Drones At Work

Unmanned aerial systems to add $82 billion to the U.S. economy

- Brett Davis

“After witnessing the growth of the industry over the last few years and now with Part 107 in place, these figures could be even higher under the right conditions,” AUVSI president and CEO Brian Wynne told members of Congress late last year.

The early numbers are already promising. By the first day that Part 107 allowed for commercial drone flights without requiring a pilot’s license, more than 3,000 people had already signed up to take the test. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that more than 600,000 drones will be flying commercially this year.

While less stringent than the Section 333 rules that came before it, the Part 107 waiver process still has significant limitations, such as capping most flights at 400 feet and prohibiting flights at night or over people.

It includes a waiver process, however, where these restrictions can be lifted under the right circumstances. AUVSI analyzed the first 1,074 waivers that were granted by the FAA to see how the market is trending. From that analysis, AUVSI discovered that aerial photography is the most popular application for drones (79 percent), followed by real­ estate uses (56 percent), aerial inspection (50 percent), construction (47 percent), and infrastructure/ inspection/surveying (43 percent).

As the waivers seek to allow operations not otherwise permitted, the analysis also helped determine what the most popular use would be that isn’t otherwise allowed. It’s a clear winner: flights at night.