| | SEPTEMBER 20198E ERGYTech ReviewThe drone operating industry is settling into three categories, each trying to make their way through a set of rules that, although permissive for line of sight operations, limits what many companies hope to achieve with the technology. The first group can be described as tier one operators; those using drones to take real estate photographs and perform roof inspections or a wide number of other applications that can be achieved with a system (drone and payload) that costs significantly less than 10,000 dollars. This group makes up the majority of the 100,000 (+/-) drones that are registered with the FAA for commercial use. The opportunity is there, but for most, it is insufficient to support a full time career. The tier two group consists of enterprises trying to sell a higher value proposition for applications such as infrastructure inspection. Generally requiring a more sophisticated system and better credentials, the investment needed to participate in this sector is significantly higher. While there is some positive activity in this area, lucrative fee-paying assignments are still rare. Many large utility companies have commissioned proof of concept studies and are The New Era of Unmanned Aircrafts: DronesChris ProudloveBy Chris Proudlove, SVP, Global AerospaceToday we face a new, high profile and largely unproven group of unmanned aircraft and operators evolving in an environment of unprecedented industry safetyIN MY OPINION
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