It’s one thing to want to get into flying UAS or drones for public safety missions. Getting the proper training, passing the right tests, and doing a bit of flying is the easy part. What is going to become more of an issue are people of fire departments and police departments who have passed a … Read more
As the Wake Forest Fire Department UAS pilot, one of the issues I have to face is dealing with an unplanned event and flying the incident on short notice but provide optimum data gathering abilities and mission accomplishment. I wish my flights had the luxury of being on the schedule but when the call comes … Read more
You would think getting a drone into service with a fire department would be a simple matter. But as with every other issue there can be more factors to consider when planning your department’s flight strategy and drone use. There are three primary options for deciding who is best to operate a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft … Read more
The DJI Phantom has become an ubiquitous UAS that many are jumping into. In fact I have three myself and hundreds of hours flying them. If you want to buy one, use this link so I get some credit for it. Here on the Public Safety Flight website I’ve already covered a number of stories … Read more
If you are not a licensed pilot you might be unfamiliar with the importance of keeping a detailed record of all your flight experience. Maintaining a logbook of time, flights, and missions is going to be critical for UAS pilots in the future to document experience. As a FAA pilot the act of recording my … Read more
Authority for a public safety agency to utilize a Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is right now a complex affair. Not only do agencies require a difficult FAA authorization to fly a Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) under a FAA Certificate of Authorization the pilot qualifications are defined and have strict limitations. To fly professionally as a … Read more