Up, Up, and Away: UAVing in the Great White North! Eh!

The drones are coming! Are you considering buying one for your firm? It's more involved than just grabbing the top of the line and then hitting the site for a flight. Yes, rules, regulations, and safety standards-our favorite words as Building Information Modeling (BIM) managers. PCL Construction is the first contractor in Canada to have applied for and be granted a Special Flights Operation Certificate (SFOC) and amendment to fly to an altitude of 830' along with a No-Fly Zone (NFZ) on a T1 airport on a weekly basis. These are some of our findings and lessons learned from using these tools on a construction site in a "cooler" climate. What are the possible uses of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and unmanned aerial systems (UAS)? What does buying a drone/UAV/UAS mean for your company? What are the regulations in Canada with Transport Canada and NavCanada? What is an SFOC or a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM)? What are the regulations in the United States? What is a Part 107, a Waiver, an FAA Certification, and an NFZ? What data can be captured? How can it be processed? We will also cover best practices and processes, along with safety guidelines.