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Getting off the ground Some firms have already implemented drones on projects, but caution is advised until 2017, when the FAA finalizes regulations for use.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent D rones offer potential for capturing data, imag- es, and videos, and inspecting inaccessible and hazardous areas. But is a lack of clear regulations limiting their use by AEC firms? The answer is yes, but change is on the horizon. The FAA is expected to deliver final rules on the use of drones weighing less than 55 pounds by 2017. In the meantime, the agency has begun to permit companies seeking to use the technology for tasks ranging from inspecting flare stacks in oil fields to shooting aerial video to carry out that work on a case-by-case basis. Here are three examples: 1) SRG Partnership, Inc. (Seattle, WA), an architecture, plan- ning and interiors firm, has used the technology to document its new Center for Student Success at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Wash. There, an atrium running the full length of the building is daylit with skylights and clerestory windows. Using a small unmanned aerial vehicle, the team captured the day-lighting feature and high- lighted key building elements from various angles and elevations. 2) Bechtel (San Francisco, CA), a global AEC firm, in partnership with third-party service provider, Sky- catch, recently got the FAA’s approval to gather and analyze a variety of site data in the U.S. after proving the technology’s efficacy on a project in Australia, according to a press release. Skycatch’s drones can incorporate equipment such as high-definition cam- eras, infrared scanners, and thermal and radiation sensors. 3) AECOM (Los Angeles, CA), a global provider of ar- chitecture, design, engineering, and construction
services, has used small drones to capture views at specific elevations on the site of a proposed project to optimize a building’s design; monitoring mana- tees in shark-infested waters rather than flying a disruptive helicopter overhead; and inspecting the interior of an industrial smokestack, in which toxins are present, for structural integrity. The firm is cur- rently using its in-house drone expertise primarily for its own projects, but expects that as the technol- ogy becomes more widely understood, more clients will request it. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. While companies await FAA clarifications, the FAA and Jackson Boyd, an at- torney specializing in construction law for Ober Kaler in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, suggests contractors consider the following before before in- corporating drones into their business: ❚ ❚ Don’t fly a drone until the FAA says it’s okay. The penalty for doing so is usually a fine. ❚ ❚ While the FAA has approved only a few hundred waivers (Section 333 exemptions) to allow the use of drones for commercial use, it’s getting easier to win one. The process can still take months and requires a lot of documentation. ❚ ❚ Even “pilots” with waivers may not fly their drones near airports. Some waivers restrict flying within five miles of an airport, while others require the devices to stay at least two miles away. The final rule likely will include similar restrictions for using drones near airports. The FAA so far has said it will insist that drone op- erators keep their devices in their sight, without the aid of binoculars, at all times, which means it will be illegal to fly the crafts over wide areas or those with obstructed views. Drones also won’t be
Jackson Boyd, Attorney, Ober Kaler.
See DRONES , page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 27, 2015, ISSUE 1113
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