Public Safety Drone Training

New public safety drone pilots face a severe problem in their early flight years. They lack the experience and confidence to say “no” to flying. As a UAS pilot, we can never forget FAR 91.3 that says “The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.” ... Read More »

Like everything else in out flying world, nothing is ever clearcut. Yesterday I was at an operation that was a public demonstration that was located up against a small airport (43). But could Part 107 UAS pilots fly over the airport? I made the call they could not for the following reasons but I welcome your feedback and discussion if ... Read More »

Just recently a rather worrisome issue has arisen regarding UAS anti-collision lights. It does not matter what you have seen in advertisements regarding strobes, all strobes are non-compliant. There is a lot of advertising out there which claims strobes for UAS meet the standards. But I got curious why none of the ads advertised the strobes coming with the appropriate ... Read More »

I received a communication from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to all members that brings up some points which are perfect for the wave of public safety UAS pilots. You see it is all about being professional pilots and professionalism in flying. I think the points it raises are excellent for new public safety drone pilots. This is what the ... Read More »

I’ve had the pleasure of running into so many good and amazing people in the public safety UAS world. People who are passionate about the public safety work they do. It is truly a blessing to be part of this community even though I came in through the side entrance. Growing up I thought I wanted to be a law ... Read More »

The latest update of the DJI Pilot App has made an important chance to those using the DJI XT Thermal camera. I’ve written before about thermal Color 1 palette for making targets jump out. In this latest software release, two important thermal updates are present. Isotherm Presets You no longer need to set temperature ranges for person search of fire ... Read More »

Wake Forest Fire Department UAS Flight Debrief Flight Time: 20 Minutes Mission Goals: Provide information to assist firefighting operations. What Went Well: The following items were conducted without incident: A safe landing zone (LZ) was established in front of the location on the quiet street. Thermal information was obtained and given to BC on request. The thermal camera identified primary ... Read More »

It seems like there is a never-ending series of issues to consider when you head out to fly your UAS or drone. You need to think about basic things like weather, battery health, and where you are going to fly. Drone pilots who have completed their FAA Part 107 certification will have heard the warnings about flying near airports and ... Read More »

WFFD UAS Flight Debrief Date: 2-22-2018 Flight Time: 60 Minutes Lessons Learned: Chief Ed Barrett accompanied Chief Pilot Steve Rhode to Hoffman, NC for a controlled burn of 250 acres. The purpose of the exercise and training was to evaluate how the drone handled different parts of a wildfire. NC Wildlife Resource Commission teams began the fire along the backline ... Read More »

Last night I had the opportunity to fly a search and rescue flight for an exercise where the scenario was a dementia patient had walked out of a residence and followed the terrain downhill till they became stuck. Once the victim was located the student searchers navigated their way, with directions from the pilot, to the warm body victim. They ... Read More »