You’ve probably heard the word drone buzzing around the construction industry. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, have amazing benefits, and can be implemented into the construction process in so many ways (land surveying, jobsite surveillance, etc.). One of the problems with drones, however, is getting started with the implementation process.
So you want to use drones for your construction company, but don’t know how? We’ll take you through the process and tell you everything you need to know.
I Want to Start Using Drones for my Construction Company. Where Do I Even Start?
First and foremost, you need to educate yourself. The easiest way to get familiar with using drones is to become familiar with the regulations in place for both commercial and private use. Another important educational aspect you will need to take into account is insurance. Whether you are looking to fly at home or use drones on the job, insurance will be an important factor. If you crash your drone without it, it can mean big trouble.
After that, a great thing to do is to go out and get your hands on a drone. You can buy a relatively inexpensive one, and once you have it, find a large open space to fly it (a space that is, of course, legal). You can also talk to a group of hobbyists to get information about drones, or you can simply get help flying them. Ask them questions: what type of data can they collect from drones? Are they easy to operate? etc.
Are Commercial Drones Illegal?
Many people will tell you that flying commercial drones are illegal. That is not true. Flying drones are not illegal as long as you have a Certificate of Authority (COA) issued from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). What this does is give your company authorization to fly your drone within specific areas.
Even if you are planning to outsource to a company who provides drones for commercial use, you will still need a COA. The benefit here is that the professionals who are operating these drone companies have extensive experience and can help your company acquire a COA.
It is interesting to note here that there is a very big gray area. FAA guidelines state that you cannot use drones commercially without a COA, meaning that you cannot sell the data collected by the drone with a certificate. But, if you are using a drone to perform your own personal inspection on-site, and you are not selling the data you collect, you do not need a COA. Your drone simply needs to be owned by you and not attached to the company or its rules.
The important factor to take away from this is that drones are being used for commercial purposes today.
Are Drones Expensive? Are the Types of Drones We Need for Construction Expensive?
The answer is no, and no. For a standard drone that will fly around and take pictures and videos, it will run you around $2,000. What most construction companies do, however, is not buy their own drones but outsource instead.
There are numerous drone vendors who cater to the construction industry today (Skycatch and Ares, for example, are companies who do this). For a monthly fee, you have access to use drones that are constantly upgraded, replaced, etc. You don’t have to buy equipment, and they come managed and maintained with insurance.
Are Drones Easy to Use?
If you are flying a drone one on one, meaning a pilot flying a drone, yes it is easy. But, there is more value in automating drones, and it is even easier. Instead of having a pilot fly a drone during an inspection, there are drones that are simply placed on the ground that then perform pre-mapped tasks without any human interaction required.
Again, this is what many drone vendors are providing: full drone automation.
Can I Use Drones for Any Type of Construction Companies?
Drones can be used for large General Contractors that do both civil and commercial residential building or industrial sites. Smaller subcontractors would also find useful benefits in drone technology.
Drones are not limited to these types of construction subsections, however, and can be applied in other areas as well. These are just the most popular types in the industry today.
What Are Some of the Uses for Drones?
These are a few short applied applications for drones:
- Surveying construction sites – capture data easily and accurately
- Survey Dangerous Areas – like collapsed tunnels or buildings
- Monitor Jobsites – have complete site visibility
The path to deciding whether or not to use drones for your company is going to be a process, but, if done correctly, it is one that can pay off and have big benefits for your business. If you have any questions on drone use, application, rules and regulations and more, leave a comment below and we’d be happy to expand on it.
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