum of $1M in liability coverage.

    2. Verify Pilot Technical Competency: The FAA offers a commercial drone pilot certification and an official license.  Commonly referred to as Part 107, this certification requires rigorous pre-test training on a variety of highly technical aviation and weather-related concepts and, with a passing test score, provides the drone pilot with a sUAS remote pilot certificate that authorizes them to fly commercial drone missions. Hiring a non-FAA Part 107 licensed pilot should leave serious doubt in their ability to truly understand the more technical aspects of real time airspace interactions with other manned and un-manned aircraft as well as the more sophisticated aviation-related “rules of the road”.  Additionally, Federal statute (49 U.S. Code § 46306(b)(8)) declares that “a person shall be fined (up to $250,000) under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 3 years, or both, if the person . . .  knowingly and willfully employs for service or uses in any capacity . . . an individual who does not have an airman’s certificate authorizing the individual to serve in that capacity”.  Action: Ask to see the operator’s FAA issued Part 107 Remote Pilot License and verify that it is current.

    3. Ensure that High Safety Standards are Enforced: The FAA has a system in place to report drone accidents.  In fact, FAA Part 107 certified drone pilot are required to report an incident to the FAA Regional Operations Center within 10 days if a drone accident: Results in serious injury to any person, Causes any person to lose consciousness, or Causes damage to property (other than their drone) exceeding $500.  But with only 26% of the drone population being FAA certified, the reality is that many accidents will go unreported to the FAA.  That doesn’t mean the Agent’s risk has been diminished.  Drone accidents are still reported to police and personal insurance if damage to property or a 3rd party is the direct result of a crash due to pilot error.  And, it is likely that drone incidents will increase in proportion to the number of new entrants into the commercial marketplace as, for many, the allure of fast cash is just too tempting to bypass. Action: Hire only FAA Part 107 Certified Pilots.

    4. Confirm that Missions are Well Planned and Properly Executed: Drone mission planning is THE most critical part of the overall mission.FAA-certified commercial drone pilots are highly trained in every aspect of mission planning.  From airspace restrictions to real time weather to airborne interactions with other un-manned or manned aircraft, commercial drone pilots are inherently  able to mitigate risks by ensuring every flight is well planned and professionally executed.  Action: participate in your drone crew’s pre-flight mission planning.  Ask questions and use your judgement.  Bottom line, ask to see the drone pilot’s pre-flight checklist.  Every professional pilot will have one.

    5. Expect Project Deliverables to be Met with Professional Output: Commercial drone pilots live and die by their reputation.  They have each made a significant investment of time and money in their business and are generally here for the long term.  Their output is their calling card so great attention to deliverables and high-quality output are inherent in most drone professionals.  Action: ask to see the drone service provider’s reel, online portfolio, YouTube and/or Vimeo page and, most importantly, ask for references from former clients.

    Summary

    While increased drone usage will surely bring new and exciting economic opportunity for business, more drones in the sky will also bring more risk for drone crashes and drone injuries.  Now is the time to protect yourself from professional and personal liability.  Hire only FAA Part 107 certified and insured drone pilots for your next real estate project.  Also, make sure to read: Questions to Ask Your Drone Service Provider to learn how to protect yourself from financial risk!

    Sources:
    faa.gov
    Dedrone

  • Questions to Ask Your Drone Service Provider

    Questions to Ask Your Drone Service Provider

    The number of providers offering drone-based commercial aerial photography, videography and data gathering services is rapidly increasing. Unfortunately, not all drone service providers are created equal. Selection of a qualified provider breaks down into two major categories:

    1) Regulatory

    Many drone operators, as well as their prospective Clients, are unaware that FAA regulations specifically govern the safe use of this technology and prohibit the use of drones for commercial purposes unless a) the drone is registered with the FAA and b) the pilot holds a Remote Pilot Certificate with an sUAS rating. Clients should verify pilot credentials and aircraft registration before hiring a drone service provider.

    2) Safety, Ethics, Experience and Professionalism

    Even if they are Certified Remote Pilots, many operators lack the necessary insurance and competence to operate drones safely, ethically and professionally. The quality of the final deliverable often depends on the skills and artistry of the operator – and these skills can vary widely. Here too, Clients should verify qualifications by asking to see samples of an operator’s work before hiring them, as well as verifying safety practices and procedures, business license and insurance credentials.

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    Certification and Documentation – Ask to See It!

    • FAA Remote Pilot Certificate with a small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) rating
    • FAA Certificate of Aircraft Registration
    • Business License
    • Insurance policy declarations and endorsements
    • Pre-flight Checklist, Flight Operations Manuals, Aircraft Operations Manuals, Flight and Maintenance Logs, etc.

    Equipment

    A properly-equipped operator will have multiple sUAS, providing backup and redundancy for any on-location equipment issues that may arise

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    Crew and Roles

    • FAA-certified pilot required
    • Visual Observer highly recommended to help manage manned aircraft right-of-way, proximity to people, power lines, guy lines and other hazards
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    Safety and Operating Procedures

    • Go/No-Go procedures (personal minimums such as wind conditions, cloud cover, visibility, etc.)
    • What safety precautions will they utilize for your specific project and location?
    • Pre-flight planning and risk management processes?
    • Area and environment – proximity to airports and airspace restrictions, hazards, weather and bystanders?
    • Public awareness – notify nearby property owners and residents of flight date, time, location, duration, etc.?
    • Contingency planning and emergency procedures for safe exit routes in case of system failure of lost link, etc.?

    Experience (as both pilot and photographer)

    Pilot:

    • How many hours does the pilot have?
    • Are they current on the aircraft that they will be flying?

    Photographer:

    • What, if any, are the provider’s professional photography credentials?
    • Do they possess the skills and artistry to deliver quality results?

    Overall Professionalism

    Does your pilot demonstrate professionalism and a commitment to FAA regulatory compliance, safety procedures, legal and ethical operations, respect for privacy, etc.?

    In this inaugural blog from Aerial Decisions, we’ve provided an overview of questions to ask your drone service provider. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these issues. Please check our website at and watch this space as we expand on the above issues and more over the coming weeks and months.