Since Hart shoots and designs video graphics for Co-Lin, the college chose him to make use of its drones when it decided to purchase two commercial models.
“I learned all I could about them through reading and the internet, and got my Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license to pilot the kind of regulated small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAVs) the college bought,” Hart told an Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) workshop.
Recreational SUAVs less than one-half -pound with limited altitude and distance capacities, which can be acquired in retail stores, do not need to be registered with the FAA and can be operated without a license, he explained
At the workshop, Hart demonstrated the college’s workhorse commercial multi-rotor craft that measures a little more than a foot in length along a one-inch deep fuselage and from propeller to propeller in the front and rear. It can climb to 400 feet and travel about one mile in sight range when weather conditions are favorable.
Hart piloted the craft with a simple remote device with starter buttons to activate the rotors and two control sticks to direct take-off, landing and flight, including altitude and distance. With a cellular phone app, he monitored and controlled an on-board camera.
Since deploying drones, Co-Lin’s photography and videography has changed dramatically with ready use of aerial still photos and video clips..
“Drones have made aerial coverage with the variety of photographic and video techniques and perspectives they make possible a standard relatively low-cost graphics tool,” said Hart. “Fifteen years ago, you had to contract a manned aircraft and an aerial photographer. Now you activate your camera-equipped drone and take your picture or make your video from the ground with your cell phone.
While graphics is the lion’s share of the work Co-Lin’s drones do, they can quickly and efficiently collect data flying over structures and land. “Not long ago, a storm damaged a portion of the scoreboard at Co-Lin’s Stone Stadium, and we flew our drone around and into it to assess the problem without erecting scaffolding or having workers climb ladders,” Hart said. “SUAVs have wide applications for power companies in monitoring their lines, real estate organizations in evaluating properties and agricultural firms in analyzing crop and grazing lands.
DJI produced Co-Lin’s drones, and other major manufacturers include Yuneec, 3D Robotics, AeroVironment and Hubson, among an array of other companies.
In addition to the small multi-rotor drones, UAV fixed wing, fixed wing hybrid and single rotor craft may be close to the size of manned aircraft, and take on larger tasks, including, but not limited to military, law enforcement, firefighting and farming tasks, Hart added.
With Hart’s growing expertise in drones, Co-Lin has moved him into an instructional role in periodic drone training classes it offers. While he focused on drone technology and operational skills in early classes, student interests lie largely in becoming licensed for commercial work. “FAA knowledge related air traffic safety and the rules of flying, reading air maps and understanding weather maps are among the most important licensing requirements,” he explained. “The operational side of piloting drones is comparatively easy.”
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