CT: No Weaponized drones for Law Enforcement
FAA- ADS-B Airspace
Starting January 1, 2020, you must be equipped with ADS-B Out to fly in most controlled airspace.
Download the Equip ADS-B Google Earth map to look at the location of ADS-B rule airspace at your home base and where you fly. Pan and zoom to different locations and turn on the various capabilities the map includes:
- 3-dimensional depictions of rule airspace, airports, and temporary flight restrictions in real time
- Overlays of ADS-B surveillance coverage — airspace where ATC can see aircraft transmitting ADS-B Out information at altitudes of 500′, 1,500′, 3,000′, 5,000′ and 10,000′ AGL
- Non-radar airspace where aircraft transmitting ADS-B can be seen by ATC
Why is the Quadcopter Design Used for Small Drones?
Over the past couple of years, drones have taken the world by storm and most people have started to think that the quadcopter design is what is known as a drone. When actually what people call a drone is just an Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) & Multi-rotor.
A UAV or what people call a drone can actually be anything from an RC Helicopter, Airplane, or Quadcopter. But have you ever wondered why the quadcopter design has actually gotten so popular?
Well, in this post we are going to go over all of the technical reasons why manufacturers have chosen the quadcopter design and even why most people have started to prefer the quadcopter design rather than other UAVs such as RC Helicopters and RC Airplanes.
Why I love Quadcopters vs. Helicopters
Over the past couple of years, I have become very interested in the drone industry and have become a big fan of flying everything from RC Helicopters to drones, but I’ve noticed that I really like flying quadcopters way more.
There’s just something about that incessant buzzing, ease of use, and innovative uses that keep me coming back. Even when I made a mistake and got caught flying a drone near the white house!
Following the invention of small flying RC UAVs, engineers have been experimenting with different designs, in an attempt to boost efficiency. The quadcopter design has been around since the early 1900s, which comes as a bit of a shock since the quadcopter design is not applied much in any other means of transport. So why use the quadcopter design, and not the typical helicopter design?
Why the quadcopter design is attractive with small consumer drones
One of the main reasons cited for this anomaly is mechanical simplicity. See, for a conventional helicopter to take off and ensure easy maneuverability, it needs to use the combined effort of its main rotor blades and tail rotor. The main rotor blades have to modify their pitch as they gyrate, so as to angle the helicopter’s thrust. The mechanism needed to accomplish all this is very intricate and thus very expensive. On the other hand, the quadcopter uses four propellers affixed to four motors. These then link up to form a single moving part, a design that is very simple and straightforward compared to the multi rotors design. In addition to being cheap, in terms of price, this design also makes the drone very easy to operate.
The quadcopter’s blades are significantly smaller in size than the standard helicopter blades. Most RC quadcopter propellers measure approximately eight to nine inches in length, whereas helicopter rotor blades span up to several feet in length, depending on the size of the aircraft. The small size of the quadcopter blades makes them safe, in the event of an accident (say the drone hits something midair or one of the propellers breaks off), as the amount of damage caused will be significantly less than that caused by a helicopter blade. The small size of the design also makes it suitable for flying both indoors and outdoors.
The main disadvantages of the quadcopter design are:
Quadcopters are so unstable that they have to be enhanced with electronic stabilization just to maintain them in the air. So what exactly is the reason behind this? See, for a quadcopter to achieve stability, it has to modify each propeller’s thrust. Sometimes the propellers on one side of the quadcopter can produce more or less thrust than those on the opposite side. Consequently, the drone tilts to the one hand. The only way to restore balance is by adjusting the thrust of the propeller so as to slow down or speed up the propellers.
With helicopters, this is accomplished within a matter of seconds. This is because all that needs to be done is to change the pitch of the blades which in turn changes the thrust. In quadcopters, however, the speed of propellers is controlled by the motors. Due to inertia, more energy might be required to adjust the rate of a prop. There is thus more time needed to attain stability.
Nevertheless, there are many different types of small drones in the market today. And with so many, there is always something for everyone, from easy-to-operate beginners’ drones to intricate quadcopters for aerial photographers. As long as you know what you would like to use the drone for then you could definitely find the perfect drone for you!
FAA: First Maps to Ease Authorization Process
FAA: More Air Space for sUAS/UAV Operations
DJI: The Announcements Keep Coming
7 Reasons Why the Utilities Industry Should Be Employing Drones: Infographic
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are being used across commercial industries as a more efficient and cost-effective option. In particular, the potential for drone use in the utility industry has grown tremendously.
Utilities across the country are beginning to see the vast potential for drones to reduce costs, improve safety, increase reliability and more quickly analyze malfunctions. While utilities currently conduct most maintenance operations by manual, visual inspection, new developments within the FAA have helped to pave the way toward more cost-effective UAS-based infrastructure maintenance.
The below infographic highlights the top seven reasons why the utilities industry can significantly benefit from commercial drone technology.
Crashed Your Drone? Here’s What To Do Next
Did you crash your drone into a brick wall? Slam it into a power line? Give it a dunk in a river? We’ve all been there. Flying drones is hard, ok? But don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to get your drone back in the air. Here are three easy and affordable options to get your baby flying again. Don’t worry – your drone is going to be just fine!
1) Fix it yourself
Even if you don’t have any experience, this can still be a great option for you, especially if the damage isn’t too severe. If you only have a cracked prop or two, this is almost always the way to go.
The best part about doing it yourself is that you only need to pay for parts, which can be super cheap if you know where to look. Have a look on your drone manufacturer’s website to see what they have available. Most of the time, you’ll be able to find everything you need there. If not, have a trawl through eBay for a scrap drone. You’ll be able to get the part you need for a fraction of the cost, and be up in the air in no time.
Remember, though – you shouldn’t spend more than a few hundred dollars on parts. Anything more than that and it makes more sense to just buy a new drone.
2) Send it to the manufacturer for repair
If you’re not in too much of a rush to get flying again then this is the option for you. Getting your drone repaired by the manufacturer is a great way to save money – but lose some time. We’ve heard of turnarounds in excess of 6 weeks! There can be long waits, poor customer service, disputes over warranty, and loads of other issues.
Still, there is definitely an upside. If you can prove that your drone crashed due to a build defect, rather than pilot error, then your repair will almost certainly be free! In fact, 5% of drone crashes are because of a build defect. It’s a great way to save yourself some money.
What’s more, manufacturers are getting faster and better at repairing their drones by the day. They also have some great deals available. GoPro, for example, offers two year Care coverage for just $149. With this, they’ll completely replace your Karma for only $199 in under two weeks. Not a bad deal, huh?
3) Find a repair centre
It’s easy to say you should have bought warranty when you bought your drone. If you didn’t, though, there are tonnes of other options available for you. There’s definitely no harm in taking your drone to an authorised repair centre in your local area.
If you’re looking to get your drone back in the air fast, then this is definitely the way to go. Turnaround times with local repair shops can be as little as 24 hours – lightning quick compared to your other options.
Also, there might be more wrong with your drone than you think. During crashes, circuit boards tend to get knocked loose (unbeknownst to the owner), meaning that the drone won’t function properly, even after being repaired by a layman.
Flying High: Guide to Using Drones to Market Your Real Estate Property
Flying High: Guide to Using Drones to Market Your Real Estate Property
For a realtor, marketing a real estate property is one of the most difficult things to do in business today. There are thousands of properties for sale in each area and your property is competing with dozens of others.
The competition is fiercely brutal, mainly because online listings generate almost all of the leads by prospective buyers. Nearly every property buyer today starts their search online.
So, it can be really difficult to stand out from other listing. If you are a real estate buyer, you need to inspect property roof and surrounding area. This is almost impossible if you are in a rush to buy or you are new to the area. You are betting that a property is in sound repair when you are making an offer without really fully seeing the roof. This can be an expensive bet and a roof repair can start from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands if the roof needs to be fully replaced.
How drones have changed the Real Estate market forever
Drones have made a huge difference to property listings through high-quality photography and videos. Many realtors are using drones to enhance property listings in use of dramatic camera photography with aerial shots and video tours in online listings that walk you through the property as a prospective buyer.
Some real estate agents claim that drones are the most disruptive new technology that is shaking up real estate marketing since the invention of the Internet.
And it’s easy to see why. Using flying drone cameras, real estate agents are hiring professional photographers who are producing dramatic, sweeping shots of landscapes, oceans, neighbouring properties and mountain vistas and seamless fly-arounds of gorgeous home exteriors. The buyers can do a virtual walk through each property without leaving their home, and make a short list of properties that they are really interested in.
This has a huge benefit for the buyer in that they know the condition of the property, whether or not it fits in with their lifestyle and whether or not they are likely to buy it. The real estate agent has a qualified buyer at their door step, and the seller achieves a quicker than normal sale with fewer viewings than conventional sale route without drone technology.
4 Benefits of Using Drones to Market Your Real Estate Property
Let’s look at real world scenarios. How do real estate agents benefit from using camera drones in their marketing?
- Create more dramatic and compelling images. Using a modern ready-to-fly camera drone, one can create dramatic shots very easily by combining GPS programmed flight paths and using automatic point-of-interest camera targeting to take shots. Well thought drone camera shots look incredibly professional but also they can generate a sense of interest that you simply can’t get from ground-based photography.
- Real life virtual tours. A drone camera can fly into a home through the front door, and travel throughout every room, creating a far more natural virtual tour. Add a professional voice-over sound track, and these virtual tours can become beautiful visual stories.
- Show off all property features. Show off landscaped gardens, pools, walking paths and back yards to all prospective buyers. As a buyer, you can see that area is safe and occupied by families. Aerial photos and videos bring these benefits to life.
- Generating new business, and repeat business. As a realtor, you have sold a property quickly for a seller. They will be calling you when they wish to sell their next property. They would certainly recommend your services to their friends and family and therefore, generating more business for you. The buyers will know what a fantastic job you did to sell them their dream home so you’d be first realtor they would call when they will be thinking of selling their property.
The future of drones in the real estate has yet to be fully written. But so far, we are excited, it’s looking pretty good – from up here.