So you want to get into the comercial unmanned business?

So you want to get into the unmanned industry

Well you can get a degree in robotics, photogrammetry or aerospace engineering, you can designing and build a UAS platform and try and market it, you could learn integration, you can learn to fly a drone and hold yourself out there and try and pick up some work or you could find the people who need the work done and contract UAS pilots regionally to do the work. The first thing I recommend is join RCAPA. That is where I go to find the UAS pilots to do the work I line up for domestic projects.

Litigation

I know an unmanned professional who has been doing a lot of work and he gets the government entities who contract him to go after the approvals and indemnify him. I would have whomever I am contracting to indemnify me in the event that the FAA tries to come after me. If they don’t then move on.

The right tools for the job

Gene Robinson has made me a believer of the flying wing system for search and rescue and firefighting. The ability to float on a thermal and shut the motor down and save battery is amazing. His data and image transmission and data storage from IPS/NexGen is remarkable and that is what makes his product stand out. When it comes to hover technology, I think there are a few but HoverFly seems to have a great product at a great price and then when it comes to long duration for persistent surveillance or regional connectivity, nobody beats CTJA/AirShip V2, V5 and V9 products. Then are capital needs and that is where Eagle Capital comes in.

Where the market is

Precision Agriculture

There are a lot of people focused on precision agriculture but if you aren’t already working in this industry, you need to focus on setting up for next year. Farmers want to see what their crop is doing at the beginning of the growing season and they want to focus on the challenged areas where the shoots are slow to come up, making sure they are getting the right amount of fertilizer and water.

Oil and Gas

Almost everyone is focused on pipeline security and there is going to be a big demand for that but are areas of exploration that UAS technology is applicable.

Firefighting and SAR

Gene Robinson has mastered the art of using his Spectra flying wing UAS for firefighting. I would contact the department of forestry of sugar cane growers and ask them if you can practice flying over the controlled burns they are conducting get the feel for floating on the thermals and when you get the hang of it, take the video to all of the fire departments in your area and let them know you are available to fly whenever they have a fire and learn the process for an emergency COA. Also let them know you are available for search and rescue (SAR).

Surveying

There is no season on surveying. When it comes to DOT applications you are probably going to have to either work with a university photogrammetry department or get very friendly with your state DOT. They are going to be anxious about the FAA regulations and safety but their real concern is going to be safety, cost and accuracy. You may have to do some free flying and I don’t mean “Untethered”. You may have to fly an area that has been contracted by a manned aircraft and fly it with your UAS and show the difference in accuracy and cost savings. You might want to reach out to some of the contractors who are collecting the data for DOTs and offer your services. The areas you can help them pick up more business is in architecture and 3D reconstruction. Contact GUTC and we will direct you to resources that can give you the advantages with these types of projects.

Surveillance

If you are willing to go into high risk areas and you have experience with military UAV piloting, I know several contractors who are looking for you. You may be able to get contracted by your local police or sheriff’s departments. They have the most leeway as far as authorization for UAS operations but they are doing this mostly in house. This is one of the only applications that getting paid is authorized because you would either be employed or contracted with a government entity (Until someone challenges the FAA in court again).

Every other application, you need to be contract or employed by a government agency, USDA, Fire Department, DHS, DOT, USGS, Forestry Department, college, university, a one of the armed services, a state, county or city branch of Government. Unless you are contracted by a property owner and then not as a UAS pilot but for the data and imagery you are collecting. GUTC has resources for data analysis for photogrammetry, spectral data, behavior analytics or change overlay.

Until the FAA figures out the their operational guidelines, you either pay an attorney to fight the FAA in court for each specific commercial application or follow these methods others have been using to stay under the radar of the FAA.