DRONES AND CONSTRUCTION: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Since drones hit the skies, they’ve offered multiple applications for the construction industry. An unmanned aircraft (or UA) hovering above a jobsite can provide owners and supervisors with valuable mapping, as well as a snapshot of progress and potential safety hazards. But the legality of drone usage has been widely misunderstood, and a hand-down of official regulations has proved equally elusive.

WHAT WE KNOW
Congress is as eager for clarity as professionals and hobbyists, with applications expected to expand greatly for both law enforcement entities and the U.S. military. The Drone Act of 2012 calls for “safe integration” of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by September 30, 2015. The much-anticipated Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) guidelines, which are expected to clear up rules for aircraft less than 55 lbs., were expected in 2014, but now may be pushed to 2017.

The FAA has categorized drone operations into three distinct categories: Civil, Public and Model.

Civil Drones: Civil drones are used for the purpose of research, development and market surveys. In order to fly in a Civil UAS, businesses and operators must obtain a Special Airworthiness Certificate in the experimental category.
Public Drones: These drones are piloted by public entities that wish to fly in civil airspace. These drones are commonly used by law enforcement, firefighters, border patrol, disaster relief, search and rescue and other military or government entities.
Model Aircrafts: Recreational model aircrafts are used for hobby and recreation, and are limited to flying below 400ft and out of range of airports or air traffic.
According to the agency, commercial drone operations must be authorized on a case-by-case basis. In an attempt at greater clarity, the FAA posted its “Busting Myths about the FAA and Unmanned Aircraft.” According to the page, only one operation (in the Arctic) has met the agency’s criteria, ever. 

What are your chances of getting fined for flying a drone over your construction site? In the absence of official regulations, it seems unlikely that fines for flying commercial drones will stick. In fact, an attempt by the FAA to fine an individual for his drone operation back in 2011 was thrown out of court by a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) judge.

But the real issue for construction companies may be whether or not they have sufficient coverage should something go awry overhead. We also know that you can’t charge for operating a drone, you can’t fly an aircraft over 55lbs without certification, and you can’t fly your drone near manned aircrafts.

Bottom line: Check your policy to confirm protection against potential aircraft incidents. Fly drones at your own risk. And pay attention to any news about regulations, which may clear matters up, even if it takes years.

This post was written by Aubree Munar at FieldLens. FieldLens is the mobile-first communication platform designed by builders, for builders. It helps construction professionals communicate more effectively so that they can spend less time managing information and more time building better.


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