Found this article interesting. A firm called, Air Shepard, has joined forces with the South African Government to operate Drones with thermal imaging camera to catch poaches of endangered species in the outback.
Game keepers have their work cut out trying to enforce the law on poaching when faced with protecting thousands of square miles of land. Drones make the perfect weapon in their fight.
This just shows, with the right application, Drones really are the tool of the future.
Lets be honest, its only a matter of time before a drone is used in the UK to cause an act of terror. I truly think in 2016 a drone will be used to kill or at least cause damage to infrastructure in Britain or Europe. Why? Drones are the perfect platform to inflict panic in a community. The are cheap to buy, readily available and there is currently no way of tracking an owner.
Could the government make a start in putting together actions to combat this? Yes. Are they? No. A Act, that would mean, like buy and owning a car, you have to give your personal details to the powers that be.
If you buy a drone, you are only required to get a licence and ‘register’ if you are making money off it. However Taxi drivers aren’t the only ones required to get a license, insurance and insure their car is fit. Everyone does. Therefore it makes sense that everyone who buy a drone, registers it, insures it and maintains it.
There should be levels of insurance, ie a 15 who gets one for christmas, has to register his name and serial number on a site. He ticks a box to say he has ready the rules. High Street insures offer a policy to your ‘home and contents’ and it costs you £25 a year. Commercial operators should have varying levels. Annual UAS income of £0 – £15000 year (ie part-time) £750. Company income £15000 – £30000 pay around £1250 a year and anyone over that is most likely one of the few big timers and should pay significanlty more.
Its not about making money its about having a safe more regulated industry.
Luckily, in some cases, we don’t need the government to start the ball rolling, the occasional organisation or person will come along, and try to make that change themselves.
I meant to blog about the Drone Safe Register a few months ago, when i started seeing their promotions on various Facebook groups, then on google and now they seem to be doing good things all over the country!
In short, what Mark Boyt (i’ve got to know Mark personally since joining DSR, more on that shortly) set up DSR becuase of a lack of a central hub or destination for UAS Pilots and companies to share ideas and business opportunities. More importantly it was established with the general public in mind.
If you are reading this, chances are you have nothing better to do. And you are interested in Drones. The general public will never read anything i have written. Their only interaction with Drone is when they see one blowing up a wedding in the Middle East, on the news. Or more and more frequently in the papers, flying too close to an Airplane.
What DSR have done is aimed their viral marking right in the face of the public. Why, becuase no one else is doing it! The CAA has its list of approved UAS operators. Unless you know what to type and where to look, you will never find it as Joe Public. Since DSR hit the scene, i noticed a much old UAS forum/community pop up, ARPAS, who again like the CAA have a dated website, no consumer friendly at all. Only DSR seems to understand how to relate to the laymen.
They produced a very high quality animated video, that gives someone looking to hire a drone operator, all the information they could need, and in a way they will understand it. Its bright and colourful, and if you ever have a customer who is unsure of what you do, show them this video!
However DSR have another trick up its sleeve. This is also a tool for the public to find a qualified pilot and for qualified Pilots to showcase their video, company, profile and potential contracts. Click on the map, find a local company, and check out their profile.
Public wins. Pilot win. Cost to public free! Cost to Pilot £8.25 a month! Ha, sorry Mark, if you ever read this, im not laughing at you, im laughing at how cheap something so useful and so important, can be this cheap. And it work….
I mentioned earlier that i have gotten to know Mark personally? Well last month i asked DSR to accompany me on an important contact in London. It was my most prestigious contract to date, and i needed to ensure the client was fully confident in the operation. I contacted Mark and he agreed to put together a team and equipment to assist myself and the client. It was a great success, and a owe a huge thank you to Mark and the team at DSR for making it such a success. DSR assisted me in the planning, prep and actual completion of the job, (that will air on ABC in the states later this year, so stay tuned) and i couldn’t have done it without them.
(DSR brought along some of their equipment to supplement mine and help me out with ground based filming. Saved me a fortune!)
So would i recommend joining DSR and parting with £8 a month, yes, even if you are part-time, i have picked up two jobs so far from the site since January, and even better met other pilots too. Which will lead me onto my next blog post, regarding my most recent operation with Des Sterland at SkyHawx in Chorley, a fantastic pilot, and another Drone Safe Registered member.
I would like to Doth my Cap to Mark, he has stuck his hand in his own pocket, to build a website and brand that is designed to educate and inform the public, offer a platform for the public to work with UAS companies. The government should take note of what Mark has achieved and look to create a similar venture, where everyone who buys a drone is registered. It wont stop the most dedicated idiots, from doing idiotic things with Drones, but it is a proactive step in the right direction. Take note Mr Cameron.
The 1000 Milestone, was reached some time in the last month. I tend to keep an eye on the CAA register to see who is who. On the 2nd Feb, i blogged about the CAA UAS database, which at the time had 483 registered Pilots. I predicted 1250 licensed pilots by Feb 2016, so lets wait to see if i’m right. I think i might have under estimated!
Hopefully it won’t be long until a proper UAS Pilots register is established. This needs to happen. From the perspective of the public, business and actual UAS companies. A central hub for all things UAS in the UK is essential. Place for Pilots to register their business, share comments and ideas (not like facebook forums – a blog for later!). A source of information for the Public and Business, to access clear and concise information about legal UAS operations, and a place to actually source a qualified UAS company.
The CAA register is great for those in the know, but as of yet, this isn’t particular user friendly, and not at all publicised by the CAA. I know there are a few ‘not for profit’ organisations that have set up similar things. But the problem with ‘not for profit’, is that it is completed in peoples spare time, and without significant personal funding, will never get properly exposed to the public……..
…..Which really needs to happen. A BBC report released a few hours, states that 3 Police Forces confirm over 200 complaints from the public about Drones this last year.
First off, there is absolutely no context for this report, which is kind of annoying. A what constitutes a ‘rightful’ complaint? How many of these are just people calling the Police because they think someone is actually spying on them…from 100 meters away, on a go pro camera, erm yeah.
It would be good to know how many of the 200, the Police actually followed up on.
Anyways more point is this, with ever growing numbers of registered UAS operators, more of the public buying them for recreation, and an increased number of complaints, surely now is the time for proper legislation, insurance for all and a proper UAS Pilots database.
I loved my Sony Walkman, i loved my Sony Discman even more…. then in 1994, came the Sony Playstation, and as a fourteen year old boy, i discovered true love. I even had a Sony 12inch colour TV in my bedroom to boot. In short all my tech from the age of 9 to 19 was Sony. Then Apple happened. I’ve looked around the house, and i don’t own a single Sony product anywhere in my house.
This is potentially set to change? Here is the new DRONE from SONY and its does 106MPH!!!!! What?!?!?
Ok, so it isn’t going to be a Phantom killer, its unlikely you’ll find it under the tree this Christmas, but and its a big BUT, if this is successful, you can be Sony will create a Consumer of Prosumer Drone.
Think about that for a second. Think what a company like Sony could do, considering its lineage, with a Drone, the Playstation 5 (sic) and VR/Oculus. Think about how cool a micro-drone whizzing around your living room, shooting virtual enemies, would be. Yes please.
EDIT – should have inserted at the start of the blog. I knew nothing of this. And considering the past year Sony had, i’m both, one, amazed i didn’t know about Sony developing a UAS sooner, and two, hope it goes well for them; Sony you were a huge part of my youth, cheers!
Plans have been unveiled by Internet giants, Google, and NASA and 13 other Tech companies, including Amazon, for an air-traffic control system for drones.
Aptly named, the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management system.
The US Government, has up till recently had its ‘head in the sand’ regarding the commercial use of Drones. The FAA only recently granted Amazon (and others) exception to trail the ‘Prime Air’ delivery service, on US soil. Amazon had been testing their new delivery system, over the boarder in Canada.
Rather than let the air be clogged with unruly, unregulated unmanned UAS, the US Government is seeking to work with the private sector to create rules of the aerial road.
The move comes after a series of incidents involving drones, including crashes at national parks and on the White House grounds. Yet, for some businesses, the regulations can’t come fast enough.
“A UAS traffic management (UTM) system for low-altitude airspace is needed, much like today’s surface vehicles that operate within a system consisting of roads, lanes, stop signs, rules, and lights, regardless of whether the vehicle is automated or driven by a human,”
“While incorporating lessons learned from the well-established ATM system, which grew from a mid-air collision over the Grand Canyon in the early days of commercial aviation, the UTM system would enable safe and efficient low-altitude airspace operations by providing services such as airspace design, corridors, dynamic geofencing, severe weather and wind avoidance, congestion management, terrain avoidance, route planning and re-routing, separation management, sequencing and spacing, and contingency management,” the agency continued.
This can only be a good thing for our industry, and if something takes off in America, you can bet its going to take off in the UK too!
Will the CAA be as flexible and forthcoming as the FAA appear to be? Possibly not. Although there is now formal discussion on UAS delivery services, there is no mention of the actual practicalities. As i have discussed before, there needs to be a radical change in public perception of Drones, a change in rules for un-aided line of slight flights, and finally an improvement in UAS technology; both GPS and Battery life…..
Another factor is location. There is still no mention to the use of Drones for delivery, in congested areas. This might be one reason why Drone delivery might work in the US but not UK. We are a much much smaller country, things are more compact… any flight in the UK will most likely be into or over a congested area. This might not be the case in more remote areas of the US.
Anyways any UAS news that is not another ‘fly away’ or crash, can only be a good thing, and with Institutions like NASA and corporate giants like Google and Amazon, firmly on the band wagon, this are beginning to move in a more positive direction.
I haven’t posted anything in weeks. I haven’t stopped. Since my PFAW came through. I really miss writing my little blog.
So, this is a post i plan on adding to over the next few weeks, i just wanted to share a few pictures a friend and fellow UAS Pilot, Des Sterland of SkyHawx, took of my and my client at a local Golf Course.
I went in the see the Club back in May and offered to do a short promo video for free, as i hadn’t got my PFAW, and i wanted the experience…. my first tip, if you can get in the club pro, Golf Clubs are great places to meet the kind of people you need to meet in our industry. Its doubtful you can survive 365 days of the year, in the UK, from weddings, golf clubs and estate agents (which was originally my business plan, and many others new to the industry).
Most of these business will doubtfully, need your services, come the cold, rainy winter months…remember how much flight time you got between December and March?
I have learnt from working with SKEYEBV (more on that and them in a later post!), that if you really want to succeed in this industry and thrive, you need to make good contacts, and look more towards other industries. I don’t want to get in this now, thats a whole 3 hour writing sessions.
Anyways, back to my original comment, golf courses are great for contacts. I have already met and filmed couple of PGA Pros and on friday will be filming, Joe Miller, 2010 Long Drive Champion. There is mumbling with one or two well known golf brands as well. Mumblings.
My point is this. Offering your services for free, isn’t a bad way to make good contacts. The people in this world, who run companies and earn lots of money, like Golf, its a fact, you know it is 🙂
Anyways i wanted to show you these great images, taken by Des, with a Sony Nex 5n. These are going on my own personal webpage and showreel – thanks Des.
And a huge thanks to Arron Hodkin, the soon to be Pro at Wheatley Golf Club, who have given me the keys to a Golf Buggy and given me free region of his beautiful course. I must have been back five times, just to enjoy the view and food on their patio.
Now i need to learn how to play golf…and dress appropriately!
Skip to about 11.30 and you will see this Pilot fly his Phantom directly over the heads of these Firefighters, not a great idea as they are busy putting out a house fire.
The Firemen are clearly not happy about the Quad flying so close to them, not sure if it a privacy issue, they are annoyed with being filmed, or maybe they are concerned about safety?
Well their solution, is to try to shoot the Phantom out of the sky with a hose pipe! Ridiculas!!!
Skip to 12.01 minutes to see the hose pipe in action.
I know how safe a Phantom is, and there is no reason for it to simply fall out of the sky, and Pilot had demonstrated 11 minutes of relatively ‘safe‘ flying. Had the fool with the hose pipe actually hit the electronics of the Phantom it could have caused a fly away or crashed onto someones head.
What on earth possessed him to do it? I have had a few concerned members of the public approach me when working, unsure of how safe or legal my UAS is, but no one has actively tried to ground it!
Isn’t it funny, how, when a hobby becomes your job, it can lose some of its fun?
I found this years ago playing basketball, and now, more recently, flying my UAS.
This time last year, any break in the clouds, would have seen me out flying my toy UAS. Now because i’m working and flying everyday, when the weekend comes, i just want a break from the Inspire.
VS
Why? well i think its down to my platform; The Inspire 1, it is an awesome work tool….but is it as much fun to fly as say a Phantom or similar smaller rig?
NOPE!!! I sold my Phantom to a friend a few months ago, and didn’t realise how much i missed it. We took it out over the weekend, and i had so much fun with it. Of course it isn’t as responsive or quick as the Inspire, but it so nimble and because it doesnt cost your right arm to buy, you can be more adventurous. If i crash my Inspire i’m out of work for a while!
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And i guess that is the crux of it. My Phantom was a bought as a toy. My Inspire was bought as a business investment.
Well if like me, you are looking to buy a new UAS for ‘fun’ and ‘weekend-warrioring’, maybe this is what you’re looking for……..
Looks cool right? A Tank Quadcopter – awesome! This is at least the forth UAS crowding funding campaign i’ve blogged about recently. And if you are quick you can pick one up for the bargain price of £55! – UPDATE – These have all gone. Next price is £59. Still so cheap. So much so, i’ve just backed them too!
Yay – First time, i’ve ever crowd funded before. I’ll be back with my own personal review in October…. right now they have £19,785 of the required £49,000 total.
How long will it be before your local bobby is using a Phantom to nick your local robber? Well the Police in Wisconsin recently used a UAS to catch a suspect, hiding in a pond. Ha, you cant make this s*!t up.
With the CAA, recently handing all illegal UAS matters over to the Police, this will only serve to bring more Police attention to UAS. Both good and bad. In my opinion, this will lead to more UK Police forces, seeing the benefits of having multiple ‘eyes in the sky’, utilising them, just like the Wisconsin Police.
Is this a possibility? Are the Police be required to adhere to the same rules as Hobbyist or Commercial UAS Operators?
Surely it wouldn’t be fair to suggest they are used for Commercial use. Though technically the ‘Pilot in Command’ gets a salary for flying the UAS, but he is a Police Officer first and foremost.
Ultimately, were finance is concerned, using a small fleet of UAS, say 5 Inspires and 10 Phantoms. is always going to be cheaper than the monthly cost of a running and maintaing a full blown Police Helicopter!
When asked about the extortionate cost of running a Police Helicopters, a local Police Force Spokeswoman, stated that £800-£1000 an hour cost, is “justified by the man hours it saves” – You could ground it a year, equip every single Police Car with a Phantom, or Solo, or probably even an Inspire with a thermal and night vision camera to boot, and still have change left over!
So if it is accepted that the Police are not using UAVs for ‘commercial’ applications, then what rules would apply?
Lets pretend for the sake of amusement, that Police cars are equipped with a UAS in the boot, linked to dual screen, a portable one and one mounted to the dash of the car. Would every single Police Officer that users the UAS be required to complete a similar competency exam, similar to the BNUC-s or RPQS? That would prove costly in the current format. Huge amounts of paper work etc etc etc.
In the future 50 years from now, this might be a reality, because the technology within UAS will become so advanced. But that future is well off, and in the mean time, i do think it would be great to see more Police Force utilise UAS.
There are various forces across the UK using UAS for crime prevention now. Surrey and Sussex Police recently spent £250,000 on a new fleet of UAVs! Wonder what platforms they are using, and what rules the are required to adhere too?
Im not suggesting that every Police Office should or even could be trained to fly a UAS, but in all honestly, in certain circumstances, anyone with eyes and enough fingers can fly a UAS.
My three year old daughter, Esmé, can use my Mac, iphone, ipad and thus she is able to ‘fly’ my Inspire. She knows how to ‘take off’, raise the landing gear, turn the camera film herself and land it. Granted i hold the controller, she hold the ipad, but you get my point. Give it a few years, and UAS will be able to follow a designated target and autonomously fly, avoiding building and people, without the need of a Pilot.
When you are training for you’re UAS licence, who do they tell you can legally encroach on your airspace? A Police Helicopter. They can fly where other Helicopter Pilots cant. If the Police are going to use UAS then the chances are they aren’t going to be operating within the same rules as us anyway!
Unmanned Aerial Systems - A Beginners Guide 