Drones At Work
RotorDrone|May/ June 2018

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

Brett Davis
Drones At Work

“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.

This story is from the May/ June 2018 edition of RotorDrone.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May/ June 2018 edition of RotorDrone.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ROTORDRONEView All
Windracers Mail Delivery
RotorDrone

Windracers Mail Delivery

With its partner Windracers Ltd., Royal Mail has become the first UK parcel carrier to deliver mail to a UK island in a 70-mile, beyond-line-of-sight, autonomous flight to the Scilly Isles. Tasked to better connect the islands’ remote communities, a consortium including Royal Mail, Windracers Ltd., DronePrep, University of Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services, and Consortiq Limited is funded by UK Research and Innovation.

time-read
1 min  |
August/ September 2021
Counting Penguins
RotorDrone

Counting Penguins

Counting penguins is harder than it sounds. With freezing rain, snow, and chilling winds that limit the flight windows for the surveys, it takes scientists using three full days to map the location of 300,000 nesting pairs of Adélie penguins on Antarctica’s Cape Crozier.

time-read
2 mins  |
August/ September 2021
A Drone Double Play
RotorDrone

A Drone Double Play

Beach cleanup and a historic bridge

time-read
10+ mins  |
August/ September 2021
Understanding Aviation Sectional Charts
RotorDrone

Understanding Aviation Sectional Charts

Signs and symbols every remote pilot needs to know

time-read
10 mins  |
August/ September 2021
10 TOP JOBS
RotorDrone

10 TOP JOBS

Fields where drones are taking off!

time-read
10+ mins  |
August/ September 2021
AUTONOMOUS RESUPPLY IN A CONGESTED BATTLESPACE
RotorDrone

AUTONOMOUS RESUPPLY IN A CONGESTED BATTLESPACE

Can autonomous drones deliver supplies to troops in an active firefight? DroneUp recently partnered with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Joint Force Development (JFD) exercise to find out.

time-read
3 mins  |
February/ March 2021
IMPROVE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
RotorDrone

IMPROVE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY

10 must-know Lightroom tips

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/ March 2021
RotorDrone

UAS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT The Key to the Future of Drones

In 2012, Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which established a deadline for the agency: achieve full integration of drones into the airspace by 2015. As the calendar rolls over into 2021, this begs an obvious question: “Are we there yet?”

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/ March 2021
RotorDrone

FLYING FOR A LIVING

A professional UAS operator on what it takes to be successful

time-read
6 mins  |
February/ March 2021
RotorDrone

ON THE WING

This bird-like drone is incredibly agile and efficient

time-read
2 mins  |
February/ March 2021