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.
- Thread starter Bender
- Start date
Is there a Forum that would be best to reach out too? I have googled for forums but they all seem sleepy and low post actions. We have a potential for business that i need to research and i need to read up and ask questions. Just looking for the best audience.
My employer asked for volunteers to operate drones. I did not sign up. Later my wife got me one. I told the boss that it was available if we need it. Company requires operator to have FAA license and fly company provided drones. I blew it off. I don't fly mine enough to be proficient enough for the up close flying that would sometimes be required. If you're going to do it for tower inspections, you'll need to be a better operator than if you're using it for pictures of real estate. It's a perishable skill, you'll need to practice.
@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.
Free Bump
PM Sent
Is this still available?
Mil or MOA????
Dibbs.
PM Sent
Is this still available?
Mil or MOA????
Dibbs.
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.
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Hi,
Certified pilot
Inspection contracts
Equipment for inspection contracts
Business insurance
Oil and Gas inspections via UAVs is only getting larger!!! The company you are with might want to take that path on.
Sincerely,
Theis
Certified pilot
Inspection contracts
Equipment for inspection contracts
Business insurance
Oil and Gas inspections via UAVs is only getting larger!!! The company you are with might want to take that path on.
Sincerely,
Theis
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.
Whats your missile payload requirement?
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.
just imaging and Lidar gas detection so far. I'm sure thermal is in there as well.
For thermal, the Parrott ANAFI Thermal is great.
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.
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 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.
The clauses are non-disclosure and non-compete clauses. I agree 100% regarding an attorney. Every state has different limitations and requirements on non-compete clauses, especially in terms of time and geographic scope.
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. As I posted earlier, it's a perishable skill.
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. As I posted earlier, it's a perishable skill.
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He was probably using Pix4D. That is pretty much industry standard.
Experienced advice: get the insurance tight. Overcharged for what you don’t need is not tight. Also, If you have had your legal team review your NDA then good. If not you risk exposure. If you need to put in patents do it now. Current time for review is 30 months last update I got from the patent office regarding UAS technology.
This may not be the info you are looking for. By definition black swans aren’t found until they appear out of nowhere. That’s what makes them black swans or “exogenous events” if you are talking about the economy.
If they aren’t black swans they usually are the consequences of inadequate research and planning based on your business model. And if you wait to get all the knowable knowns known before you act you won’t do it. You just grab you balls and go once you have done all the work that is reasonable.
With all the oil that is being stored in pipelines, etc you may have a real model to make hay on. Good luck to you guys!
This may not be the info you are looking for. By definition black swans aren’t found until they appear out of nowhere. That’s what makes them black swans or “exogenous events” if you are talking about the economy.
If they aren’t black swans they usually are the consequences of inadequate research and planning based on your business model. And if you wait to get all the knowable knowns known before you act you won’t do it. You just grab you balls and go once you have done all the work that is reasonable.
With all the oil that is being stored in pipelines, etc you may have a real model to make hay on. Good luck to you guys!
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. |
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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.
Not sure if it was mentioned, in writing you are the sole owner it any video and images on the job.
You are correct. However, controlled airspace is a major component of the nations airspace. Everything in controlled airspace needs to have ads-b. All planes will need to have ads-b retrofitted to them and functioning even if they don’t operate in a controlled space by 2023 I believe. My point was that the FAA is pushing to ultimately have all flying vehicles in the nation outfitted with transmitters for collision avoidance, etc. This is not the topic of thread but it’s coming to a class G (and controlled) atmosphere near you.
We already have a company in Texas asking if we do this. We need to move quickly but not make mistakes either. I will update how it goes.
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