Use of drones in construction is expected to increase in 2017 with passage of the FAA Part 107 rule governing use of drones for commercial purposes. Part 107 provides that the operator must have a remote pilot license, a special new category that requires a written test only demonstrating some aviation knowledge as well as the safe operation of remote-controlled aircraft. It is no longer necessary to have a pilot license as in the prior regulation called the 333 Exemption.
While surveying, job progress tracking and marketing are some of the obvious uses, savvy architects and engineers are finding uses for drones in the design stage. Studying the best placement on a site is an obvious use case, and as we report in this week's Blog Highlights, conducting studies of temperature, air pressure and prevailing winds can help optimize construction of tall structures.
In addition, drone technology has improved, including longer flight times, enhanced portability, and the introduction of collision avoidance capability. ConstructionPro Network is currently conducting a "drones in construction" survey, which closes Sunday January 15, 2017 at 11:00 PM Eastern Time. If you haven't taken the survey yet, please tell us about your drone experiences, or how you foresee they could be of value on your projects. Click here to take the survey now.
