Interdrone 2017: So Many Drones, So Many Applications

Overview
Interdrone is one of the largest gatherings of UAS (drone) pilots, industry leaders, UAS engineers, videographers, manufacturers, developers, and enthusiasts. With hundreds of panels on topics from real estates, fire/police safety, legal issues, to construction there is information for anyone looking to learn more about the world of UAS. That is without mentioning the nearly 200 vendors selling everything from landing pads to diesel propelled UAS’s capable of reaching the altitudes of a jet liner.

Sessions
UAS is becoming an increasing versatile device in the fields of construction and mining. The panels for construction discussed the applications of drones for project updates and security. One prime example was pouring a concrete slab. A UAS was deployed over a series of days to monitor the progress of the slab. The precise measurements were able to tell if the slab was uneven or the thickness was off. It was also helpful in monitoring the progress of the construction site far better than mounted cameras on distant buildings.

Mining sites are training UAS pilots to evaluate tailings and soil piles, large mounds of loose debris that workers used to climb and map, often being injured in the process. A UAS obtains the data in 20 minutes while the software automatically calculates the amount of material that needs to be moved.

Legal Issues
One of the most interesting sessions was on legal issues facing UAS. The central argument “how much of the sky do you own?” 400 feet, six inches? When does Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have jurisdiction, even if it is on your property? The speaker cited a couple of interesting cases, such as a man taking a flamethrower to a UAS that was four feet off the ground in his back yard. While it was his UAS and his backyard, it was deemed to be federal airspace and illegal. The legal battle has been going on for two years.

After nearly an hour in this session, the take away was that UAS legal issues are complicated and there is no easy answer. The regulations are constantly changing. From the time this article is written and read, one regulation will be out of date and two new ones will be put in place. The UAS industry is changing as such a rapid pace that the FAA and legislators are struggling to keep up. The final message was “it is not a matter of when a major incident with drones will happen but when. That will force laws and regulations to be firmly put in place.”

So fly safe and fly smart.