Who here has experience with professional drones? Like a level past hobbyist? My company is looking for some information about the capabilities and industry. I am tasked with finding the Black Swan within a proposed venture.
@THEIS We are looking at taking on a smaller company that has limited current contracts in oil and gas industry for pipeline inspections. He is former Mil pilot, current private pilot IFR/VFR with instructor ratings. He understands current FAA, DOT and Ferc regulations already. He was in oil and gas but recently got laid off and is looking at turning this side business into a full time operation. My company has the contacts and current measurement contracts. We are looking at the feasibility. We wanted to see what we might be missing and or what the competition might be up to. Our advantage so far is we have Oil and Gas pipeline inspection experience already and we are not some hobbyist looking to try and make money with a toy. We are a Channel Partner with ABB and have access to their LiDAR capable drone. I'm looking for what we could be missing. any input or direction would be awesome.
he already is. has it done. has current contract with one energy company. we have access to many many more through our current contracts with MSA's in place. Basically we need just add another item on our services line card and run with it. I am just looking for any Black Swans that we might be missing. We are very excited at this potential venture, we just wanted to find the wet blanket, if any, before we make official commitments. We might do a 90 day, six month pilot program to do a soft start. We have the insurance and licencing in place. To me this seems like a huge no brainer, just doing my due diligence to find the plot holes.Just get him FAA certified for SUAS, if he’s already a real pilot then he knows how to go on airman’s and setup and exam. It’s so easy even a pipe hitter can do it. He’ll need it legally if he excepts money for running the inspection. The inspection can be resulted by someone else obviously to draw data.
As a company, look at insurance, on the drone and for liability depending if there is any.
As far as corporate strategy, I cant nor want to help with that, but it would seem that the selling point is you have a drone capable of conducting an inspection, as you said.
edit: tell him the exam is under part 107 unless he still holds a manned pilots license under 61.
Whats your missile payload requirement?
We have the pilot with experience. Drone Experience. I was just looking to see if there was a gorilla in the room i am missing.I own a company that specializes in drone-based mapping and photography of accident scenes and large objects. From an operational standpoint, piloting a drone has almost zero relationship to piloting a plane. And the FAA Part 107 exam, and the courses that prepare you for it, do not test or instruct regarding how to actually fly a drone. The skill and experience is the major missing part of your puzzle from my perspective.
He also has proprietary software that gives us a HUGE edge but i don't want to tip my hand on that. We might need to look at patents and licencing? I don't know how to protect the software.
Not sure about swans, but I bet @j-huskey could locate a sounder.
I can find body heat, man or beast. I can find leaking heat sources. And I can find a tree to crash the drone into while being interrupted by a walk up. I am not an expert and could not answer 98% of Benders questions, and could probably answer the last 2% wrong at least 50% of the time.
@Bender
I dont see a gorilla or black swan in the answers you got, specifically post 9.
I would sign him up under a non-disclosure agreement that he cannot disclose any of your current business contacts, practices, or locations.
And in a termination contract, say soft start for 6 months with intent to renegotiate next 6m, etc, if he declines further with yr company. that after termination, he cannot approach any of your current contracted clients for business until after your contracts expire, whereas you and he would then bid as competitors (this has a legal name, it just escapes me rt now.)
On "his proprietary software", just what is your legal claim to it at this point. What agreements will be between yr company and him related to it. (Dont answer here). That's something you need clearly delineated from day 1. His, and you rent. lease, use agreement, or purchase sole ownership.
Corporate lawyer should be involved from day 1.
Close friend uses drones for structural inspections on large architecture/structures and its invaluable to his business.
His advice. Your company first and foremost, protect it at all costs. What you get from the gentleman, clear cut contract with exit clause.
Best to you on this. Drones will spoil you.
He was probably using Pix4D. That is pretty much industry standard.I met a guy a few weeks ago who was using a drone to take pictures of a tower. Here said he had a program that would take a bunch of pictures of the tower and stitch them together to make a virtual model of the tower and everything on it. I thought that may be useful for your purpose.
I hadn't flown my drone in over a month. I got it out this afternoon. I suck. I didn't crash it today, but had trouble with the figure 8 pattern that I had previously flown around some trees in the yard. Add I posted earlier, it's a perishable skill.
For Immediate Release May 5, 2020 Contact: [email protected] WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced the eight companies that will assist the Federal government in establishing requirements for future suppliers of Remote Identification (Remote ID). Remote ID will enable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly called drones, to provide identification and location information while operating in the nation’s airspace. The FAA selected the following companies to develop technology requirements for future Remote ID UAS Service Suppliers (USS): Airbus, AirMap, Amazon, Intel, One Sky, Skyward, T-Mobile, and Wing. These companies were selected through a Request for Information process in December 2018. “The FAA will be able to advance the safe integration of drones into our nation’s airspace from these technology companies’ knowledge and expertise on remote identification,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. This initial group will support the FAA in developing technology requirements for other companies to develop applications needed for Remote ID. The applications will provide drone identification and location information to safety and security authorities while in flight. The technology is being developed simultaneously with the proposed Remote ID rule. Application requirements will be announced when the final rule is published. The FAA will then begin accepting applications for entities to become Remote ID suppliers. The FAA will provide updates when other entities can apply to become qualified Remote ID USS on FAA.gov. Drones are a fast-growing segment of the transportation sector with nearly 1.5 million drones and 160,000 remote pilots now registered with the FAA. The agency’s ability to develop Remote ID technology simultaneously with the rule enables the FAA to continue to build on a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system that has demonstrated global leadership through the small UAS rule and the implementation of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), which automates the application and approval process for most UAS operators to obtain airspace authorizations. |
This has been a foregone conclusion for some time. ADS-B is mandatory for planes in controlled airspace. There should be no expectation that drones will be left out. We have turned a corner from just RC plane nerds playing games to utilizing unmanned vehicles for real applications - entry level, but we are starting down the path. Flight path deconfliction is now essential. Add to this the urban air mobility programs that are now seriously underway and the 3D travel space becomes more congested in urban areas than what was initially anticipated.You might find this interesting:
For Immediate Release
May 5, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced the eight companies that will assist the Federal government in establishing requirements for future suppliers of Remote Identification (Remote ID). Remote ID will enable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly called drones, to provide identification and location information while operating in the nation’s airspace.
The FAA selected the following companies to develop technology requirements for future Remote ID UAS Service Suppliers (USS): Airbus, AirMap, Amazon, Intel, One Sky, Skyward, T-Mobile, and Wing. These companies were selected through a Request for Information process in December 2018.
“The FAA will be able to advance the safe integration of drones into our nation’s airspace from these technology companies’ knowledge and expertise on remote identification,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
This initial group will support the FAA in developing technology requirements for other companies to develop applications needed for Remote ID. The applications will provide drone identification and location information to safety and security authorities while in flight.
The technology is being developed simultaneously with the proposed Remote ID rule. Application requirements will be announced when the final rule is published. The FAA will then begin accepting applications for entities to become Remote ID suppliers. The FAA will provide updates when other entities can apply to become qualified Remote ID USS on FAA.gov.
Drones are a fast-growing segment of the transportation sector with nearly 1.5 million drones and 160,000 remote pilots now registered with the FAA. The agency’s ability to develop Remote ID technology simultaneously with the rule enables the FAA to continue to build on a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system that has demonstrated global leadership through the small UAS rule and the implementation of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), which automates the application and approval process for most UAS operators to obtain airspace authorizations.