Our UAS Blog

3 July 2019 | Uncategorized

While Part 107 and Public Aircraft Operations (PAO under a COA) are the two regulatory frameworks under which a public safety agency can legally operate sUAS or drones, neither framework establishes a specific guideline for basic training of police drone pilots. In short, there is no national standard for drone pilots. 

25 May 2019 | Public Safety

Seems like we’re seeing this more and more. Drones are helping in search and rescue situations where sUAS continue to find missing persons. The integration of thermal and FLIR sensors and cameras with UAS allows for search operations day and night and certainly helped in this situation which occurred in Orange County, California.

20 April 2019 | Disaster Response

Technology is changing around us every day, and the drone industry is no exception. We have been shouting from the rooftops since 2014 about how UAS technology could improve safety for fire fighters and police officers, but in the wake of a catastrophic fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, some people are dreaming MUCH bigger than a single drone with a single camera.

17 April 2019 | Disaster Response, Public Safety

Having been involved with the Chula Vista Police drone program since very early on, we have been eagerly waiting to see the results of their “drone as a first responder” program. This is where the drone — not a police officer - is first on scene, and can begin feeding pictures back to responding officers before they even get there. This is one of the best examples of how a drone being on scene so quickly - in many cases just 2 minutes after the 911 call - can give officers a true picture of what’s happening before they arrive.

16 April 2019 | Disaster Response

It is never easy to watch raging fires take place in such iconic locations, but if there was any saving grace to this one, is that firefighters had drones quick at hand to help get immediate, and actionable intelligence. This is what it’s all about — getting perspective on an incident in new ways that help responders gain control more quickly and more safely.

11 April 2019 | Private Security & Event Overwatch

By now, you’ve heard about how drones are helping police departments, and you may think you’re missing the boat, but in reality, only about two thousand departments (out of more than 40,000) have officially adopted this technology.As someone who has spent the last six years educating people in law enforcement about the benefits of drones, the shift from “this is a toy” to “I want to know more” to “I want to buy one” is happening before our very eyes, and the message is clear - this technology is here to stay. So if you’re interested in developing a UAS program for your police department, what do you need to know? There are three major parts to developing a program: understanding FAA drone enforcement, selecting and purchasing the right equipment for the task, and training. Let's start with dealing with the FAA.

31 March 2019 | Private Security & Event Overwatch

Aerial drones have come a long way in a short period of time. In the past 10 years, they have become a routine tool for photographers, landscape gardeners, golf course designers, law enforcement, architects, film-makers, and many other professionals. In many cases, owners rely on their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to deliver a high-quality service, and by and large, that's what they provide.However, as some users are finding, UAVs come with their own unique security vulnerabilities. As more people use drones, the risk of hijacks and thefts is rising, especially where video and photographic content is concerned. But few owners appear to know how to secure their vehicles against these attacks.

29 March 2019 | Specialized FAA Waivers

Many non-pilots are now familiar with ASRS, which allows flight crews to report anomalies, hazardous conditions, and other situations in the interest of safety, and earn a measure of protection against adverse actions or sanctions from the FAA in exchange for speaking frankly and reporting possible safety issues. The system gained notoriety in the wake of recent Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes after ASRS reports of similar incidents were quoted by journalists. UASRS, the unmanned version of ASRS, is in the final stages of development, according to a recent briefing provided to members of the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team, a government-industry collaboration that is also modeled on similar groups created to support safety in commercial and general aviation.