The Ohio Dam Safety administration made a decision to investigate starting a drone program in 2023. A drone focus group consisting of interested potential pilots began looking at how drones could benefit the program and provided their recommendations in January of 2024. Today we have 8 remote pilots and a fleet of 5 drones for inspection purposes. In addition to great aerial photographs (taken on the day of inspection) we can collect survey and thermal data and hope to add lidar capabilities soon. The incredible detail that can be collected for dam appurtenances that are otherwise difficult to access or the data that can be generated from differing camera systems cannot be underrated.
Learning Objectives:
What types of aerial photographs or data collection are you most interested in?
What types of software may be needed?
What drones can be purchased on a tight budget?
Training, what is required and what is beneficial?
The flight records required to be retained by the FAA are extensive - are there ways to lessen the load on remote pilot documentation requirements?
