UAV FUNDAMENTALS FOR LAND SURVEYORS · Restricted or Special Use Airspace The airspace surrounding...

SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTSUAV FUNDAMENTALS FOR LAND SURVEYORS

STEPHEN C. CHINO, JR., PLS

COURSE AGENDA• WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE BECOMING A LICENSED

UAV/UAS OPERATOR

• EMERGING TRENDS IN UAV TECHNOLOGY AND REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS

• LAND SURVEYING APPLICATIONS AND REAL WORLD EXAMPLES WITH FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION (WEATHER PERMITTING)

THIS IS ‘MURICA! I CAN FLY ANY TIME!

Guidance for model aircraft can be found in FAA Advisory Circular 91-75A and the Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft at faa.gov

No Matter Which, You Must Register Your UAV/UAS/DroneUAS Flown under the Small UAS Rule (Part 107)

The FAA requires you to:

1. Register your unmanned aircraft under "part 107"2. Label your unmanned aircraft (PDF) with your registration number

Registration costs $5 per aircraft and is valid for 3 years.

In order to register, you'll need:

• Email address• Credit or debit card• Physical address and mailing address (if different from physical address)• Make and model of your unmanned aircraft.

UAS Flown under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (Section 336)

If you are flying under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft, you must:

1. Register as a "modeler"2. Label your model aircraft with your registration number

In order to register, you must be:

• 13 years of age or older (if the owner is less than 13 years of age, a person 13 years of age or older must register the model aircraft)• A U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident*

In order to register, you'll need:

• Email address• Credit or debit card• Physical address and mailing address (if different from physical address)

No Matter Which, You Must Register Your UAV/UAS/Drone

Failure to register an unmanned aircraft that is required to be registered may result in regulatory and criminal penalties. The FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.

There is no one-size-fits-all enforcement action for violations. All aspects of a violation will be considered, along with mitigating and aggravating circumstances surrounding the violation. In general, the FAA will attempt to educate operators who fail to comply with registration requirements. However, fines will remain an option when egregious circumstances are present.

Waivers to Certain Small UAS Operating Rules

The small UAS rule (Part 107) includes the option to apply for a certificate of waiver, which allows for a small UAS operation to deviate from certain operating rules if the FAA finds that the proposed operation can be performed safely.

Waivable sections of part 107:

• Operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft (§ 107.25) *• Daylight operation (§ 107.29)• Visual line of sight aircraft operation (§ 107.31) *• Visual observer (§ 107.33)• Operation of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems (§ 107.35)• Yielding the right of way (§ 107.37(a))• Operation over people (§ 107.39)• Operation in certain airspace (§ 107.41)• Operating limitations for small unmanned aircraft (§ 107.51)

* The FAA will not waive this section to allow the carriage of property of another by aircraft for compensation or hire.

Request a Part 107 Waiver or Operation in Controlled Airspace

The FAA will issue waivers/authorizations to certain requirements of Part 107 if an applicant demonstrates they can fly safely under the waiver without endangering people or property on the ground or in the air.

The FAA will strive to review and issue decisions on waiver/authorization requests within 90 days. Processing times will vary based on the complexity of your request.

First responders and others entities responding to emergency situations may be eligible for expedited approval through our Special Governmental Interest (SGI) process.

All requests must now be made through the FAA Drone Zone.

Waivers and Authorizations Supporting Emergency UAS Operations

Examples of these response missions, which may qualify for expedited support through the FAA's Special Governmental Interest (SGI) process, are outlined below:

• Firefighting• Search and Rescue• Law Enforcement• Utility or Other Critical Infrastructure Restoration• Incident Awareness and Analysis• Damage Assessments Supporting Disaster Recovery Related Insurance Claims• Media Coverage Providing Crucial Information to the Public

What sort of waivers and authorizations are available through the SGI process?

The FAA may rapidly approve through its SGI process COA addendums and Part 107 authorizations and waivers UAS operations that:

• Fly in airspace (including controlled airspace and disaster Temporary Flight Restrictions) and/or at altitudes not otherwise permitted

• Fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)• Fly at night

I’ve got a cool new drone, where can I fly?!?!

The United States has the safest and most complex airspace in the world. The FAA has authority over this airspace from the ground up, and is responsible for making sure air traffic flies smoothly and efficiently.

Anyone operating a UAS is responsible for flying within FAA guidelines and regulations. Operators should be aware of where it is and is not safe to fly.

AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS:

Security Sensitive Airspace Restrictions

The FAA, under 14 CFR § 99.7 — Special Security Instructions (SSI), has prohibited all UAS flights within the airspace defined under UAS NOTAM FDC 7/7282. The restrictions extend from the ground up to 400 feet AGL, apply to all types and purposes of UAS flight operations, and remain in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Temporary Flight Restrictions

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) define a certain area of airspace where air travel is limited because of a temporary hazardous condition, such as a wildfire or chemical spill; a security-related event, such as the United Nations General Assembly; or other special situations. The text of the actual TFR contains the details about the restriction, including the size, altitude, time period that it is in effect, and what types of operations are restricted and permitted.

The "Map Airports" tab on the TFR website can help narrow down the relevant active TFRs in a specific area.

AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS: (continued)

Restricted or Special Use AirspaceThe airspace surrounding Washington DC is the most restricted in the country. Flying your drone is illegal in any of the restricted airspace above the Nation's capital. For more information, read about No Drone Zone.

Special use airspace is used to designate airspace in which certain activities must be confined, or where limitations may be imposed on aircraft operations that are not part of those activities. Types of Special Use Airspace include:

• Prohibited areas• Restricted areas• Warning areas• Military operation areas (MOAs)• Alert areas• Controlled firing areas (CFAs)

For more detailed information about airspace classifications and categories, review the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.


Stadiums and sporting events

Flying UAS in and around stadiums is prohibited starting one hour before and ending one hour after the scheduled time of any of the following events:

• Major League Baseball• National Football League• NCAA Division One Football• NASCAR Sprint Cup, Indy Car, and Champ Series races

Specifically, UAS operations are prohibited within a radius of three nautical miles of the stadium or venue.

Further information is available in the handout on sports TFRs.

Wildfires

It is illegal to fly your UAS in or around a wildfire firefighting operation.


Airports

Recreational operators are required to give notice for flights within five miles of an airport to both the airport operator and air traffic control tower, if the airport has a tower. However, recreational operations are not permitted in Class B airspace around most major airports without specific air traffic permission and coordination.

AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS: (continued)DC No Drone Zone

The National Capital Region is governed by a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) within a 30-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which restricts all flights in the greater DC area.

The SFRA is divided into a 15-mile radius inner ring and a 30-mile radius outer ring.

• Flying an unmanned aircraft within the 15-mile radius inner ring is prohibited without specific FAA authorization.

• Flying a UAS for recreational or non-recreational use between 15 and 30 miles from Washington, D.C. is allowed under these operating conditions:

o Aircraft must weigh less than 55 lbs. (including any attachments such as a camera)o Aircraft must be registered and marked (if it is not operated exclusively under the Special Rule for Model

Aircraft, pending NOTAM change)o Fly below 400 ft.o Fly within visual line-of-sighto Fly in clear weather conditionso Never fly near other aircraft

The airspace around Washington, D.C. is more restricted than in any other part of the country. Rules put in place after the 9/11 attacks establish "national defense airspace" over the area and limit aircraft operations to those with an FAA and Transportation Security Administration authorization. Violators face stiff fines and criminal penalties.

WORKBOOK TIME!!!

EMERGING TRENDS IN UAV TECHNOLOGY AND REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS


Trending right now…

• There has been rapid growth in aircraft sales, software licenses, service providers entering the market and industrial business users are getting into commercial operations as well.

• Over $1.5 billion in sales last year. • Over 66,000 part 107 pilots. • Most UAV/UAS companies have been in business less than 2 years and less than 90% of

theses firms make more than $100,000 per year. • Most have single owner and part time help. • Biggest inhibitor of growth is competition in saturated market and from unlicensed

operators.• The big picture is not a drone market but an information market.• UAV/UAS pilots and commercial operators need to be fluent in the language of data

analysis and large datasets.


Real World Applications…

Agricultural Use

• Soil and field analysis• Planting• Crop spraying• Crop monitoring• Irrigation• Health assessment



Architecture and Construction

These fields benefit from UAV/UAS by capturing images and video footage that can then be used to create 3D renderings of structures before they are built. The acquisition is usually cheap and fast and gives both professions a way to analyze how a structure will fit in with an existing landscape or development.

Delivery

While it is not yet a reality, delivery by drone will one day be a common occurrence. The limit of 55 pounds including the drone and line of sight of the aircraft are the two biggest hurdles to come to make this a reality. The biggest proponent at the moment is Amazon with their much touted Amazon Prime Air that is in planning and development. Private trials began in England last year.



Drones-as-a-Service

New companies like Measure are now offering turnkey drone solutions to the solar, wind, power transmission, power distribution and the coal & gas fields. This service aims to lessen the financial burden off of a company interested in having a remote pilot on staff and all the associated costs that go with it including hardware, software and insurance.

Emergency Services

This use of drone technology has been around awhile but is improving every year. In the early days of use, drones were used to put eyes on disaster scenes quickly, especially in areas that may prove dangerous or unstable to risk real lives. There is currently testing in the medical field using drones to deliver not only medical supplies and defibrillators but also remote expertise.



Engineering and Land Surveying

Many firms now implement drones in their workflows to expedite land surveys, topographic mapping, DEM creation, aerial acquisition, site inspections, road construction and maintenance, infrastructure projects, etc…

Media

One of the first adopters of drone technology (both legally and illegally) the media have been there since the beginning capturing drone footage and still shots for their daily reporting needs. The use of drones makes sense when you consider most aerial shots used to be collected by manned helicopters. Drones can get in tighter spaces, fly lower and the costs of ownership, maintenance and insurance are significantly reduced.



Training

With all these new drones coming to market every year it makes sense that someone will need to teach these people how to fly, how to become licensed and how to do it all safely and legally.

Wireless Internet access

One final emerging application for drones will likely be wireless internet access. Facebook turned heads when they purchased a solar drone company named Titan Aerospace with just such a use in mind. This will likely occur in the developing world first due to a lack of infrastructure and finds, coupled with the fact that the United States has one of the busiest and most complex air spaces in the world.

LAND SURVEYING APPLICATIONS FOR UAV/UAS

Aerial Acquisition

While the Kentucky From Above program has been a huge win for engineering and land surveying firms across the state there is still the problem of stale data. Also there is a need for data with higher resolution than the one foot resolution offered in most areas. Flying your own is a cost effective solution and one that improves with every new release of both hardware and software.

Topographic Mapping

At the same time that you are collecting aerial raster images you are inadvertently collecting elevation data as well. All modern drone/camera packages have GPS capability with some offering even more improved results using ground control points (GCP). Resolutions of a couple of inches per pixel or better are not unheard of. This data can then be converted to contours, DEM, DSM, DTM or point clouds in some software packages.


Environmental Monitoring and Volume Calculations

Instead of having a field crew climb a 300ft high mountain of gravel you now have the option of taking measurements with a UAV/UAS for aggregate volume surveys. Of course this same function can also be achieved with a 3D laser scanner but there is a significant cost difference. Also site monitoring in treacherous areas or areas under construction in day to day inspections can safely and easily be carried out by a drone increasing efficiencies and reducing accidents.


The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!!!


Before using a UAV in your day to day operations you must examine the pros, cons and shortcomings of using this ever evolving technology.

The Good

• Low cost of entry – Less than $10k will get you a commercial quality drone, software and insurance

• Low to moderate learning curve• Raster imagery for a new project area in hours or days instead of weeks

waiting for a commercial photogrammetry company• Topographic maps produced with less than 20 minutes of field time


The Bad

• Limited use in areas of high forestation• Limited use in areas with busy airports or restricted airspace• Raster imagery in areas with lots of elevation change require significantly

more control points• Vertical accuracy can be a crop shoot without field checks to verify (10cm)• Will more than likely not replace existing equipment but rather enhance it


The Ugly

• Some firms are using drones in solo field crew setups WHILE surveying• Client confidence will take time to build and foster trust• Perceived invasions of privacy by adjoining landowners• No drone operator test, only license to use drone• Will likely never replace precision levelling and construction layout• C02 emitting lifeforms at the helm – The human element• Drones can’t drive stakes, flag trees or pound in rebars… yet!

PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW…

THE END!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

STEPHEN C. CHINO, JR., PLSDIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYCITY OF PADUCAH270-444-8622 EXT. 2017270-210-8926 CELL (IF YOU CALL THIS NUMBER I EXPECT DINNER)

UAV FUNDAMENTALS FOR LAND SURVEYORS · Restricted or Special Use Airspace The airspace surrounding...

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