Celebrated on April 29, Drone Safety Day (DSD) is an annual campaign dedicated to educating the drone community of the importance of flying safely. The purpose of Drone Safety Day is to raise awareness about the potential risks and dangers associated with drones and to educate drone operators, enthusiasts, and the general public about the best practices for safe and responsible drone use.
To learn more about flying safely, we talked with David Barton, our Newport News survey remote sensing group leader, about the ways he uses the FAA’s safety message in his day-to-day work.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) encourages everyone to Fly RIGHT:
- Register your drone—FAADroneZone
- Interact with others
- Gain knowledge
- Have a safety plan
- TRUST and Train
R—Register your drone
“All recreational drones weighing more than 250 grams as well as drones used for commercial purposes must be registered with the FAA Drone Zone,” says David. “Timmons Group’s drones are registered for commercial purposes.”
I—Interact with others
After a lecture on UAS/drones for survey applications, David spoke with students at Virginia Tech to provide more insight about the world of drones in survey.
Here’s David supporting the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) where he had the opportunity to speak on sUAS experience and benefits.
To support safe flying, David also spoke about public safety on drones for the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at VIPC.
G—Gain Knowledge
Drone operation is a continuous learning process as the technology advances. To stay informed about what’s happening in the world of drones, David attends conferences like the Commercial UAV Expo where he can learn from other industry leaders about the newest technology and developments.
H—Have a safety plan
“We have a preflight checklist we go through before every flight. As part of our planning, we include contingency procedures for when the operation doesn’t go as planned,” David said.
T—Train
“At Timmons Group, training is a big part of our flight operations,” says David. “Education and experience gained through mentorship are a critical part of conducting SAFE drone operations.”
Thanks for tuning in, and remember, flying RIGHT means flying safe! Be sure to follow David on Instagram for all things drone and LiDAR related!
