Category Archives: Aerial/UAS
1,500+ Flights
Can an owner/operator sustain a thriving business using only UAS? It’s happening in New Zealand with orthophotography of farmland. After little more than four years in the orthophotographic business, Chris McFadzean, owner/operator of Epiphany Mapping in New Zealand, has logged more than 1,500 UAS flights. This makes him one of the most experienced UAS pilots...
Paul Doersch
Paul Doersch – CEO and Founder, Kespry – California, USA Kespry is a newly formed UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) business dedicated to delivering pragmatic uses for drones. The company was founded by computer engineer and Stanford graduate, Paul Doersch. Paul has a background working for BMW, researching everything from smart-phone integration to self-driving cars. He...
Lindsay Renkel
Lindsay Renkel – Geospatial Marketing Specialist, Trimble – Colorado USA In the not-so-recent past, segments of geospatial industries were viewed more as rigid verticals, and cross-discipline and integrated workflows were realized through innovation in applied tech. That’s when companies like Trimble began to organize under new functional divisions. Marketing a broader range of products and services could...
Multicopter Profiles
The eXom, RiCOPTER, Aibot X6, and Trimble ZX5 SenseFly’s eXom Inspection and close-in mapping sUAS I first saw sensFly’s new eXom sUAS at the ILMF conference in Denver early this year. It’s billed as an inspection and close-in mapping platform, and I thought, “Inspection? That’s interesting” and moved on. Turns out the team at senseFly...
Getting Beyond VLOS
The FAA’s streamlined Section 333 exemption and COA process is welcome, but there’s still a fly in the ointment. While the ongoing FAA Section 333 exemption process is a big step in the right direction for UAS, all operators flying under these exemptions are constrained by the VLOS rule: all flights must be conducted within...
We Are Aviators First
With UAS, surveyors are becoming aviators. As we adopt new technology, we should heed old advice. I flew my first photogrammetric mission in the early 1980s while I was completing my geodesy degree during tumultuous times at my alma mater. While the rest of the world had disco fever, students at Universidad Central de Venezuela...