02.26.2019
On March 6th at 2 p.m. EST, we're hosting a panel discussion—featuring Colin Snow of Skylogic Research—exploring the economics of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. Register now to learn how flying drones BVLOS can unlock significant gains in safety, operating costs, data quality/consistency and uptime.
Drones are transforming the way companies are gathering intelligence and operating their business. They’re allowing us to see farther, collect new information, and improve every step of the data value chain. However, nearly all American operators are unable to take full advantage of this technology due to regulations preventing BVLOS flights. Currently, no one is allowed to fly BVLOS in U.S. airspace without attaining a hard-to-get waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or working with an operator that has one.
“As the commercial drone industry continues to evolve, widespread BVLOS drone inspection has the potential to significantly change business models for oil and gas, utilities, insurance and other industries,” said Colin Snow, Drone Analyst at Skylogic Research.
We’re seeing that experts in these industries are becoming increasingly motivated to explore BVLOS operations due to four major points: safety, costs, data quality/consistency and time to value.
Improving the safety of your workers
Safety, of course, is vital to responsible business in any industry, and companies have traditionally relied on manned aircraft and teams on the ground to conduct inspection operations.
“From routine patrols to detailed inspections, there’s a lot of risk for manned aircraft,” said Dave Culler, GM of Energy at PrecisionHawk. “We’re helping companies overcome these risks by using drone technology.”
Take, for example, the inherent danger of inspecting and maintaining well pads in the oil and gas industry. By using drones, we’re reducing the amount of time well tenders spend in immediate proximity to them and other dangerous equipment.
“BVLOS technology has the power to protect and save lives,” said Diana Cooper, SVP of Policy & Strategy, PrecisionHawk. “Under certain scenarios like emergency management operations, it is not safe to put a drone operator very close to the area of interest that needs to be surveyed. BVLOS flight would enable disaster response agencies to conduct their important work more safely and efficiently.”
Lower operational costs and more precise data
We’re also helping companies achieve significant cost savings when using drones. As Ed Hine, VP of Energy at PrecisionHawk, points out, “For utilities, immediate gains from BVLOS flights are in routine inspections. We're replacing helicopters with drones, making operational costs lower and data fidelity better."
Drone technology represents an opportunity to go beyond the traditional limits of collecting data—and makes the data you collect more precise. This precision enables companies to repeat flight plans, collecting data from the same area of interest over a period of time.
“Through the use of drones, we can pre-program flights to run the same navigation points at specific timelines, making data collection automated, seamless and efficient,” said Tyler Collins, VP of Energy at PrecisionHawk. “Data can then be instantly uploaded into ERP/work-order management systems for analysis and to action next steps.”
Along with this, BVLOS flights can cover a larger area and collect higher-quality data than traditional means in a shorter amount of time, improving the overall efficiency of aerial intelligence and protecting uptime.
Incorporating BVLOS into your business
So how do you add BVLOS to your operations?
We’re currently pioneering BVLOS technology through credible, industry-leading research in association with NASA and the FAA. After all, we were granted the very first waiver that covers BVLOS in Class G airspace that isn’t restricted to a particular jurisdiction or a particular type of drone. And we’d love to help your company develop and deploy a strategy to help you unlock the full potential of commercial drone technology.
If you’re interested in learning more about how BVLOS can change the economics of your operations, please join us for our webinar on March 6th at 2 p.m. EST.
Panelists will discuss:
- A methodology to evaluate and deploy a drone-based inspection strategy.
- The analysis of the four major factors for a successful deployment: safety, efficiency, data quality/consistency and time to value.
- Specific applications in key industries such as utilities, oil and gas, and insurance.
