Drones have become a huge asset in the roofing industry. In fact, it is hard to find a roofing company today that hasn’t at least experimented with drones. Using drones for performing roof inspections can save as much as an hour per roof for a single family residence, and roofing companies are increasingly using drones to determine if roofs are in need of replacement.
With so many drones being flown by roofing companies, a drone pilot may ask, “Why should I even try to sell roofing inspections? After all, aren’t the roofers just going to come and take your lunch?” There are still available markets out there, and even if you don’t run or work at a professional roofing company, you can still get in on the roof inspection game as a drone pilot yourself through different avenues, including:
- Working directly with the homeowner: Homeowners want their own set of photos to check the work of the roofer and to have on hand if there is a dispute.
- Working for a general contractor or developer: Contractors that hire roofers desire aerial views to show clients progress and use for warranty disputes and information.
- Working for an insurance adjuster: Insurance Adjusters need drone data to help them document roofing conditions.
With many opportunities clearly ahead, how does a drone pilot go about delivering an excellent product so they can continue to pull in roofing revenue?
There are four key aspects for producing competitive, high-quality data when using drones for roof inspections.
- Learn to identify roofing issues.
- Stay out of legal trouble: Document the issue, but be careful about stating that it is definitely an issue unless the pilot is qualified to make that assessment.
- Don’t miss a spot.
- Have the right gear.
How to use drones to identify roof issues
The pilot should know what they’re actually looking for in their inspections. Think of all the things that could go wrong with the roofing envelope. Here are some of the things you should look for:
- Rotten, missing, or damaged fascia
- Curling shingles
- Cracked or missing shingles
- Cracked tiles
- Dents and bowing in the roof
- Broken or missing gutters
- Missing or damaged ridge caps
- Broken or missing vent
- Damaged flashings
- Missing shingles
- Damaged chimney
- Excessive debris, dirt, or garbage left
- Grout joints not to spec
- Improper Lapping of tiles or shingles
- Improperly detailed hips
- Wavy valleys
- Unstraight Ridge Caps
Not sure what a hip on a roof is? Where is the dog that laps tiles up? Sometimes it can be as easy as researching for yourself on Google. For more detailed information, go to an industry website like FRSA and do some research. Learn the lingo. Study. Fall in love with the idea of staring at tiles for hours on end.
How to stay out of legal trouble when using drones for roof inspections
While encouraged to learn the lingo, there is one thing a pilot should definitely NOT do: Do not give advice or opinions. Any advice or opinions given to a client that results in litigation can mean getting pulled into court or even getting sued for a number of reasons.
So how should you present the facts without getting into trouble? First, do not speak about anything you aren’t sure of. If a client asks, “how does it look?” and you think it looks fine, then a solid response could be something like, “It doesn’t appear any different from the last few roofs that I have seen, but I am not qualified to give an opinion on the roof. I don’t recall seeing any obvious cracks or suspect areas.”
Note the words there: apparent, recall, obvious, suspect. Words such as those clearly represent you are giving an inconclusive opinion based on little prior knowledge of roofing.
Even experts use words such as apparent, because if the cases end up in court, the defense cannot point to his notes and claim that you came into the case with an agenda. If the mold turns out to be mildew or algae or dirt, your credibility is not called into question. Even if you have seen over 100 million dollars of roofing issues in houses, you still do not definitively give an opinion without facts.
Saying, “there was a cracked tile on the chimney” versus “there appeared to be a crack on the tile of the chimney” leaves a pilot’s credibility intact when that crack turns out to be a pine needle. A smart pilot will build a relationship with an expert and know when to defer their opinion to that expert.
How to ensure you don’t miss a spot
Use proceduralized checklists just like actual pilots use during manned flights. Some of these checklists are written and some are memorized, similar to the famous GUMPS pre-landing checklist in aviation (gas, undercarriage, mixture, prop, seatbelts).
At Professional Drone Solutions, we shoot a standard “Front, Side, Back, Side, Top down” set every inspection, every time, regardless of what a client tells us and regardless of the scope of the inspection. It ensures that there’s 80-90% of a roof documented immediately, with at least a fair level of resolution. Then follow that list with customized shots depending on the scope of work desired.
It’s also a good idea to find a workflow that shows the photos in a logical manner. If a client has to spend more time figuring out where a photograph is than it would take to go take photos themselves, they likely won’t be getting many repeat purchases. Try starting further away from a suspect issue and shooting a far, medium, close photo set of it. This will give clients a way to understand what they are looking at.
The best gear for roof inspections
With the drone manufacturing industry constantly evolving, know your budget before deciding what gear to buy.Most drones these days have an adequate sensor for inspections.
Drones like the Mavic Enterprise 2 Dual offer a relatively affordable way to break into thermal inspections, but beware, there are many complications and factors to consider in order to produce a usable thermal deliverable.
Here’s a list of specs to look for, broken down by non-negotiable, nice-to-have, and unnecessary without a large investment in time/money:
Non-Negotiable Specs:
- 20MP sensor
- Adjustable EV
- Low ISO (100 or lower should be available)
- High Shutter Speed (1/200 or quicker should be available)
- Flight Time 25+ mins
Nice-to-Have Specs:
- Built in storage (forgetting an SD card no longer sinks a pilots flight)
- Large Sensor (1/2in +)
- Global Shutter
- Inconspicuous Size, Shape, and Color
- Hand Launchable (great for construction sites)
Unnecessary Specs:
- Thermal sensors: Study Thermography and the compolications before purchasing an expensive thermal sensor.
- Huge Drones: All big drones do is scare the neighbors and inhibit a pilot’s ability to freely navigate around obstacles.
- Zoom: A small and stable platform with a 20mp+ sensor will allow a skilled pilot to get all the detail one could need.
Drones that fit the bill for roof inspections
Mavic 2 Pro:
Pros: 20MP, 1in shutter, built in storage, Small Frame, Stable, and Inconspicuous
Cons: No Global Shutter, Hard to hand launch
Phantom 4 Pro:
Pros: 20MP, 1in Global shutter, Medium Frame, Hand Launchable, Stable, and Inconspicuous
Con: No built in storage, Larger, and issues with DJIs compass can be frustrating with the P4P
Pros: Cheap, Storage built in, Small Frame, Stable, and Inconspicuous
Cons: No 20MP Camera, no 1in shutter, Some may find it looks too much like a toy.
Keep in mind that when you get a call from a client to conduct a drone roof inspection, there are multiple factors to consider to make sure your photos hit the mark. Keep your communication with your client professional and clear and don’t overstate your knowledge on roofing unless qualified to do so.
-By Andrew Kobza.
Andrew Kobza is a FAA-licensed drone pilot and private pilot. He has been flying Cessna 172s for over 10 years and has operated his drone company for over 5 years. Prior to hurricane Irma, Andrew developed a drone program at a construction company in 2014, branching off into Professional Drone Solutions in 2016. Since then his company has logged over 500 hours flying drones with over 500 drone roofing inspection missions being flown.
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]]>Dubbed the Magenta 5G drone, it marks one of the first racing drones in the world to have an embedded 5G module capable of live streaming video directly to the Internet. 5G is largely seen as crucial to popularizing drone racing and making it more accessible by allowing all spectators views of the dizzying, FPV views that racing drones can show.
With a dual-FPV and HD-streaming camera system, the drone will be able to film mile-long drone racing courses, made possible through the 5G connection as well as its 5s lipo battery setup for extended flight time. And while the drone won’t compete with the zippiest racing drones, it can still fly more than 60 miles per hour.
The 5G component of Magenta is done through a partnership with wireless network provider T-Mobile. DRL Pilots currently fly via analog radio transmissions. While that allows for lower latency, there’s a trade-off in the technology; they sacrifice crisp quality footage in their goggles. But as 5G technology improves, pilots will be able to see high-quality, crisp FPV footage in their goggles with low latency. For fans, it means the ability to experience FPV clips on their own mobile devices to gain that same sensation that they are flying inside the drone in real-time.
The deal with T-Mobile to bring higher-quality drone racing footage to fans could potentially be a huge win for DRL, which is already seen as a leader in drone racing. DRL is a global, professional drone racing property, consisting of all aspects of the FPV and drone racing lifestyle, including putting on worldwide events, selling simulators for folks to practice on gaming devices at home, creating its own custom-built racing drones and broadcasting races on TV. Since DRL was created in 2015, it has raised millions of dollars in funding from investors including Hearst Ventures, Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy, and Miami Dolphin’s owner Stephen Ross’s venture-capital firm RSE Ventures.
Why telecom giants are jumping on 4G and 5G
Many telecom giants are rapidly jumping into not just being leaders in 4G and 5G, but trying to lead when it comes to 4G and 5G in drones.
Just last week, French drone maker Parrot announced an exclusive partnership with T-Mobile competitor Verizon to bring the first out-of-the-box, Verizon 4G LTE connected drone solution to the United States. That means that now you can fly with your Parrot ANAFI Ai drone from anywhere there’s a signal with near real time data transfer.
And generally speaking, 5G is considered important for complex drone operations in ensuring a better drone connection, which is important for both safety in ensuring no flyaways or crashes, and also usefulness in allowing faster transfers of larger datasets. Any drone flight beyond the operator’s line of sight — including multi-mile energy infrastructure inspection, first response to find lost hikers in the woods or police activity — requires a reliably strong signal. A lost connection could be detrimental, typically resulting in flyaways or crashes.
But T-Mobile is one of the first and few to hone in on drone racing.
“Drones are one of the most compelling use cases for 5G and we’re working towards a future where all drones will eventually be 5G-connected – that’s why we’ve teamed up with DRL, to fuel this innovation,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile.
And sure, it’s unlikely 5G racing drones are saving lives by finding lost hikers in the woods. But 5G and drone racing go hand-in-hand as the new 5G-enabled drone could redefine sports entertainment, capturing exhilarating, crisp video footage.
“The Drone Racing League is a perfect case study for showcasing the benefits of T-Mobile 5G wireless technology with our high-speed racing drones,” said DRL President Rachel Jacobson. “Our fans love innovation and discovering how new technology is developed, and we know our 5G-enabled drone will get them excited about new ways they will be able to experience the immersive thrill of professional drone racing.”
See a little bit more about how the 5G DRL racing drone was made in the video (created by T-Mobile and DRL) below. The short documentary covers DRL engineers hand-building an initial prototype of the drone in the DRL lab in New York City, testing it for the first time and more:
What to expect from the 5G DRL racing drone
You can see the 5G DRL racing drone in action this week at the MLB At Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. No surprise, the event is sponsored by T-Mobile. As part of the event, the Magenta 5G drone will zip through nooks and crannies of the stadium, giving fans a largely never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes view of the iconic ballpark and movie site. The drone will fly from the cornfields to the set of the Field of Dreams house to the original ball field, and then on to the MLB field where the long-awaited Field of Dreams Game will be played.
After that, DRL said it intends to feature the 5G Magenta drone through its 2021-22 season at various DRL and T-Mobile events. While it won’t necessarily race, the drone will fly around the course and film previews of the three-dimensional race tracks during and ahead of the actual races.
DRL also said it intends to improve the Magenta 5G drone in future iterations, including allowing the 5G model to connect to the drone’s command and control functions to enable flight over T-Mobile 5G.
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Want to improve your FPV drone racing skills? The new DRL simulator might be the key to leveling yourself up to pro drone pilot status.
The Drone Racing League (shortened to DRL) finally released its simulator, called the DRL SIM, on the Epic Games store. The Epic Games Store is a “curated digital storefront” for both PC and Mac, that is designed to better support game developers. Games purchased on the Epic Games Store give more money to the developers than most other purchasing platforms (88% of the price goes directly to developers when purchased through Epic Games, versus 70% on many other stores).
That adds to the growing list of ways to access the DRL Sim, which includes PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. What’s more, the DRL simulator only costs $9.99. For example, it launched on PlayStation 4 this past April, though the original simulator launched back in June 2017.
What is the DRL simulator?
The DRL simulator is designed to help complete newbies learn the basics (there are training missions that’ll take you from player-to-pilot in a few hours), while helping experienced racing pros hone their skills and practice on virtual versions of tracks that they wouldn’t necessarily have access to in real life.
With the simulator, you’ll fly virtual drones through digital versions of famous locations, like landmark palaces, NFL stadiums and iconic sports arenas. You’ll get to choose from more than two dozen unique maps, and fly on replicas of 18 different DRL tracks that have actually been used.
There’s even a public leaderboard posted online, so everyone can know who the best simulator pilots really are.
You can also use the game as a way to compete for a chance to become a professional pilot in the Drone Racing League in the league’s annual esports tournament, the DRL SIM Tryouts.
How DRL fits into the drone racing community
DRL is a global, professional drone racing property, consisting of all aspects of the FPV and drone racing lifestyle, including putting on worldwide events, creating its own custom-built racing drones and broadcasting races on TV. The Drone Racing League, which was created in 2015, has raised millions of dollars in funding since its inception, from investors including Hearst Ventures, CAA Ventures and Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy, and Miami Dolphin’s owner Stephen Ross’s venture-capital firm RSE Ventures.
But the launch of the $10 DRL simulator signals that DRL is looking to push into the consumer market and make drone racing more accessible to anyone.
Theoretically someone not ready to drop hundreds of dollars on a racing drone — but who already has an Xbox — might easily drop $10 on a simulator game. From there, that person is hooked on drone racing and might end up buying their own physical drone, and might also tune into (and become a fan of) the live events. In fact, DRL promises that — after completing the training session in the SIM — you’ll be able to fly an FPV drone in the wild.
And growth is here. DRL told The Drone Girl in April 2020 that average year-over-yer viewership increased by nearly 200%, while virtual drone racing participation increased by 90%, and its social media fanbase grew by 60%. A 2020 report from Transparency Market Research predicts that the drone-racing market could reach $786 million by 2027.
And while the simulator is a key step in helping drone racing become more accessible to more people, they’re not the only ones on the mission. The 2021 launch of the DJI FPV drone was also a giant leap for the industry as the Chinese drone maker’s $1,299, ready-to-fly drone wowed fans with its maximum speeds of 87 mph, 4K/60fps 120 Mbps camera and OcuSync video transmission module.
Have you used the DRL simulator? What do you think of it, and how does it compare to flying drones in real life? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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At the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, more than 1,800 drones graced the skies in the form of Earth, rotating above the Olympic Stadium. The display was highly engineered, and with the 1,824 drones, the art had a more three-dimensional look than most other drone light shows that we’ve grown used to. When drone light shows kicked off just a few short years ago, they were fairly flat, with simplistic shapes. As more drones get added to the mix, drones are able to fly in more 3D arrangements, and the way these drones fly seamlessly together is among the most technically challenging — and beautiful — feats we’ve seen yet.
The drones at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony flew to the tune of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
This year’s Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony took place on Friday night as thousands of athletes convened to march in the Parade of Nations. But this year, the stands had no fans. Outside of the athletes, attendance was small, with notable people in attendance including Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, IOC President Thomas Bach and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden (who has already witnessed a drone light show as part of the Joe Biden victory speech back in November 2020).
And the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (yes, they’re keeping the 2020 name, despite running in 2021) are still impeded by COVID-19. COVID-19 cases in Japan are higher than they’ve been in six months, and some athletes have not been able to compete after testing positive.
Some people in Japan have been staging protests against the Olympics being held at all — even though there are no fans in attendance.
Drone light shows are not new to the Olympics. Intel set what at the time was a new record for most drones flown simultaneously, sending 1,218 drones flew over the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Those were for Winter Olympics, where drones recreated the shape of icons like a snowboarder and the Olympic rings. A smaller performance also occurred at the 2018 Olympics closing ceremony, where drones flew in shapes such as the Olympics mascot, Soohorang, the white tiger, and a heart.
Clearly drones are becoming more common as entetainment at the Olympics. The question is: when (if ever?) will drone racing become an Olympic sport?
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]]>U.S.-based SkyeBrowse announced this month the launch of a software that enables Autel EVO II drones to create 3D models of an area using thermal imaging. The software is expected to be used in situations such as first response, where genies might be able to quickly and safely recreate accident sites or crime scenes at night — a use case they say would save millions of dollars and improve worker safety. It could also be used in situations like wildfire fighting, SWAT raids, detecting pipeline leaks that aren’t visible to the human eye, or even identify crops that might be getting too much sun.
“Right now, nighttime reconstruction looks like this: Either you have the budget and equipment to do it—which is a quarter-million-dollar laser scanner—or you shut down the entire scene until the morning,” said Bobby Ouyang, CEO of SkyeBrowse. “It’s extremely inefficient, extremely expensive, and also very dangerous.”
And prior to that, it was even more tedious as departments used measuring tapes to document scenes.
SkyeBrowse’s software is founded on videogrammetry, where 1 video — rather than hundreds pictures — is used to create a 3D model. Instead of taking hours to capture the data for a 3D model, SkyeBrowse simplifies it with one video in about 90 seconds. Traditional photogrammetry requires hundreds of photos to be taken over the course of several minutes to an hour. Photogrammetry also struggles to be compatible with thermal mapping applications, because it’s typically too slow to compile accurate thermal data due to camera recalibrations that have to occur.
For now, SkyeBrowse’s software is exclusive to Autel products when it comes to drones. The thermal mapping software is compatible with the EVO II Dual or EVO II 640T drones. The EVO is Autel’s enterprise line of drones, designed for everything from inspecting electrical cell towers to surveying property lines. With about 40 minutes of flight time and interchangeable payloads including the 8K, 6K, and DUAL Thermal/8K, the drone is marketed at commercial, data-focused applications.
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]]>There’s tons to unpack about the new Sony Airpeak S1 drone. The camera specs are unreal and should be highly appealing to the professional video market. The drone’s purported flight capabilities are equally as impressive. But your bank account likely won’t be impressed, as the Sony Airpeak S1 pricetag is hefty.
The camera
Coming from Sony, it’s not surprising that the drone is especially notable for being able to carry many of Sony’s high-quality cameras. The S1 is the world’s smallest drone that can be equipped with a full-size mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha camera.
There’s not just one camera that comes with the drone. Instead, you’ll have extreme flexibility with this drone, and you’ll be able to choose the Sony camera that bet fits your requirements. The Airpeak S1 is compatible with a wide range of camera bodies. Here are some of the compatible cameras, and what they’re best suited for:
- The Alpha 7S series and FX3 for high descriptive capability with suppressed noise
- The Alpha 7R series for ultra-high definition
- The Alpha 9 series for distortion-free images
- The Alpha 1 for shooting footage in 8K
The Sony Airpeak S1 in flight
The S1 was built with a proprietary motor, propeller, control system and sensing technology.
It can reach maximum speeds of 55mph. And, it’s stable in relatively rough weather, with wind resistance in strong wind speeds up to 44.7mph. Here’s a pretty neat video of the drone undergoing a real wind resistance test at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Much of that can be attributed to the drone’s lightweight, efficient, sturdy and responsive proprietary 17″ propeller and brushless motor, and is equipped with an ESC (Electric Speed Controller).
The Sony Airpeak also has taken extra measures to improve stability in flight, thanks to five Sony image sensors located on the front, back, left, right, and bottom of the drone. Those five sensors can enable obstacle braking, and can tell the drone to automatically decelerate and stop flying ahead, if necessary.
Sony’s Vision Sensing Processor is able to process camera data at high speeds and with low power consumption via proprietary algorithms that can estimate the aircraft’s spatial position and orientation in real time. Theoretically, that will enable stable flight even in environments where GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) reception may be hindered, such as indoors or under bridges.
The controller
Much of the Airpeak S1’s performance in the air can be attributed to its advanced remote controller, which is able to provide obstacle detection and automatic flight control via sensing.
The Airpeak S1 can integrate all sensor information such as IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), direction, barometric pressure and infrared ranging. The drone also promises increased safety via cloud management of the aircraft and flight information.
The drone also integrates with software called “Airpeak Flight,” which is an applicatin compatible with most Apple devices that integrates the aircraft, transmitter, camera, and gimbal, allowing the operator to monitor status information such as flight distance and remaining battery power, and change various operations and settings on the screen.
There’s also a dual operation mode so that one user can operate the drone, while another user can operate the gimbal and camera simultaneously. That’s helpful for capturing cinematic shots, or just for better supporting your visual observer.
Software for enterprise applications
The drone integrates with a web application called “Airpeak Base” designed to help pilots manage equipment through an automatic list that can check the condition of the aircraft to minimize on-set equipment and provide necessary notifications. It can also help pilots create advanced flight plans and automatically fly the aircraft along the same course repeatedly. That could be helpful for filmmakers needing to replicate shots, allowing them to set the position (latitude, longitude and altitude) and speed of the aircraft along the timeline, and specify the orientation of the gimbal and the timing of video or still image shooting.
It also allows automatic flight log creation, which are then uploaded to the cloud via the mobile app Airpeak Flight. Past flight logs can be viewed on the logbook screen, and details such as in-flight errors can also be reviewed.
What to know about the Sony Airpeak drone line
Don’t expect this to be the only drone from Sony. While this is the Japanese camera maker’s first-ever professional drone, it likely won’t be it’s last. Sony is calling the S1 “an introductory model in the new Airpeak line.”
But intro doesn’t mean cheap. The drone will cost roughly US$9,000, including spare propellers, the remote controller, two batteries and a charger. If you want a gimbal (made by a third-party) that will cost extra, with pricing to be announced. And that US$9,000 doesn’t even include the camera bodies and their lenses, which you’ll have to buy separately.
The S1 is expected to ship this fall, but is already available for pre-order.
That said, this isn’t the only drone designed to carry Sony cameras. American drone company Skyfish is most famous for its Skyfish M4 and Skyfish M6 drones, both of which can fully integrate with the Sony Alpha series of cameras.
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]]>While using drones for real estate photography is not super difficult, there is some barrier to entry. Beyond learning how to fly the drone, there are some things you’ll need to know about getting proper licensing from the Federal Aviation Administration, registering your drone, and getting permission to fly in certain areas.
Before you bring a drone into your real estate business, here’s what you need to know:
Decide who is actually taking the photos
Real estate agents could certain buy a drone and take photos of homes themselves. But you might also find it easier to outsource — hire a drone pilot to take those photos for you. Here’s what you need to know about either option:
For real estate agents ready to become a drone pilot
So you’re one of those creative real estate agents ready to become a drone pilot. Woohoo! This will be a fun journey. However, keep in mind that it is a journey. In order to use drones for commercial purposes (which includes taking real estate photos), you need to get a Remote Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation. You might commonly see that being referred to as the Part 107 certificate or a drone pilot’s license.
Flying under Part 107 (you’ll need a license):
If you’re using drones for any source of income stream, you must hold a Remote Pilot Certificate, which is essentially a commercial drone pilot license. That’s all thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107, which mandates that anyone wanting to operate a drone commercially needs to obtain a drone pilot license, formerly referred to as a “remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.”
You can get that by passing an in-person written exam — similar to the permit test you took when you were 15 before getting a driver’s license. You can take the test, which is a set of 60 multiple choice questions, at one of about 700 testing centers in the United States.
But here’s the kicker for people new to drones: Unless you have pre-existing airspace knowledge, the test isn’t going to be easy without significant studying (and possibly taking a full Part 107 online training course).
Registering your drone
Once you’ve passed the test, you’re still not free. You’ll also have to register your drone. It’s a fast and easy process that only costs $5, so this hurdle is minimal.
Knowning the rules around where and how you can legally fly
Once you’ve gotten your license and registered your drone, you can fly for commercial purposes — but there are still some restrictions. When you fly under Part 107, then unless you’ve received an FAA waiver then you agree to flying under certain parameters including (but not limited to):
- You will not operate from a moving vehicle or aircraft.
- You will keep the drone within your visual line of sight
- You will fly in uncontrolled airspace, or will have received LAANC approval to fly in controlled airspace (such as near airports)
Don’t panic about airspace though. Most airspace is Class G, which means uncontrolled airspace. However, if there’s an airport within five miles of you, odds are that’s not Class G airspace. You can easily tell if you can legally fly in the airspace you intend to fly in by check the FAA’s official Know Before You Fly website. Just type in the address of the home you intend to photograph, and the FAA will output a yay or nay.
Get the right drone
Of course, all that works means you better have the right drone! Luckily, whether your budget is $400 or $4,000, you can get an incredibly high quality flying robot (WITH a camera attached to it!) that fits your pricetag. And often, it won’t cost much more than just a standard digital camera on its own.
Check out my guide to the best photography drones to find one that fits your budget and specification criteria.
If you’re going to hire someone else as your drone pilot
Does that all sound way too stressful and complicated? I don’t blame you for feeling that way. You can always outsource your real estate photography needs to a drone pilot. Just ensure they’re certified as a Part 107 operator.
Where to find drone pilots
There are a number of services that help connect businesses with licensed drone pilots. Of course, if you do hire a drone pilot, you should always ask to see their Part 107 license to ensure the pilot you’ve hired is compliant with FAA rules.
Rules you still need to be familiar with
While hiring a drone pilot means you get to avoid the burden of needing to be licensed yourself, you still should be familiar with the FAA rules around flying drones. That includes knowing where you can legally fly drones. You don’t want to hire a pilot as a freelancer, only to realize later that the home is located within two miles of an airport and you cannot get approval to fly there.
The best drones for real estate photography
If you’re just looking for an eye-catching shot for your Instagram feed then you probably don’t need as high-quality of a drone then if you’re shooting a complicated video of a property for a TV commercial.
Key specs real estate agents need in drones
In general, there are some key specs that every drone should always have, including:
- 4K video
- 3-axis gimbal (allowing for that silky-smooth video aesthetic)
- Live FPV (first person view) of the drone’s camera, allowing you to see what the drone sees
- Automatic takeoff and landing (if it doesn’t have this, the drone will be too hard to fly)
- Altitude hold (this keeps your drone at a fixed altitude, and is essential for easier, more controlled flight)
Beyond that, specs are really up to you and your needs. Do you need higher quality images and photos if they’ll be used in print ads, or is a medium-resolution photo intended for posting in a slideshow on a site like Redfin sufficient? Do you need obstacle avoidance sensors for maximum safety, or do you trust your piloting skills? Do you need 30 minutes of battery life, or are you fine with 15 minutes (and perhaps buying a spare battery)?
Check out my guide to the best drones for photography, which should better direct you to a good drone for real estate photography.
A note for beginners about buying new drones
For real estate agents new to drones, here’s a pro-tip. Always start with a cheap, toy drone (any $30 toy drone will do!). In fact, the cheaper, the better! That’s because cheap drones don’t have features like automatic takeoff, landing and hovering. Therefore, they’re more difficult to fly. Once you get to flying a “real” drone, it’ll be a breeze.
And on the off-chance you crash, you’d rather crash $40 into the pool vs. $400 or even $4,000.
You have a drone. Now what?
It’s not enough for real estate agents to fly under FAA rules and have an awesome drone. Once you’ve taken the photos, it’s important you know how to market and sell them. After all, potential home buyers don’t care about your Part 107 license! They care to see that sweet shot of the drone swooping over the trees, revealing the expansive backyard oasis of the home you’re trying to sell. And sell the shot with the perfect lighting, shot direction, editing, music and more.
To take your drone photography and videography skills to the next level, sign up for an online drone photo course. I recommend something like Drone Launch Academy’s Aerial Video A to Z, which covers topics including speeding up the editing process and workarounds for dealing with (notoriously hefty) 4k footage, salvaging footage you thought unusable (such as being too shaky, overexposed or underexposed), and turning flat and bland footage to video that pops with the perfect color balance.
Whether you look to add drone photography to your skillset, or you’re a real estate agent looking to hire a drone pilot, you’re one step closer to generating listing photos that stand out from the competition. Get those sweeping views of the property, and take prospective buyers on a virtual tour that compels them to make an offer without even visiting.
You’ll also want to make sure you (or the pilot you hire) has insurance. Typically, you’ll have a separate drone insurance policy.
Happy flying!
Got more questions, insights or thoughts about how real estate agents can use drones? Leave a comment below!
The post What real estate agents need to know about using drones to get aerial photos of homes appeared first on The Drone Girl.
]]>Learn to fly before you learn to shoot
This means finding an open space and learning the controls well so don’t have to consciously think about every lever and button and what it does. You’ll have plenty of time for making photos later. Get the feel of the aircraft now.
Visualize before you take off
On the Mavic Pro, you get about 26 minutes of flying time on each battery (so definitely consider buying extras). Because of that, try to visualize your shots before you take off so you’re not spending that precious 26 minutes of battery life just flying around aimlessly.
You must realize, however, that when you first start working with a drone, everything will look different from above. Don’t worry. As you get more experienced, you’ll learn how to “read” a scene better and you’ll spend less time searching and more time setting up the shots you want.
Shoot RAW
Consider photographing in RAW (the camera’s native format for images as opposed to JPEGs) if you know how to process them in a program like Lightroom. For me, it is too hard to see all the lighting nuances on my phone screen. RAW gives me more latitude than JPEGs for fixing later.
Consider bracketing your shots as well (if your drone has that feature) to allow for even greater flexibility with exposure.
Don’t let the initial images fool you
DJI’s RAW files look bad right out of the camera. But pump up the Blacks (for contrast) and increase the Vibrancy and the images can be stunning. Overall, the camera and the Mavic Pro aircraft are surprisingly good.
Learn the focus and metering buttons
Switching between the focus and metering buttons is easy once you locate them on the controller. Both are extremely useful since you get strong contrasts from the air.
At first, I blew out a lot of highlights. When I learned to meter on the right areas of the scene, my photos improved dramatically. Start by sticking with the auto functions of the camera but quickly learn and use the other focus and metering functions available.
Consider getting a polarizer
A polarizing filter reduces glare, but you can’t just twist it like a circular polarizer on your DSLR (it’s a bit out of reach when the drone is 300 feet above you). You can only adjust it by changing the angle of the aircraft which isn’t always helpful when composing a particular shot.
But the polarizer does protect the lens and makes the sky pop in your images. My next purchase will be some ND (Neutral Density) filters to knock down even more of the light and glare. Because you’re shooting from above, you’ll experience new angles of light that you don’t usually get with traditional photography.
Compensate for parallax
There’s a parallax phenomenon that takes time to understand. Compare the photos of two different bridges. In the first (above), I wasn’t directly over the bridge and the photo isn’t as good as the second one where I took the time to turn the drone sideways while rotating it at the same time to get the shot lined up perfectly.
It seems simple until you try it. But with practice, you’ll learn little tricks on how to maneuver your drone to get the shot you want. And the image stabilization, at least in my Mavic Pro, worked better than expected. Thus, if you can line up the shot, you’ll likely get a good image.
Start with photographs
As noted, I’ve held off on shooting more than quick snippets of video. Why? Because with still photography, the aircraft is essentially a floating platform that I can nudge into position. If my turns are awkward, it doesn’t matter.
But when you’re shooting video, flying is everything (or a whole lot). You want your aircraft’s movements to flow smoothly. In my first month of periodic flying, I just wasn’t experienced enough for video. But I did ask my friend Randy (who’s had a drone about as long as I have) about his experience with video.
He noted that a) videos are smoother when you lower the frame per second rate, and b) it’s far better to keep the focus on a single element rather than panning around to capture everything at once.
Learn how to avoid obstacles
In the early stages, you’ll likely be a bit freaked out by trees or other objects that seem to reach out toward your drone. Personally, I haven’t yet gotten close enough for the aircraft to employ its obstacle avoidance procedures.
Randy tested the sensors out by flying his aircraft directly at him. He figured that unlike flying into a tree, he could move out of the way if the sensors failed. As it turns out, they worked great. The aircraft stopped a few feet before him.
You still want to fly carefully, but it is nice to know you have the sensors working for you.
Recognize the limitations of where you can fly
There are restrictions where you can fly your drone (no national parks, no crowded areas, no flying near airports, etc.) but there are still vast regions you can explore by air that you can’t when tied to the ground. Also, scenes that look boring from the ground (a wheat field, for example), take on new possibilities when viewed from above. You just must rethink what makes for a great image.
Try direct overhead photos
Shots taken directly overhead will likely be more intriguing to you when you first start. Remember when Instagram was first getting going? Everyone took photos of their feet because they were more enamored with the filters on Instagram than in taking great photos.
You’ll likely soon grow to improve and get better shots at angles, but as a beginner, the direct overhead shot is fun because it is a completely new way of seeing things. And don’t rule them out even as you get better. You’ll still find scenes where the direct overhead shot tells the best story.
Compare, for example, the two shots of the wrecked fishing boats. Which is better? It’s all a matter of taste, but now you have options.
Learn to shoot at angles
Angled images are tougher to shoot at just the right height, distance, and direction than direct overhead ones. But they don’t scream “DRONE SHOT” the way some higher-altitude-direct-overhead photos do.
Also, a benefit of angled shots is that you can isolate your subject from distracting foreground or background items. For example, in the shot of the ruined church above, using a drone allowed me to avoid several unwanted foreground elements.
Photograph like a designer
Back to direct overhead shots, another benefit is that they can help you think differently about photography. You may, in fact, start perceiving the world more from a design perspective, being more aware of line, texture, patterns, and colors.
You’ll see shapes, arrangements, and interesting connections you wouldn’t otherwise just because you’re viewing scenes from different heights and angles.
The Takeaway
It may take time to master drone photography. But along the way, you’ll likely capture some surprising and astounding images. And best of all, you may become a better overall photographer as a result.
THE BASICS
How long it will take you to learn to fly your drone depends in part on the drone you get. With the DJI Mavic Pro, I spent time reading the manual (somewhat helpful), watching the DJI videos (more helpful) and then watching other people’s YouTube videos (super helpful).
Even if you’re a “forget the instructions, let’s get going” type of person, spend time watching some of these videos. It will be worth the effort since not everything about your drone, especially from a photography perspective, will be intuitive. Besides, you can do it while your batteries are charging.
On most drones, the controller connects to your smartphone. Your phone’s screen becomes your remote viewfinder. Let’s state what may seem obvious but isn’t if you’ve never owned a drone: You need a smartphone to fly most drones for photography purposes. It took me three days of trying to get the detested DJI app (just read the app reviews and you’ll see what I mean) to work only to find that it was incompatible with my older phone. I switched to my wife’s phone and voila, everything suddenly worked.
If your drone doesn’t connect immediately once you download the app, it’s likely the app/phone combo. My advice is to focus on solving the phone/app connection first.
FIRST FLIGHTS
The first time I flew the drone, I freaked out seeing it go up so high. The second time, not so much. The third time, I stopped looking at the aircraft (which, DJI reminds you repeatedly, is the proper name for the device, not a drone. Drones shoot missiles and spy on terrorists. Aircraft are, well, aircraft, I guess, even if this one can fold up and fit in a purse). Instead, I just watched the screen. That is much easier. In short, while you want to always have your drone in visual range so you’re aware of hazards (that’s the law in most areas), concentrate mostly on your screen and you’ll gain confidence in flying it faster.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
For most photographers, a good quality drone is a luxury, not a necessity. But its greatest value isn’t just in allowing you to take photos you cannot without it. It’s helping you to make better photos even when you’re not using it simply because it will cause you to rethink how you see a scene and thus make a photo.
When I was in college, I played on the school’s tennis team. Part of the training included a class on how to teach others to play the game. For the month that the class lasted, each participant had to play using his or her non-dominant hand. Not easy.
Shooting with the drone/aircraft is similar. Because it is initially so unfamiliar, it will rewire how your brain thinks about the subject you’re photographing and how to compose the image the best way. Without a drone, your photography will likely be two-dimensional, and you’ll probably continue shooting in the same way as you always have.
With a drone, you must factor in height and different angle possibilities. That, in turn, will affect your more terrestrial shots as well since you’ll see more possibilities than you did before.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen W. Brock is a photographer, writer, creativity aficionado, and author of “Hidden Travel: The Secret to Extraordinary Trips”. He helps people connect their outer journey (travel) with their inner longings, creative interests, and passions (such as photography). Find out more about connecting what you love with where you go at ExploreYourWorlds.com where you can get his free guides such as How to Take Awesome Travel Photographs or Everything You Need to Know to Photograph Machu Picchu.
Text & Photos by Stephen W. Brock
The post Getting Started in Drone Photography appeared first on RotorDrone.
]]>I’m looking for a commercially manufactured drone for FPV that has two cameras and 3D goggles for the full, 3D-visual flying experience. I was hoping that DJI would create this, but I don’t think they will. Is there any company out there that you know about that makes a true 3D-vision drone and goggles?
-Peter
For this question, I reached out to some of the best FPV pilots I know, Jessika Farrar and Lexie Janson. And both of them came to the same conclusion: there just aren’t any ready-to-fly drones out there available for sale that have 3D video as an option.
“Right now if you want to do 3D FPV video with a drone you don’t have many options, but it’s not impossible,” said Jessika Farrar, the Chief UAS Pilot at Robotic Research LLC and a lifetime RC enthusiast.
Her advice is to try to recreate your own 3D FPV goggles using existing gear available for sale. Here are some options:
Buy used Skyzone 3D FPV Goggles
Skyzone used to make 3D FPV Goggles with a 3D Camera, dual transmitter, and dual receivers. Alas, they were discontinued, despite receiving fantastic reviews from those who used them.
“This proprietary set of gear can be easily outfitted on just about any drone with 3″ props and up and would provide the full 3D FPV experience,” Farrar said
Browse eBay or drone forums and Facebook groups to try to get your hands on a new pair. But even if you manage to find a used pair of Skyzone 3D FPV Goggles, it’s still not completely ready to go off-the-shelf. You’ll need to do some tinkering, building and electronics engineering to add it in to the actual drone.
Farrar did add that you can still buy the dual cam and video transmitter new as loose replacement parts. It’s finding the actual goggles that will likely be the hard part.
Use a Blackbird 2.0 dual camera
Farrar also recommends finding a Blackbird 2.0 dual camera — though again that may be tough. It seems to be out of stock everywhere, so you’ll have to find it used. If you do get your hands on one, you can pair it with any traditional video transmitter and a pair of 3D capable goggles — regardless of the brand (we recommend something like the Fatshark Dominator HD).
Make your videos 3D in post-production
Lexie Jansen, a famous FPV drone racer, suggested a hack that involves shooting traditional FPV video. Then, use a service like Visual Vertigo to turn your camera into a 3D camera. Their patented technology allows users to use any camera on the market to take real 3D pictures and videos that can be viewed using any smart phone and VR headset. No additional hardware is needed — it’s all done through software.
Why is it so hard to find 3D FPV goggles?
There are a few reasons why it’s so hard to find 3D FPV goggles, including the proprietary nature of the 3D systems of the past and the cost prohibitiveness of all the equipment needed to do it, Farrar said.
“$180 for an FPV camera on a drone that you are totally going to smash back in 2016 was just outrageous,” she said.
And then perhaps another even bigger reason why 3D FPV goggles have never really caught on: lack of marketing. More specifically — no free advertising on social media.
“With no way to share this 3D experience with anyone such as on social media, the people who were enjoying the 3D video experience weren’t able to be loud and proud about it,” she said. “They enjoyed it quietly.”
Think of all the other huge hype waves. People post their Peloton workouts on the app’s community page and suddenly Peloton is huge. People geotag restaurants on Instagram and suddenly everyone wants that photogenic donut. And people post their drone videos to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram — and really everywhere online — and people want a drone But there’s no great way to share specifically 3D drone videos.
“Thus 3D video never really experienced the word of mouth or social media effect,” Farrar said.
Alas, Skyzone’s newer goggle moddles don’t have 3D hardware.
And even if you do find it, expect to pony up some cash.
“This gear is not cheap, even though it is over 5 years old now,” Farrar said. “In 2021 we are still talking nearly $100 just for an analog SD camera — if you can even find it anywhere.”
What does the future hold for 3D FPV goggles?
It’s hard to say whether companies will make 3D FPV goggles in the future.
“With any luck, maybe a company like Orqa (which makes the FPV.One goggles) will take it on,” Farrar said, suggesting the Croatia-based company is best positioned to tackle a product like this. Orqa builds antennas, radio controllers, headsets and low latency video signal transport systems, and the company does almost all of its engineering in house including mechanical engineering, electronics design, RF design, firmware development, optics design and prototyping.
DJI has taken just a few steps into the FPV drone racing world, having most recently launched its FPV drone earlier this year. That said, there’s no indication DJI would expand all the way to 3D.
“HD like the DJI system in 3D would be truly epic but I can only dream,” Farrar said.
For now, it looks like little interest in 3D FPV drones means there’s little hope that the market will build products for the small handful of prospective buyers.
“Maybe Skyzone can bring it back from the dead,” Farrar said. “Right now I’m afraid it is sadly a lost and forgotten vertical.”
The post 3D FPV goggles: why are they so hard to come by? appeared first on The Drone Girl.
]]>German delivery drone maker Wingcopter this week announced its newest model called the Wingcopter 198, and it has a triple-drop delivery drone mechanism, enabling operations to become much more efficient as it makes up to three stops in one trip.
Wingcopter’s delivery drones are all an electric-power, vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing drone, meaning it takes off straight upwards like a helicopter, but then morphs into an airplane-style design for more efficient flight once it’s in the air.
What’s new about this latest Wingcopter drone is its triple-drop delivery drone mechanism. The drone can carry three separate payloads that carry up to a combined 6 kilograms (13 pounds) on one battery charge — and it can take them as far as 75 kilometers (47 miles).
Of course, it could also deliver two more medium-sized packages, or one large one, given the combined weight is 6 kilos or less. The new triple delivery process is possible because the Wingcopter 198 has a separate winch through which the extra payloads are lowered. The old model, the Wingcopter 178, only had one winch. By making three deliveries in one area, operations become way more efficient.
“When we did the vaccine delivery trial in Vanuatu, we always had to return to a central hub before flying to the next remote health facility with new children’s vaccines,” Wingcopter CEO Tom Plümmer told The Drone Girl. “It would have been super-helpful if we had had the triple drop mechanism already back then to deliver the vaccines to three villages on the same flight.”
Plümmer said the Wingcopter 198 is the first delivery drone which can deliver and lower several parcels at different locations via separate winches.
How Wingcopter deliveries work
The entire delivery process is fully automatic, allowing one operator to control a fleet of up to 10 Wingcopter 198s simultaneously anywhere in the world via the company’s control station software.
As the drone flies, detect-and-avoid software that combines tech like ADS-B, Remote ID and visual artificial intelligence is interpreting the airspace around the drone to “automatically initiate evasive maneuvers” should the drone get too close to another object in flight like a tree, power line or other flying object.
Once the drone gets to its delivery location, downward-looking cameras use AI-based optical sensing to figure out how to most accurately (and safely) drop the parcel.
Wingcopter says its drones could transport pretty much anything — medical supplies, consumer goods, spare parts and tools, groceries or freshly prepared food. And the company already has a strong history in drone delivery. It has partnered with major players like UPS and has worked on projects like transporting lab samples between the Merck plant in Gernsheim to the company’s headquarters in Darmstadt.
And Wingcopter is certainly a company to keep an eye on. Earlier this year, the company announced that it had secured $22 million in Series A funding.
The post Drone delivery may have gotten way more efficient thanks to Wingcopter’s latest design tweak appeared first on The Drone Girl.
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