12 TIPS FOR EXPERT AERIALS

Parrot
Anafi USA

ECO DRONES BAD PRESS

Water sampling Pushing back against
Litter cleanup false reporting
Pest control

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2021

WAY BEYOND THE RIGHT TOOL

LINE OF SIGHT FOR THE JOB
Remote-Split LIDAR vs.
Operations 101 Photogrammetry
RotorDronePro.com
 SCAN
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VOLUME 8, NUMBER 5 | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

FEATURES
36 ‹ Level Up!
12 tips to create incredible drone photos
BY TEAM ROTORDRONE PRO

56 ‹ Bad Press
What the Wall Street Journal got wrong about drones
BY PATRICK SHERMAN
 EXPERT TECH
32 ‹ Remote-Split Operations:
How to fly a drone you never see
BY PATRICK SHERMAN

50 ‹ Photogrammetry vs. LIDAR

Choosing the right sensors for your job
BY GABRIEL TORRES

60 ‹ When Drones Go Bad

Investigating incidents of rogue operations
BY PATRICK SHERMAN

AIR SUPPORT
22 ‹ Parrot Anafi USA
A diminutive drone with superlative features
BY PATRICK SHERMAN

DEPARTMENTS
6 ‹ Top View
7 ‹ Return to Home
8 ‹ Aerial Intel
66 ‹ Over the Horizon

ON THE COVER & THIS PAGE:

Don’t miss our complete review of the Parrot Anafi
USA, a compact drone with a suite of commercial
sensors. (Photo by Patrick Sherman)

PREVIOUS PAGE:
Elevate your photography with 12 tips from the
experts in “Level Up!” (Photo by Shutterstock)

THIS PAGE:
This month’s Expert Tech column will help you choose
between photogrammetry and LIDAR sensors.
(Photo by Shutterstock)

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EDITORIAL
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CONTRIBUTORS
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A 3D output map from LIDAR provides elevation information, which can be colorized
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best match to your particular application. And speaking of sensors, the
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 RETURN TO HOME

We love hearing from our readers. Your emails, tweets, and comments let us
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RotorDronePro.com › Mailbag
The “10 Top Jobs” feature in the August/
September magazine was a pleasant
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potential. I think having the right skillset will
be critical in my UAV job search. A recent
college grad, I recently received my Part 107
commercial certification and am currently
taking additional training to get certified in
thermography. My next goal is to get APRS
(American Society for Photogrammetry and
Remote Sensing) trained and certified. As
a subscriber I appreciate seeing articles on
these topics. There is so much more to drone Intel awed the world with a light show
flying than being able to safely control the featuring 1,800 drones during the
aircraft; knowing how to use the sensors opening of the Summer Olympics in
properly and how to use the data is even Tokyo. We shared footage of the event,
more important. Thank you for being a great and here are a few of your comments:
resource. Mike Conner: Wow! I wonder if these drone
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Fascinating stuff! Please keep the surprises coming.
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 A ER IA L I NT EL
REVIEWS | ACCESSORIES | GEAR | TECHNOLOGY | NEWS

Galápagos Drones
W
hen conservators of
the Galápagos Islands
realized that a rat
infestation was threatening local
wildlife, they turned to a New
Zealand drone company, Envico,
for help. Monitoring activities
in early 2018 determined that
North Seymour was infested by
black (Rattus rattus) and brown
rats (Rattus norvegicus). The
Directorate of the Galápagos
National Park immediately
began managing the project’s
development after declaring
a state of emergency, which
secured funds from the Fund
for Sustainable Environmental
Investments.
Bell Laboratories produced
3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb.) of
“conservation bait”—a rodenticide
specially developed to only attract
rats—for the eradication. The bait’s
formula was designed especially
for projects within the Galápagos
Archipelago due to their unique
weather conditions.
Karl Campbell, Island
Conservation South American
Regional Director, highlighted that
before drones were available, they
had to use helicopters, specialized
pilots, and bait spray buckets. He
said, “The use of drones is more
precise; it also increases feasibility
and reduces eradication costs
of invasive rodents in small and
midsize islands worldwide.”
A team using two six-rotor
drone copters started spreading
bait laced with rat poison around
North Seymour island and a
nearby islet called Mosquera.
Envico’s heavy-lift, electric-
powered drones were each
quipped with a 3D-printed fixed
spreader system, allowing for an

8 RotorDronePro.com
effective 40m (120-ft.) swath range. The
pre-programmed drones used GPS to
simultaneously fly over blocks across
the island, using varying application
rates depending on the topography. The
drones flew for 15 minutes at a time,
deploying 44 pounds of bait during each
flight. This system offered high accuracy
and control previously unseen across
other applications methods and moved
almost 1.5 tons of bait over 450 acres in
just two days.
Mechanical difficulties with the
drones shut the operation down
when only half of North Seymour was
treated, and workers had to spread
the rest of the bait by hand, creating a
natural experiment that could provide
useful data on the drone approach.
Island Conservation plans to compare
outcomes in the drone-baited and
hand-baited halves of the island.
The project might be the first of
its kind, but others in the field expect
drones to play an increasing role in
culling non-native animals that threaten
rare species. Especially on small, remote
islands, far from helicopter companies,
drones could be a much cheaper way to
spread poison. South American Regional
Director of Island Conservation, Karl
Campbell, said “The use of drones is
more precise; it also increases feasibility,
and reduces eradication costs of
invasive rodents in small and midsize
islands worldwide.”
Christian Sevilla, a park ranger, said
the ecological monitoring will continue
for the next two years. This is the time
needed to declare the island rodent-
free and have evidence of the recovery
of the ecosystem, monitoring the
proliferation of cacti and other species.
While this may have been the world’s
first use of drones to remove invasive
vertebrates, it certainly won’t be the
last.
PHOTOS BY ANDREW WRIGHT/ Island
Conservation
October/November 2021 9
AERIAL INTEL

TRUST: The new FAA recreational flier certification

T
he Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) has announced that all
recreational fliers must pass an
aeronautical knowledge and safety
test and provide proof of test passage
(The Recreational UAS Safety Test, or
TRUST, completion certificate) to the
FAA or law enforcement upon request.
A recreational flier is someone who
operates their drone for fun or personal
enjoyment purposes only.
You may take the free online test
through any of the approved test
administrators listed at faa.gov/uas/
recreational_fliers/knowledge_test_
updates.
The first section of the TRUST test
provides you with the information
needed to pass the test. The second
section is a series of multiple-choice the test and obtain a new certificate. Neither the test administrator, nor the FAA, will
questions. You cannot fail the test. If you maintain personally identifiable information about the recreational flier, so it is not
answer a question incorrectly, you will possible to re-print or re-issue your original certificate.
be provided with information on why
the answer you chose was incorrect How to fly a drone recreationally:
and will be asked to try again. Upon 1. If your drone weighs more than 0.55 pound, register your drone through the
completion of the TRUST test, you will FAA’s DroneZone
receive a completion certificate. The 2. Pass TRUST
certificate never expires, but if you lose 3. Follow the safety guidelines at faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers or of an existing
your certificate, you will need to re-take aeromodelling organization

Flymotion & Silvus Technologies Partnership

A
s public safety and unmanned systems experts, Flymotion is integrating Silvus’ product line into robotic
platforms and enterprise-level UAS platforms.
“Silvus Technologies’ MN-MIMO waveform brings the ability to merge multiple wireless systems,
both manned and unmanned, to the front lines of public safety and defense—even in contested and austere
environments. Through custom integration, we will be able to incorporate StreamCaster 2x2 and 4x4 MIMO radios
into aerial and ground unmanned vehicles. Attaching a wireless high-bandwidth video and data network to a
robotic system will push the boundaries
for clear, long-range communications
for a variety of applications,” said Ryan Bat-Safe XL now available

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10 RotorDronePro.com
Skydio 3D Scan
3D Scan automates data capture for asset
inspection and scene reconstruction, allowing
any inspector, surveyor, or first responder to
efficiently capture a complete photographic
dataset that documents every angle of a scene,
ensuring accurate coverage with sub-millimeter
precision in a fraction of the time while greatly
reducing risk.
Skydio’s VP of Autonomy, Hayk Martiros,
said, “We are extremely excited about the value
that 3D Scan delivers. Manual drones lack the
ability to see and understand the 3D nature
of the world and, as a result, can’t provide a
scalable solution to replace traditional methods
of inspection. With 3D Scan we are turning

3
D Scan extends Skydio’s ground-breaking autonomous flight with
advanced artificial intelligence skills that automate photographic
data collection and mapping tasks. In addition, Skydio announced
that Bentley Systems, an infrastructure engineering software company,
has joined DroneDeploy and RealityCapture in Skydio’s technology partner
ecosystem as a preferred photogrammetry solution for 3D Scan datasets.
Skydio drones into intelligent scanning robots
that can build real-time flight plans optimized
to each scene and generate the best possible
photographic datasets.”
skydio.com

uAvionix George
G
eorge combines the flexibility and over a decade’s worth of
open-source innovation in UAS autopilots with the robustness
of a certifiable DAL-C hardware and a DAL-C safety and sensor
processor. It uses the highest-quality GPS, C2 Radio, airspeed, Detect and
Avoid (DAA), and military-grade geomagnetic sensors for unprecedented
accuracy and platform integrity. The unit’s onboard sensor safety
processor monitors system health and will deploy emergency measures,
such as a parachute, in the unlikely event of a failure.
George is plug and play with all uAvionix certified solutions. The G2
version weighs 80 grams and is intended to fly 21- to 55-pound UAVs; the
G3 version is intended for UAVs that weigh less than 1,320 pounds.

uavionix.com

October/November 2021 11
AERIAL INTEL

Wing’s OpenSky App

W
ing, the drone delivery arm
of Google’s parent company,
Alphabet, has launched a free
app in to help pilots legally fly drones.
OpenSky has been available in Australia
since 2019 but is now available in an iOS
and Android app in the U.S.
OpenSky is based on Google Maps,
and it’s color-coded to show areas
where pilots can and can’t fly. Green
areas are okay, pilots should use caution
in yellow areas, and red areas are no-
fly zones. The app lets pilots submit
requests to fly in controlled airspace and
receive “near real-time authorizations.”
The approval process works in
airspace that supports Low Altitude
Authorization and Notification Capability
(LAANC), which includes hundreds of air
traffic facilities and airports.
As well as checking where it’s legal to
fly and request authorization, OpenSky
also lets pilots log and plan their flights.
The app needs an internet connection to
operate, Wing notes, so you’re advised
to take a screenshot of a flight approval
if you’re going to need it in an area with
poor reception.
Wing says that their OpenSky app
will make it easier for pilots to obey the
rules and fly the nearly 2 million drones
that have been registered in the U.S.
“Compliance will ultimately expand the
uses and benefits of drones—among
them emergency response, commercial
inspections and contactless delivery—to
more people,” Wing said in a blog post.
wing.com/opensky

S
kyfront UAVs like the Perimeter 8 shown are now equipped to fly
Skyfront Active autonomously meters from the ground for hours at a time, detecting
improvised explosive devices (IEDs), conducting resource exploration,
Terrain-Following discovering unexploded ordnance, and finding oil wellheads. The Skyfront
system integrates active RADAR terrain sensing and UgCS mission planning
software to respond to the terrain by calculating and adjusting flight altitude
based on a continuous stream of incoming measurements.
The system can operate in hot temperatures and over water, allowing
Skyfront drones to visualize complex trajectories in rugged terrain prior to
takeoff and course correct in real time. Integrated into the Skyfront platform—
propelled by the company’s hybrid-electric powertrain—the UAV can fly close
to steep hills for hours and cover hundreds of acres in a single flight.
Skyfront CEO Tory Mestler said, “Skyfront’s vision is to create the ultimate
high-endurance drone platform that enables real industrial work in the most
challenging terrain.”

12 RotorDronePro.com
MIT’s Next-Gen
Micro Drone
I
f you’ve ever swatted a mosquito away from your face, only
to have it return, you know that insects can be remarkably
acrobatic and resilient in flight. Such traits are hard to build
into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng
Chen has built a system that approaches insects’ agility.
“If we look at most drones today, they’re usually quite big,”
says Chen. “Most of their applications involve flying outdoors.
The question is: Can you create insect-scale robots that can
move around in very complex, cluttered spaces?”
The principal alternative until now has been employing a
small, rigid actuator built from piezoelectric ceramic. While
piezoelectric ceramics allowed the first generation of tiny
robots to take flight, they’re quite fragile. And that’s a problem
when you’re building a robot to mimic an insect—foraging
bumblebees endure a collision about once every second.
Chen designed a more resilient tiny drone using soft
actuators instead of hard, fragile ones. The soft actuators are
made of thin rubber cylinders coated in carbon nanotubes.
When voltage is applied to the carbon nanotubes, they
produce an electrostatic force that squeezes and elongates
the rubber cylinder. Repeated elongation and contraction
cause the drone’s wings to beat nearly 500 times per second,
giving the drone insect-like resilience. “You can hit it when
it’s flying, and it can recover,” says Chen. “It can also do
aggressive maneuvers like somersaults in the air.” And it
weighs in at just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large
bumblebee. The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with
wings, though Chen is working on a new prototype shaped
like a dragonfly.
Chen says his mini-aerialists could navigate complex
machinery to ensure safety and functionality. “Think about
the inspection of a turbine engine. You’d want a drone to move
around [an enclosed space] with a small camera to check for
cracks on the turbine plates.”
Other potential applications include artificial pollination of
crops or completing search-and-rescue missions following a
disaster. “All those things can be very challenging for existing
large-scale robots,” says Chen. Sometimes, bigger isn’t
better.—By Daniel Ackerman
mit.edu
Parrot Anafi Ai
T
he first drone to use 4G as the main data link
between the drone and the operator, the Anafi
Ai will have precise control at any distance. For
Beyond Visual Line of Sight flights, it stays connected
even behind obstacles. The Ai and its Skycontroller 4
each come with an embedded Secure Element, and
the 4G link between the drone and the user’s phone
is encrypted. The Secure Element protects both the
integrity of the software and the privacy of data
transferred.
The first in the industry to make its piloting
application open-source, Parrot offers developers a
Software Development Kit (SDK) to execute custom
code in the Anafi Ai drone during the flight. The SDK
gives access to all flight sensors, including obstacle
avoidance sensors, occupancy grid and internet
access.
Anafi Ai’s uniquely designed obstacle-avoidance
system detects obstacles in all directions, using stereo
cameras to sense objects and automatically avoid
them.
The new drone incorporates a 48 MP main camera
and boasts a stabilized 4K 60fps / HDR10 camera
to capture finely-detailed aerial images and smooth
video footage.
According to Parrot, “4G is profoundly changing
the use cases for drones. With 4G, the data link
between the drone and the pilot becomes robust in all
circumstances. Already widely and reliably deployed
around the world, 4G offers long range transmission
at low frequency bands at 700MHz – 900MHz.
Additionally, the 4G connection means professionals
can operate the drone at any distance. Many 4G
operators offer quality-of-service guarantees for first
responders, such as firefighters and police.”
The Anafi Ai should be available in 2021, but the
price has not yet been released.
parrot.com
October/November 2021 13
AERIAL INTEL
Nixie Water Sampling Drone
M
ade by Reign Maker, Nixie
is the world’s first drone-
enabled water sampling and
data collection system, designed to
drastically increase sampling rates and
accuracy while reducing the number of
required field personnel and eliminating
the dependence on marine vessels.
To ensure water supplies remain
clean and safe, drinking water
utilities, water resource management
agencies, and environmental regulators
worldwide routinely test water quality
through government-mandated
sampling and analysis. However,
traditional water sampling and analysis
methods are logistically complex
and labor-intensive, and there are
no centralized repositories for water
sampling data.
Nixie automates water management
14 RotorDronePro.com
by using drones, water sensors,
software, connectivity, and the
Cloud to provide real-time actionable
data stored in a central location. The
system is designed to be intuitive and
straightforward to operate in the field
and conforms with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) standards for
water sampling.
“With Nixie, we are committed
to changing how water is analyzed
worldwide, one sample at a time,”
said Jessica Chosid, Founder and CEO
of Reign Maker. “Our mission is to
remotely collect, digitize, and transform
commercial, industrial, and agricultural
water management across the supply
chain.”
Nixie Base consists of a patented
drone-mounted water sampling
attachment and lockable bottle cradle
that easily and securely attaches to a
drone while hovering. The drone then
flies to the sample collection location
and submerges the sample bottle two
feet below the surface in currents up
to 5 knots. As a result, it will not stir
up sediment in shallow water, thus
eliminating the risk of contamination. A
technician then removes and replaces
EPA-approved sample bottles from the
cradle. Each operation can be completed
in less than three minutes.
The system currently supports DJI
M600 and M300 RTK commercial
platforms. It uses their GPS systems
to log telemetry data, including time
and location coordinates, to improve
each sample’s chain of custody and to
create historic GPS logs so Nixie can
repeatedly dip into the same location to
accurately record water quality changes
over time.
Nixie Advanced is an integrated
hardware, sensor, software, data
analysis, and cloud-based management
solution designed to efficiently
enable water quality monitoring in-
situ, anywhere in the world, across
the supply chain, even in the most
inaccessible environments. Nixie is
also developing the world’s first water
database to be updated in real-time for
better global monitoring, management,
and water resource protection by
tracking naturally occurring events and
artificial threats.
“The New York City Department of
Environmental Protection alone collects
14,000 water quality samples a year,
collecting 30 samples a day using
boats, captains, and a crew of three at
an average cost of $100 per sample,”
added Chosid. “With Nixie, a crew of
two can collect 120 samples in the same
seven-hour shift, at a cost as low as $10
per dip.”
Nixie Advanced is currently under
development, and Nixie Base is available
for pre-order now.
nixiedip.com

Air Force Birds?

signed a Non-Exclusive Patent License Agreement (PLA)
with Airion Health for the licensing of this Government-
owned invention, which both parties agree will best serve the
public interest once it is developed for practical application
and made available. The terms outlined in the PLA dictate
the company shall produce a workable prototype within 15
months.
The device, as detailed in the patent filing, would enable
a biomimetic micro-robotic aircraft to perform insect-like
maneuvers with two physical actuators while using minimal
computer processing power. Controllable forces would be
generated by the wings based on position and velocity
profiles, resulting in time-varying wing upstrokes and
downstrokes, which, at times, may be asymmetrical.

F
or the majority of the 21st century, the Air Force
Research Laboratory (AFRL) has been designing mini-
robotic aircraft to mimic characteristics of insects and
birds. Using biomimetics, engineers have created synthetic
systems to function and achieve insect-like maneuverability.
For the engineers, however, challenges are inherent when
manipulating manmade mechanisms to perform instinctive
movements of flying insects and birds. One such challenge
is designing an aircraft capable of six-degrees-of-freedom
flight with only two actuators. According to patents filed by
David Doman, Michael Oppenheimer, Isaac Weintraub, and
David Sigthorsson, this challenge may have met its match.
These patents and its resulting invention have now landed
on the doorstep of a small business in Los Angeles, Airion
Health, LLC. In January, the Department of the Air Force
The continuous process of updating the position and
velocity, along with user-supplied inputs with a remote
controller, will enable flapping-wing MAVs to achieve the
desired flight dynamics. Practical applications after successful
implementation of the invention include, but are not limited
to, in the-open surveillance, aerial swarm operations, and
battlefield situational awareness.
An electronic flying bird resembles something you would
have read about in a 1970s comic book; however, if featured
in a modern-day graphic novel, the MAV would be recast as a
reality. So, whether you are out bird watching or watching out
for birds, keep in mind that bird may be out watching you!—By
Marcus Morton
Photo by Gordon Leggett/Wikimedia

October/November 2021 15
AERIAL INTEL

Ellipsis Earth: using drones to identify, map,

and track litter
S
tray plastic bags.
Fast-food cups and
lids. Cigarette butts.
Litter is literally everywhere
we look, from highways
to beaches to uninhabited
islands. The first step in any
cleanup job? Assessing the
situation, and that’s where
UK-based startup Ellipsis
Earth comes in: using drones
to map trash.
Drones equipped with
cameras survey the area, and
Ellipsis’ computer software
and image recognition can
identify the type of litter and
the density of the debris
so they can determine the
best solution to remove
the trash. CEO and founder
Ellie Mackay says, “We go Ellipsis uses image recognition software to map trash. (Photo courtesy Ellipsis Earth)
out and actually capture
images of the ground, the sewage outlets.” to tourists and service 70% reduction in cigarette
streets, the beaches, and Ellipsis Earth has worked providers. littering.
the oceans in real life, and on projects around the globe, Another Ellipsis project “By mapping trash
then process them very from the coast of the UK to based in Sorrento, Italy, around the world, we’ll be
rapidly, very accurately. We the Galápagos Islands. About surveyed cigarette butt able to target our solutions
have a huge data set, which the Galápagos, Mackay told littering, leading to an effectively,” she says,
is statistically very relevant CNN, “There are coastlines education campaign and creating a “lasting impact
and representative of each there that have not changed more strategic placement through behavior change
region,” said Mackay. since [Charles] Darwin set of trash receptacles and and education, (so) that
Ellipsis technology can foot on those beaches, ashtrays across the city. we’ll be able to minimize
automatically detect 47 all those years ago. The According to Ellipsis, the the amount of mismanaged
categories of trash items only difference—the only campaign has resulted in a waste.”
with more than 95% evidence that man exists—is
accuracy. Mackay notes, in the plastic all over the
“We would be able to find beaches.” Data gathered
out that ‘Beach X’ has a ton by Ellipsis in 2017 and 2018
of fishing nets and discarded found that on one of the
lobster traps, whereas most remote beaches in the
‘Beach Y’ has a ton of area, you are never more
hygiene and sanitation wet than 43 centimeters (17
wipes.” inches) away from a piece of
In an interview with trash, Mackay adds.
CNN, Mackay said that for Since the Ellipsis
the Beach X scenario, “we baseline survey, Galápagos
need to speak to the fishing authorities have banned
industry and get some single-use plastics across
regulation around dumping the archipelago. While
of ghost nets.” For Beach Y, the majority of plastic
“it’s about educating people that washes up on the
Ellipsis founder and CEO Ellie Mackay works with an off-the-shelf drone
not to flush things down the islands’ shores comes from to survey a beach. Ellipsis offers educational programs for children of all
toilet and speaking to local elsewhere, the ban extends ages. (Photo courtesy Ellipsis Earth)

16 RotorDronePro.com
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 AERIAL INTEL

MISSION PROFILE

A JOB ON THE LINE

One flight; two different airspaces
BY PATRICK SHERMAN

QUICK SPECS
Mission Type: Aerial photography
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
(N45°30’45” W122°57’42”)
Client: Kellington Law Group, PC
Airspace: Class D to 2,700’ MSL
Clearance: via LAANC
Monitored Frequency: 119.3
MHz (Portland-Hillsboro Airport
Control Tower)
METAR Text: KHIO 152153Z
32014KT 10SM CLR 27/07 A2995
Platform: DJI Phantom 4 Pro+,
Autel EVO (backup)
Remote Pilot in Command:
Patrick Sherman, Roswell Flight
Test Crew

PILOT REPORT hand pertained to a local separated from it by an

This mission occurred entirely within
the Class D airspace, although its
position almost directly on the
line dividing two Low-Altitude
Authorization and Notification
Capability (LAANC) grids meant that
one foot of horizontal difference on
the ground could mean 200 feet of
vertical difference in the air.
Sometimes, the best drone
for a job is not a drone at all—
at least that’s what I thought
to myself when I first
received this assignment.
Uncrewed aircraft systems
(UAS) are powerful tools,
to be sure, but it is worth
keeping in mind that
sometimes an alternative
is even better suited to the
task.
In this case, I was once
again in the employ of
Wendie Kellington, a
Portland-area attorney
who specializes in land-use
issues as well as drones and
other autonomous systems.
Her client was opening a
new self-storage facility
in the city of Hillsboro—
and the legal question at
ordinance.
According to the city’s
rules, businesses are only
allowed to display signage
on the side of a building that
faces the street listed as
their address. I suppose that
made a lot of sense when
someone wrote it down
on paper, but this example
showed how it can easily be
unfair and pose a burden on
business owners.
The storage facility in
question has its address on
Imlay Avenue, a relatively
minor side road off a main
arterial: the Tualatin Valley
Highway—known to the
locals as the “TV Highway.”
However, the multi-
story building overlooks
the roadway, only being
empty lot and a low-slung
convenience store. In short,
a sign facing the highway
would be in plain view of
people driving past, and no
doubt vastly more effective
at drawing their notice than
one placed along lightly
trafficked Imlay Avenue.
Of course, cleaving to its
ordinance, the city denied
the owner permission
to install such a sign and
my client’s firm had been
engaged to argue the
opposing point. My mission
was specifically to document
the location of the building
relative to the roadways
and other structures in
the vicinity from an aerial
perspective.
However, my first thought

18 RotorDronePro.com
was that since we don’t
have flying cars (yet), it
would make more sense to
take ground-based photos
from various points along
TV Highway, showing the
perspective of passing
drivers. I suppose I was
trying to avoid falling prey
to Abraham Maslow’s
famous axiom, “I suppose it
is tempting, if the only tool
you possess is a hammer, to
treat everything as if it were
a nail.”
Having been a professional
photographer for decades
prior to encountering my
first drone, I had a hand-held
camera in by toolbox, both
literally and metaphorically.
My analysis may have
been clever, but my job is
to deliver what the client
wants—not demonstrate
my mastery of freshman
psychology. Besides, when
I arrived on site it quickly
became clear that she was Located west of the city, Portland-Hillsboro Airport (HIO) is surrounded by Class D airspace to an altitude of
right: an aerial perspective 2,700 feet above mean sea level (MSL).
did a much better job of
demonstrating the building’s bisected between two several that gave me pause. parallel to the roadway, as
location relative to the Low-Altitude Authorization First, there appeared to be well.
highway and the other and Notification Capability above-ground utilities on On the plus side, there
buildings in the area. (LAANC) squares: one with both sides of the highway, was a vacant lot adjacent to
a ceiling of 200 feet and the with especially substantial the convenience store that
HITTING THE CEILING other with a ceiling of 400 lines running along its south I could use to launch and
Like much of the rest feet. side. TV Highway would no recover my aircraft without
of Hillsboro, the storage In fact, the dividing line doubt provide a constant overflying vehicles or people
facility lay within the Class very nearly paralleled TV supply of moving vehicles in the parking lot—or making
D airspace surrounding Highway—making it a useful that I would have to avoid, a nuisance of myself to its
Portland-Hillsboro Airport landmark for where the and a set of train tracks ran paying customers.
(HIO). An active adjunct to change in altitude occurred.
Portland International Airport My subject structure was
(PDX), HIO hosts a significant north of the highway,
number of general aviation where the 200-foot ceiling
and flight training operations, prevailed, and immediately
as well as corporate jets to the south is where it rose
ferrying executives from to 400 feet. I figured 200
Intel and Nike to far-flung feet would be sufficient
destinations. to complete my mission,
I began my pre-flight but I thought I might take
assessment of the site by advantage of the 400-foot
pulling up the UAS Facility limit to capture an even
Maps from the FAA’s broader perspective on the
website and encountered scene.
a circumstance I had not Next, I pulled up satellite
Well-made transportation and storage containers, like these from
seen before: the area where images of the site to look for GoProfessional Cases, can protect aircraft from adverse environmental
I would be flying was neatly potential hazards: and found factors—like dust and rain—but only until it is time to go flying.

October/November 2021 19
AERIAL INTEL

time. So, I went with my

fallback plan: creating an
authorization covering the
whole area with a ceiling of
200 feet—which I could then
cancel and submit a new
operation if I needed to go
higher south of the road.
Authorization in hand, I
loaded my vehicle, donned
my uniform and drove
out to the mission site.
There, I put on my FAA-
recommended high-visibility
vest, complete with “Drone
Pilot—Keep Back” warning.
I pulled out my handheld
aviation radio, which I had
pre-tuned to HIO’s control
tower frequency and started
listening in on air traffic.
Not that a radio was,
strictly speaking, necessary
This UAS Facility Map, available from the FAA’s website, reveals that at the mission site, the change in the for that purpose. From the
airspace ceiling accessible via the Low-Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) runs almost moment I stepped out of my
parallel with the Tualatin Valley Highway. car, I could hear the buzzing
of general aviation aircraft
For my primary aircraft, complete this job. does not include any and see them maneuvering
I selected the DJI Phantom As a backup, I selected my geofencing limitations. around the airport, located
4 Pro+. An utterly reliable trusty Autel EVO. I’ve been With a sunny day in the only about two-and-a-half
aircraft carrying a burned by DJI on multiple forecast, I charged my miles north by northwest
20-megapixel camera that occasions while operating batteries, checked over the from my position. Launching
incorporates a mechanical in controlled airspace, when contents of my kits and lined AirMap to double-check my
shutter, it has been a my aircraft decided all on its up the required clearance authorization, I discovered a
workhorse in my fleet for own that it was in a no-fly using the AirMap website. new feature: it was tapping
years now. Consequently, zone, despite the FAA’s plain into the ADS-B system to
I have a large stockpile of indication to the contrary. NO SWARMS ALLOWED plot the location of crewed
batteries available for it: Built by a company that My original plan was to aircraft on the map in real
more than I could even trusts in the professionalism create two, simultaneous time—a neat trick and
conceive of needing to of its customers, the EVO flight plans using LAANC: a substantial benefit to
one north of TV Highway situational awareness, if
with a ceiling of 200 feet you can find a way to keep
and other to the south with the app open while you are
a ceiling of 400 feet—with flying.
some overlap to allow me to Unpacking my gear, I
transition between the two. discovered a new problem
However, when I set about that I had not been able to
creating this arrangement in discern from the satellite
AirMap, I was stopped short images: the vacant lot was
by the software. covered with dusty gravel—
Not taking the hint that I dust fine enough that the
wanted to conduct a single spinning rotors of my aircraft
flight on both sides of the would raise a massive plume
dividing line, AirMap accused of it, potentially coating my
me of trying to launch a camera’s lens and fouling
drone swarm and reminded my motors. In other words,
Using a hand-held aviation radio to listen in on the air traffic control me in no uncertain terms I needed to find a new place
frequency of a nearby airport can be a potent tool that allows drone
pilots to enhance their situational awareness, provided they are familiar that I was only allowed to launch and recover my
with basic radio protocol and airport nomenclature. to operate one UAS at a aircraft.

20 RotorDronePro.com
 Ultimately, I settled on
the roof of my car. It was
clean and high enough off
the ground to avoid dust
contamination. However, my
aircraft predictably gave me
a “magnetic interference”
warning as it booted up,
the two-ton steel vehicle
distorting Earth’s magnetic
field in its immediate vicinity.
Based on having confronted
this same situation many
times before, I knew the
error would clear as soon as I
was a few feet in the air, and
it did.
A ONE-WAY TRIP?
Capturing images of the
subject property from the
north, east and west was a
completed with a straight-
forward series of maneuvers.
Keeping a watchful eye on
the air traffic above and
occasionally stopping for
a moment to avoid people
and moving vehicles on the
ground, I had the job three-
quarters complete by the
time my first battery was
depleted.
Finishing my work would
mean getting my aircraft
over the power lines and
across the busy TV Highway.
I began by ascending to my
ceiling for this mission: 200
feet above ground level
If a clean, dry launch and recovery site is not available in the vicinity
of a planned operation, the hood or roof of the pilot’s car may be an
acceptable alternative. However, pilots should bear in mind that this will
likely result in a “magnetic interference” warning that cannot be resolved
through recalibrating the compass.
This sample image reveals the finished work product that Patrick Sherman submitted to his client: land-use
attorney Wendie Kellington. Note that the aerial perspective of the building has been supplemented in the lower
right corner of the image with a diagram revealing where the aircraft was at the time the image was captured,
as well as its field of view.
(AGL). I did this for a couple
of reasons. First, I wanted
to make completely sure I
cleared the above-ground
utilities on both sides of the
highway. Second, to avoid
causing a distraction for the
drivers below, I wanted to
make my aircraft appear as
small as possible in the sky.
Then, of course, there was
the question of crossing the
road without passing over
any moving vehicles. Like
a nervous student driver
contemplating a left turn
onto a busy street, I spent
several minutes hovering,
waiting for a long break in
the traffic coming from both
directions, then engaged
sport mode and dashed
across.
In doing so, it occurred to
me that the aircraft might
be “stranded” on the other
side of the highway if I
couldn’t find a similar break
in the traffic before the
battery ran down. Therefore,
I determined to use the wide,
grassy median alongside
the railroad tracks as an
alternative landing site if I
couldn’t get home. However,
that would mean packing
up my kit and driving to get
there.
Fortunately, I was able to
gather the images I needed
in just a few minutes and
take advantage of another
pause in the traffic to bring
my aircraft safely home.
Ultimately, I decided that
capturing additional imagery
from 400 feet AGL would do
nothing to add further clarity
to the situation, and so I
abandoned that part of my
plan.
Back in my office, I
downloaded the images
and started processing
them. This involved
selecting those that most
clearly showed the client’s
building in context among
the surrounding roads and
structures. In addition, I
added a small satellite image
of the site in the corner
of each one, identifying
the roads, as well as the
aircraft’s location and field
of view. When the attorney
presented this evidence
in court, I didn’t want any
ambiguity as to the subject. I
also included a separate set
of the same images, only
without this embellishment,
just in case she thought it
was overkill.
After rushing to complete
my work, the city’s attorney
broke his arm on the day of
the hearing in an unrelated
accident, and it had to be
postponed. As I write this
report, the case is yet to be
decided, but I can say with
absolute certainty that the
judge will be able to see—in
a very literal sense—my
client’s perspective on the
issues at stake. K
October/November 2021 21
 AIR SUPPORT
TEXT & PHOTOS BY PATRICK SHERMAN

PARROT
Anafi USA
A DIMINUTIVE DRONE
WITH SUPERLATIVE FEATURES

The Anafi USA is intended for professional users across a range of applications, from industrial inspection to
emergency response—and even reconnaissance missions for the military.

I
f you’re looking for a first or second
drone to explore the exciting world of AT A GLANCE
aerial imaging, keep looking. If you are Model: Anafi USA
an experienced pilot working in public safety, Manufacturer: Parrot (parrot.com)
industrial inspection or even the armed forces,
Type: Enterprise aerial imaging
stop and give the Anafi USA a closer look—it’s
worth it. Size: 282 x 373 x 84mm
A quirky platform built on a proven legacy, Weight: 499g
Parrot’s latest drone excels at providing Assembly Time: None
powerful aerial imaging tools for professionals
Sensor: two Sony 21MP/4K 1/2.4 visible light;
who need a clear view of what is happening 320x256 FLIR Boson thermal camera
on the ground when lives or big money are at
Image: 4K HDR video at 24 FPS (visible light);
risk. The extraordinary combination of thermal 21MP still (visible light)
imaging and a visible-light camera with a 32x
Price: $7,000
zoom capability are going to let you see what
you need to see, right now.

22 RotorDronePro.com
 W H AT W E L I K E

+ imaging
Powerful suite of
tools well
suited for public
safety

+ and
Able to fly in the rain
other adverse
environmental
conditions

+ design
Compact, folding
for easy
transportation and
storage

+ USA
Made in the
with robust
data-protection
safeguards
With its remarkable 32x visible-light zoom capability and mid-resolution thermal imaging camera, the Anafi
USA is well-suited for deployment with firefighters, police officers and other public safety professionals.

LIGHTWEIGHT
The Anafi USA is a study
in contrasts, and it is
important to understand the
implications of the choices
Parrot made in its design
before making a purchase
decision. Its imaging
capabilities are legitimately
powerful, and we’ll explore
those in depth below, but
let’s begin by considering the
aircraft as a whole.
The first thing you will
discover when you lift the
aircraft out of its robust,
protective case is that it is
lightly built, weighing less
than half other aircraft of
similar size and capabilities.
It weighs 499 grams,
compared with a stout 1.1
kilogram for the Mavic 2
Enterprise Advanced. Initially,
this lack of heft can make the
Anafi USA feel almost like a
toy—but that not a bug, it’s a
feature.
I’ll never forget unboxing
the original Anafi and feeling
almost cheated when I saw
how small and lightweight it
was. However, it has since
emerged as one of my
favorite drones: its diminutive
size and featherweight
construction make it
extremely efficient and quiet.
That same characteristic
also makes it more likely to
withstand a crash with no
or minimal damage—it just
doesn’t weigh enough to
hurt itself. Of course, that
engineering approach has its
limits, and those limits will no
doubt be met much sooner
while flying, and crashing,
the Anafi USA: it is larger and
heavier than its predecessor.
Nevertheless, expect to be
surprised when you hold it in
your hand for the first time.
Also, if you’re the “drone
guy” at your local fire district
or police department and you
recommend purchasing the
Anafi USA for your agency,
keep this effect in mind when
you introduce your chiefs to
their new, $7,000 purchase
for the first time. Their initial
instinct might be that you
got scammed.
First impressions aside,
the Anafi USA largely
succeeds with this approach.
The company claims a
maximum flight time of
32 minutes. I have never
once seen a drone hit its
advertised flight time, but
I have logged flights more
than 27 minutes with this
platform—and that’s lot
closer than most aircraft I
test.
Beyond its lightweight
construction, Parrot
attributes this performance

To direct the Anafi USA in flight, Parrot
has once again returned to the proven
SkyController 3. The same unit has also been
employed by the original Anafi, the Anafi
Thermal and the Skydio 2.
The gimbal on the Anafi USA incorporates
three cameras: two, 21-megapixel visible-light
cameras work in tandem to provide its 32x
zoom capability, as well as a 320x256 FLIR
Boson to capture thermal images.
The Anafi USA arrives in a case that is
even more robust than the drone itself.
Incorporating an O-ring seal and locking
latches, it is sealed tight against water and
dust. It even floats!

October/November 2021 23
AIR SUPPORT PARROT ANAFI USA
The ability to pitch its gimbal above the horizon gives the Anafi a big advantage in conducting thermal inspections: allowing the pilot to shift the
background from the potentially hot surface (left) to the cool sky (right).
to the scalloped trailing
edges of its propellers: a
feature unique to this aircraft,
to the best of my knowledge.
According to the company,
this design was inspired
by the pectoral fins of
humpback whales. It allows
the propellers to turn more
slowly while applying greater
torque. Thus, the company
claims: “Anafi USA emulates
a rotor whose power is
higher than the theoretical
capacity of its diameter,”
and, “The tonal sound power
of the anterior edge of the
blade, is minimized, lowering
the noise of the flight.”
So, is any of that true? I
have no idea—I’m a pilot, not
an aeronautical engineer. I
will say that the Anafi USA is
definitely quieter than other
aircraft with comparable
capabilities, and with its
powerful zoom lens, it is
capable of conduct up-close
surveillance of a subject who
is unable to hear it—an ability
of potentially keen interest
to law enforcement officers
facing dangerous tactical
situations.
LESS IS ... ?
Read the list of specifications
for any drone with the same
general capabilities as the
Anafi USA, like the Mavic
24 RotorDronePro.com
2 Enterprise Advanced or
the Autel Evo II Dual and
you’re going to find yourself
reading a lot about sensors—
specifically, collision-
avoidance sensors. These
drones make extensive
use of binocular camera
arrays and machine vision
systems to build up a 3D
model of the environment to
help you avoid running into
things, like trees, buildings,
telephone poles, etc. Starting
with the Skydio 2 from the
eponymous manufacturer,
the trend within the industry
is moving inevitably towards
360-degree collision
avoidance systems—front
to back, left to right, top to
bottom—your aircraft will
be able to “see” everything
around it, and sound an alarm
if it gets too close.
In this regard, Parrot isn’t
just marching to a different
drummer, it’s sitting alone
in the corner playing the
theremin. The Anafi USA
incorporates precisely
zero collision avoidance
sensors. Indeed, the only
sensors it has—apart
from the accelerometers
and gyroscopes that are
mandatory to keep any
multirotor in the air—are a
GNSS receiver that picks
up signals from the GPS,
GLONASS, and Galileo
satellite constellations, along
with a barometric altimeter, a
compass, a single ultrasonic
range finder and optical flow
camera.
Except for the multi-band
GNSS receiver, this would
have been considered an
underwhelming sensor
suite five years ago. Today, it
borders on farcical. And yet,
plenty of smart people work
at Parrot, so we are forced
to consider the possibility
that this is a deliberate
choice, not a blunder. So,
why not include all the bells
and whistles? At the very
least, all those extra features
would look good on the sales
brochure.
With an IP53 rating, the Anafi USA is perfectly suited to fly in the rain
as well as dusty environments that could cause problems for less well-
protected aircraft.
I’m sure that weight and
cost were considerations,
but I also think it is likely
that Parrot though long and
hard about their customer
for this product, and what
that person really needs to
accomplish a mission.
My conclusion? That
person looks a lot like me: an
experienced, well-trained
small uncrewed aircraft
systems (UAS) pilot who
knows how to fly. For the
most part, I’m glad to have
the collision avoidance
systems that are standard
equipment on most of the
other drones I fly. They are
re-assuring, even though I
don’t trust them completely,
and they serve as a check
With a thermal imaging camera and a powerful zoom lens, the Anafi USA would be a capable tool when deployed for infrastructure inspection.

on my own perception while I’m doing
proximity flying, for example.
However, thinking back over my
flight testing with the Anafi USA, I
never once missed having it. I didn’t
miss the warnings that, in the system’s
judgment, I was too close to an obstacle.
I also didn’t miss the warning that
because the system was disabled—by
me—I wasn’t receiving warnings that I
was too close to an obstacle, and so on.
The beeping, the flashing lights, the
alert messages—I didn’t miss any of it.
Furthermore, I think I was at least as
safe, or even more safe, than when I am
flying a drone with a collision avoidance
system. This may be true both because
I was less distracted, but also because
I had no choice but to maintain a higher
degree of situational awareness myself,
knowing the machine was not going to
bail me out if I did something dumb.
Having said that, please keep in
mind: this is one pilot’s opinion based
on his own unique history, experience,
and training. Like they say when you’re
buying a new car: your mileage may
vary, so think carefully about who you
are and what tools you need to be the
best, and safest, pilot that you can be.
VERDICT: NOT STUPID
American novelist Mercedes Lackey has
a quote of which I am particularly fond:
“If it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.”
In many ways, this philosophy appears
to be the animating spirit behind the
design of the Anafi USA—right down to
how you charge the batteries. The kit
includes three, 3-cell, 3,400mAh high-
density LiPo batteries.
However, rather than a custom
charger with a proprietary connector,
you recharge them using a standard

The pilot can select from three color palettes

The Anafi USA uses the exact same app—FreeFlight 6—that was employed by the original Anafi while employing the Anafi USA’s integrated
and the Anafi Thermal to display video and telemetry on the user’s smart device, making an easy FLIR thermal imaging camera: white-hot (top),
transition for current Parrot pilots. black-hot (middle), and fusion (bottom).

October/November 2021 25
AIR SUPPORT PARROT ANAFI USA

Unlike drones from other manufacturers, the Anafi USA lacks any sort of collision-avoidance system: making it entirely reliant on the pilot to avoid
obstacles.

USB-C cable. The included The controller itself its simplicity is marked by interface.
charger is basically one of exemplifies a similar a number of smart design Second, the simple act
those five-outlet USB power aphorism: “If it ain’t choices. First, rather than of unfolding the controller
supplies that you would broke, don’t fix it.” You the recessed dials that most accomplishes three
otherwise keep on your pilot the Anafi USA with manufacturers provide to discrete tasks: it powers
desk or your nightstand to the SkyController 3, first control camera pitch and up the unit, positions the
recharge your digital life. You introduced alongside the zoom, the Skycontroller 3 antennas for flight and
also get four USB-to-USB-C original Anafi in 2018. It’s provides a pair of levers: reveals the mounting clamp
cables, allowing you to a compact, folding, all- a much more intuitive and for your smart device. The
recharge all three batteries plastic design. However, easier to operate control spring-loaded mount will
simultaneously, along with
the aircraft controller.
This is a smart
arrangement because you
can get these components
anywhere. Accidentally leave
the charger for your Mavic
2 Pro at home, and you’re
doomed. Leave the charging
gear for your Anafi USA at
home, and you can pick up
a cheap replacement at any
Best Buy. I use a Samsung
Galaxy smartphone with
the aircraft controller, so
the charge cables even do
double duty by allowing me
The FLIR thermal imaging camera on board the Anafi USA has a narrower field of view than the visible-light
to make that connection, as camera at its most wide-angle setting, allowing the thermal image to be superimposed directly onto the
well. video—aiding pilot orientation.

26 RotorDronePro.com
hold your phone securely
and accommodates the
latest generation of smart
devices—including my
mammoth Galaxy Note
20 Ultra. However, I must
first remove it from its
protective cover to make it
fit: a sacrifice that DJI does
not require with its latest
generation of controllers.
AS SMOOTH AS IT NEEDS
TO BE
This minimalist approach
even applies to the design
of the aircraft itself. For
example: it is so common
these days for drones to
incorporate a three-axis
mechanical gimbal that it
scarcely bares mention in
the advertising. However,
in keeping with the
standard established by its
predecessors, the Anafi USA
only has a two-axis gimbal.
We could label this
heresy—like the absence
of collision-avoidance
sensors—and smugly
discount the aircraft entirely
for failing to keep up with the
rest of the industry. Once
again, however, that would
be a mistake.
The Anafi USA’s gimbal
stabilizes the camera
payload in the pitch and
roll axes, keeping it level
and on target when the
aircraft is moving forward,
backward and side to side.
Unlike virtually every other
drone on the market today,
it does not offer mechanical
stabilization in the yaw axis:
that is, when the nose of the Sealing its motors was among the measures Parrot took to protect the
Anafi USA from water and dust infiltration.
aircraft pivots left or right.
It turns out that this is
not essential for acquiring anyway. If you take it easy can respect that. However,
stable video, at least in with your left thumb, you Parrot has a history of
most cases. First, except for can still get smooth video, success with this approach
those rare drones that offer just like I’ve been doing with that bears noting.
360-degree rotation in the my original Anafi for years. When the first three-
yaw axis—like the DJI Inspire Second, Parrot axis camera gimbals were
series and big, Hollywood incorporates digital arriving in the market, Parrot
aerial cinema rigs—all the stabilization in all three audaciously introduced
third axis does is smooth axes, to supplement the a drone with a zero-
out the video when you mechanical stabilization axis gimbal: the Bebop
make a turn, because the provided by the gimbal. 2. Instead of a gimbal, it
camera must ultimately end If you’re like me, you will relied completely on digital
up facing the same direction be skeptical about this stabilization, and it worked
as the nose of the aircraft, approach—and, obviously, I surprisingly well—you could

While using the thermal camera on board the
Anafi USA, the pilot has the option either to
look at the infrared image (above), or a hybrid
composite that uses details from the visible
light camera to improve clarity (below).
The Anafi USA and its 32x zoom capability allows infrastructure inspectors to get a close-up
look at potentially hazardous environments, such as an electrical substation, while keeping the
aircraft—and themselves—well away from it.

October/November 2021 27
32X ZOOM IN ACTION
even “pitch” the camera
up and down, just like a
mechanical system. If you
were only watching the
video downlink, and had
never actually seen the
aircraft, you could easily be
fooled into believing it had
a conventional gimbal. The
Anafi USA builds on that
accomplishment.
Finally, this aircraft was
not designed to deliver
butter-smooth, cinematic
aerial video—it was
designed to provide crucial
information for people in
life-or-death situations. If
you need to yaw hard to get
the image you need, who
gives a damn how it looks
on video? To say otherwise
is a bit like complaining that
a firefighter’s handheld
thermal imaging camera
takes lousy vacation photos.
It’s undeniably true, but it
also misses the point.
I CAN SEE FOR MILES AND
MILES AND MILES …
For all its idiosyncrasies, the
Anafi USA delivers where
it needs to: as a serious
aerial imaging tool intended
primarily for people working
in tactical environments.
Even a cursory examination
of the aircraft reveals a
peculiar fact. It has three
cameras mounted on its
gimbal, not the two you
would expect for visible light
and thermal.
The reason for this
arrangement is that it carries
two visible light cameras:
one with a 75-degree field of
view (FOV)—comparable to
the Mavic 2 Pro’s 77-degree
FOV—and the other with
a 16-degree FOV, which
is the equivalent of 5x
magnification. Since Parrot
boasts this aircraft delivers
an uninterrupted zoom
capability from 1x to 32x, you
would be right to wonder
how this is accomplished.
The answer: digital zoom.
Thermal imaging is often employed by electrical inspectors to identify faults that are invisible to the naked eye—
and the Anafi USA will allow them to literally take this ability to new heights.
From a magnification of 1x
to 5x, the imaging system
simply crops the image
from the wide FOV camera.
The absolute number of
pixels in the image drops—if
you capture a still image,
for example—but the real-
time image on your smart
device remains perfectly
clear. Then, when you hit 5x
magnification, the system
switches over to the other
camera and the digital zoom
process begins again.
At 10x magnification, the
camera is still capturing the
equivalent of 1080p video
(1920x1080 pixels), which
drops to 1280x720 at 15x,
and then 720x480 at 27x.
All the way out at 32x, you
can begin to discern some
pixelation in the real-time
video, but I would judge
the quality to be sufficient
for applications like search
and rescue. Also, Parrot
made good on its promise:
the zoom is smooth and
completely seamless, even
during the hand-off between
the two cameras.
Except for their lenses,
the two cameras are
identical: capable of
capturing 21 megapixel
stills and 4K, high-dynamic
range video at 24 frames
per second. Each has 1/2.4”
Sony IMX230 sensor with an
F2.4 fixed aperture.
From an end-user
perspective, the 32x zoom
capability is impressive:
so much so that it has the
potential to change your
perception of what drones
can do. You can get an
amazingly close-up view of
people and objects that are
a long way off—and that’s
away from the drone, not
you. I found I could reliably
maintain visual line of sight
with the aircraft out to 1,000
feet. Add the 32x zoom on
top of that and you can keep
watch on a subject more
than a mile away.
That would be reason
enough to deploy the Anafi
USA with first responders,
like search and rescue
teams, firefighters, and law
enforcement—but, arguably,
we haven’t even gotten to
the best part yet. The aircraft
also mounts a FLIR thermal
imaging camera: a Boson
core capturing 320x256
pixels at 20 frames per
second with a 50-degree
FOV.
That sounds like pretty
low resolution, and compared
to visible light cameras
these days, it is. However,
for reasons that go well
beyond the scope of this
article, thermal cameras
small enough to fit on a
drone the size of the Anafi
USA are always going to
have limited resolution:
topping out around 640x512.
Furthermore, in my own
extensive testing of aerial
thermal imaging systems,
I’ve discovered that
resolution is not as crucial as
you might expect for real-
world tasks, like finding a
missing subject in the woods
or searching out hot spots
following a wildfire. Make no
mistake: I’ll take 640x512
if I can get it, but I wouldn’t
regard 320x256 as being
especially inferior alternative
for most applications.
I do have one frustration with
October/November 2021 29
AIR SUPPORT PARROT ANAFI USA

Parrot’s implementation
of the thermal imaging
system on the Anafi USA:
the controls and interface
are not well suited for
professional thermography.
For a soldier, firefighter or
police officer interested in
qualitative results, like finding
people or judging how
quickly a blaze is spreading,
this system will work
great. However, if you need
quantitative information—like
the temperature at the tip
of a flare stack—that data
is not going to be easy to
access, which may limit
this platform’s utility for
certain types of industrial
inspection.

MADE IN AMERICA
Although Parrot is based
in France, the Anafi
USA is manufactured
in Massachusetts. The
company is clearly eager to
exploit the cybersecurity
concerns around foreign-
made (i.e., Chinese) drones,
especially in sensitive
applications like the military,
public safety, and critical
infrastructure inspection,
and hasn’t missed any
opportunity to highlight the
drone’s country of origin.
To begin with, you don’t
need to look any further than
the name of the product:
“Anafi USA.” And, just in case
To address the cybersecurity concerns raised by the U.S. government regarding drones manufactured in China
and other rival nations, French-based Parrot is building the Anafi USA in Massachusetts.
that was too subtle for you, for survival against a global it serves them well in this
the case is emblazoned with hegemon, and they need to case. Rather than pile on
a label that reads: “Designed press every advantage they features because that’s
for the U.S. Army.” Heck, the have as far as they possibly what every other company
only way they could possibly can. is doing, Parrot gave some
make this thing any more The Anafi USA will be a serious thought to the needs
American would be to ship benefit to these efforts. It of the people who would be
each unit with a six pack of strays from the established using this drone and built an
Budweiser, a slice of apple industry playbook in aircraft to suit them.
pie, and a deep-fried bald significant measure, Most of you reading this
eagle. Still, I don’t blame but Parrot has always magazine will not need an
Parrot for banging on this demonstrated an aggressive Anafi USA, but it will be a real
drum repeatedly and hard: tendency toward outside benefit to the few of you
they are in a desperate fight the box thinking, and I think who do. K

30 RotorDronePro.com
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 EXPERT TECH

REMOTE-SPLIT
OPERATIONS:
How to fly a drone you
never see
By Patrick Sherman

Earlier this year, I flew a small uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) in Idaho. I’ll be
the first to admit that doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment, until you
learn that I was 300 miles away in Portland, Oregon at the time. That same day,
my Embry-Riddle colleagues in Florida, Texas, and Hawaii each took a turn at
the controls. This was made possible by the Internet, of course, but also a type
of flying called Remote-Split Operations (RSO).

32 RotorDronePro.com
R
SO is frequently employed by the
military to conduct operations
with its larger UAS, like the MQ-9
Reaper and the RQ-4 Global Hawk, but
it remains relatively unknown among
civilian UAS pilots. However, that is
likely to change as RSO opens up new
possibilities for students, researchers
and others who need access to drones
and the unique capabilities that they
provide but cannot be physically
present where and when the flight is
occurring.
BORN IN BATTLE
“As far as the military goes, RSO really
became mainstream in the 1990s,”
according to Dr. David Thirtyacre, the
chair of the Department of Flight at the
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Worldwide Campus. “The basic
idea here is that there is geographic
separation between the Mission Control
Element (MCE) and the Launch and
Recovery Element (LRE).”
According to Thirtyacre, there were
multiple advantages to this approach,
which continue to be true today. First,
the footprint of the forward-deployed
elements of the system is smaller—with
fewer personnel and less hardware
required in the war zone. Second, a
relatively slow aircraft like MQ-9 needs
to be based near the action to respond
to fast-changing circumstances on the
ground.
“The LRE uses a line-of-sight
communications system to control the
aircraft, which has very low latency,”
Thirtyacre explained. “That makes
operations around the airfield much
easier. Those are the folks who take the
Military UAS, like the MQ-9 Reaper seen here, have relied on the Remote-Split Operations (RSO)
model for nearly 30 years. The aircraft itself, along with the personnel and hardware required to
maintain and keep it airborne, are located in the area of operations. These are known collectively as
the Launch and Recovery Element (LRE). (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)
One of the requirements of the FAA’s waiver to allow Embry-Riddle to conduct Remote-Split
Operations (RSO) is that the participating aircraft be easily identified using high-visibility
markings.
aircraft up, and then hand over control
to the MCE who guide it from afar using
satellite-based Ku band radio signals.
“The MCE then flies the mission over
the next several hours, or days, and
when it’s time to land the aircraft, they
bring it back within range of the LRE’s
line-of-sight control system and they
recover the aircraft.”
It is an approach that has worked
well since the first Predator drones
were deployed by the United States
to monitor the civil war in the former
Yugoslavia, but the Embry-Riddle
Worldwide Campus Department of
Flight is now adapting the same basic
approach to put sophisticated, small
UAS within reach of its students—no
matter where they are.
“The reason this approach is so
valuable for us and our students is that
we might have a DJI Matrice M200 in
Washington state with a sophisticated
electro-optical/infra-red payload,
and we want to give them real-world
experience with using that sensor and
working with the data it collects,” said
Thirtyacre. “The only problem is that
student is 3,000 miles away in Florida.
So, if we could find a way to make RSO
work for us, we can give them that
opportunity, which will make them more
attractive to employers who may want
to hire them in the future.”
ARMCHAIR PILOT
That first, personal experience with
RSO this past summer was no less
demanding for me as a pilot than taking
my own aircraft out into the field—and in
some ways, it was even more stressful.
A key reason was that we weren’t
simply testing this approach: we were
doing a live demonstration as part of the
university’s Aviation Week celebration.
If I fumbled, it was going to be in front
of a worldwide audience watching live
on Zoom. So, no pressure.
Furthermore, being hundreds of miles
removed from the spinning propellers
might conceptually make this exercise
seem like a video game, playing
out on a computer screen without
October/November 2021 33
EXPERT TECH REMOTE-SPLIT OPERATIONS
consequences, but I actually found the
experience claustrophobic. I felt like I
was trying to guide the operation while
looking at it through a soda straw.
My window onto the action came
courtesy of UgCS: a software package
developed for UAS flight planning and
management. On the left side of my
screen, I had all of the telemetry I would
typically get from my smart device,
such as the battery power remaining,
air and ground speed, heading, distance
and direction to home—and even the
strength of the video and control signals
between the ground control station
(GCS) and the aircraft.
In the lower right corner of the
screen was a view of the live video
being transmitted from aircraft: in this
case, a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual, with
both a visible light and thermal imaging
camera at my disposal. Above that
were the aircraft controls: rather than
two joysticks, I had the ability to upload
waypoint-driven missions, execute
and pause them as needed, control the
camera and gimbal, as well as launching
and landing the aircraft.
The main portion of the screen
was given over to a satellite image
of the mission area, overlaid with an
expanding square flight path. The
scenario for this exercise was a search
and rescue mission: an elderly patient,
suffering from dementia, had wandered
away from a care facility—and my task
was to locate him.
Under Embry-Riddle’s Remote-Split Operations (RSO) program, the Mission Control Element
(MCE)—potentially a team of students scattered around the country—is able to monitor and direct
the flight of an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) through the Internet using the UgCS software
package, first developed as a platform-agnostic flight planning solution.
34 RotorDronePro.com
To me, the experience evoked
nothing so much as the early days
of first-person view (FPV) flying, 10
years ago, when video downlinks
were unreliable and, as a pilot, you
had to trust and rely on your visual
observer completely. It created an
intense camaraderie and a true sense
of teamwork—and it’s one of the things
I miss most about those first, faltering
experiences flying home-made UAS.
In this instance, my partner on the
ground in Idaho was another Embry-
Riddle colleague, Dr. Joe Cerreta. For
him, that reliance on each other was a
feature, not a bug, of this type of flying.
CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
“UgCS is an excellent piece of flight
management software,” Cerreta
said. “It’s focused around egocentric
control—that is, the type of control
you have when you are looking down
at your tablet rather than up at the
aircraft: when you are flying from the
perspective of the aircraft itself.
“It exposes the students to a
type of capability that they may not
otherwise get, so that by the time
they graduate, they have a more well-
rounded capacity to perform within the
industry. They gain experience with
RSO, and that’s really focused around
crew resource management (CRM).
Everyone working on the mission, no
matter where they are, we have to talk
to each other: we have to coordinate,
we have to collaborate to perform these
flight operations. In some of our classes,
we form the students together into
teams, and that gives them additional
opportunities to work on CRM, whereas
previously they might have just read
about it in a book.”
If your only experience in aviation
has been with small UAS, the term CRM
may not be familiar to you. However,
it’s an absolutely critical component of
crewed aviation safety and well worth
learning about, even as a remote pilot.
At its core, CRM is an extremely
simple concept: the pilot should make
the best possible use of every available
resource, including hardware, personnel
and information—to which you might
respond, “Well, duh!”
While it seems straightforward as an
idea, CRM can prove to be remarkably
slippery in the real world. My favorite
example from my own career comes
not from flying, but teaching other
people to fly. I was leading a Part 107
class for new drone pilots, and we were
learning about sectional charts. Since
these are notoriously difficult to read, I
had a couple of magnifying glasses on
hand so that the students could take a
closer look, if need be.
Later in the class, I was discussing
lithium-polymer battery safety. To
make a point, I detached the battery
from a DJI Spark I had sitting on the
table with the intention of reading a few
key facts off the label. Obviously, I had
not rehearsed this in advance because
the label was written in something like
two-point type—and I couldn’t make it
out, even wearing my glasses.
Watching my befuddlement, one of
my students asked, “So why aren’t you
using good crew resource management,
by picking up that magnifying glass
sitting right in front of you on the
table?”
We all had a good laugh, but she
had made an excellent point: even
experienced aviators can come up short
if they don’t take the time to consider
every resource they have available
to them when they need to solve a
problem.
So, CRM is a concept you can grasp
in an instant, but it can take you years
to master. By conducting RSO with
our students, they get a head start on
that real-world learning, making them
better pilots, sooner, than they would
be without that opportunity.
UP, UP AND AWAY
My live demonstration with Dr. Cerreta
began with us working through the
pre-flight checklist for the Mavic 2
Enterprise Dual—a classic CRM task we
conducted via Zoom prior to beginning
the actual operation. Acting in the role of
the student, I would call out a challenge,
something like: “Verify the battery is
fully charged.” In response, Cerreta
would confirm that detail and respond:
“Battery fully charged!”
Working a checklist was hardly a
novel experience for me, but I was
impressed with how much more vital
the whole process seemed since I
couldn’t confirm any of these details
myself. I felt my soda-straw view of
the situation expand just a tiny little bit,
increasing my confidence ahead of the
flight.
With the aircraft powered up and
linked into UgCS on Cerreta’s laptop, he
shared his screen with me and fatefully
handed over control. Through the magic
of the Internet, I would control his laptop
and his laptop would control the aircraft.
I was about to fly a UAS hundreds of
miles away while sitting at my desk.
Of course, my moment-by-moment
engagement consisted largely of
watching the aircraft execute the pre-
programmed expanding-square search
pattern. To me, the experience felt a
little like flying an expensive UAS over a
wide river. Rationally, I knew the system
was highly reliable and the risk of an
abrupt failure putting the machine into
the water was almost nil, but I couldn’t
escape that anxious feeling: palms
sweaty, waiting for each telemetry
update with quiet dread.
It turned out that, just like every flight
over water in my entire career, I had
nothing to worry about. The mission
came off without so much as a hiccup,
and I even had the opportunity to assert
direct control over the aircraft a few
times. The first came when I spotted a
potential target in the search and rescue
exercise. To confirm whether or not I
had actually found the victim, I paused
the mission and descended for a closer
look, confirming my success.
Then, as I was approaching the
landing site, a visual observer on the
Dr. Joe Cerreta of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Campus Department
of Flight serves as the Launch and Recovery Element (LRE) in the institution’s groundbreaking
remote-split operations (RSO) program. The Mission Control Element (MCE) can be a student, or a
group of students, located anywhere in the world with access to the Internet.
ground with Cerreta reported that
some people not involved with the
operation had wandered into the area. I
quickly paused the waypoint mission to
maintain the aircraft in a hover until they
were clear.
This was not the way I would choose
to conduct all of my UAS operations in
the future, but I could not deny it was
a powerful learning experience from
the students’ perspective. It really
brought home the trust, teamwork and
professionalism that are a required part
of any safe aviation operation.
A-OK WITH THE FAA
As you have likely concluded by now,
RSO involves operations that are way,
way beyond the visual line of sight
requirement under 14 CFR Part 107.
Consequently, a waiver is required that
exceeds the already high standards
associated with getting permission
for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)
from the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA).
Within the Department of Flight,
this task fell to Dr. Cerreta. I would be
hard pressed to say which was more
thoroughly tested by the process: his
wisdom or his patience. He stuck with
it through countless rejections and
requests for additional information. At
one point, to prove the local pilot could
re-assert control over the aircraft in an
emergency, he flipped the flight mode
switch on a DJI controller 1,000 times
and logged each result—all successful,
by the way—so that he had verified data
to present to the agency.
Despite all of the travail and
through two full years of effort, he was
ultimately successful: the Embry-Riddle
Worldwide Campus became the first
organization ever granted permission
to conduct RSO by the FAA, and it’s
already paying dividends, according to
our students.
Casey McGuire, currently pursuing
his Bachelor of Science in Unmanned
Systems Applications, said, “I think
the opportunity to perform RSO is
invaluable for me moving forward. The
mission involves all of the objectives
that many leading industry players are
trying to achieve. This was incredible
exposure to beyond visual line of sight
operations that someday will be more
widely accepted and utilized.” K
Patrick Sherman is a full-time UAS instructor
at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Worldwide Campus Department of Flight.
October/November 2021 35
 LEVEL
UP!
12 tips to create incredible
drone photos
BY TEAM ROTORDRONE PRO

OK, so you’ve mastered the basics of drone flight, have taken

the obligatory photos of your house and the nearby empty field,
and now you’re looking to take your drone photography to new
heights. We’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ve compiled
eleven tips that will tell you what to look for, how to frame up
your subject, and tricks to create one-of-a-kind photos. What
are you waiting for? Go ahead and elevate your art!
SHOOT THE HORIZON
The horizon is its own dividing line. Find
interesting shapes, lines, and contrast there
to capture an aerial image that tells a story.
In this image, the setting sun provides a
backdrop to the gold and green fields.
FIND DIVIDING LINES
Lines can direct the viewer’s gaze in a photo.
An aerial view lets you use roads, trails, and
even walls to create rhythm or patterns
in an image that can become your focus.
Breaking horizontal lines up with an object
or intersecting vertical lines can also create
interest. Keep in mind that horizontal lines
work best when they are truly horizontal
and square with the edges of your frame;
otherwise, your image may look off-center.
REMEMBER THE RULE OF THIRDS
When you’re framing up your image with your drone (or
cropping in post-production), divide your image into nine
segments with two vertical and two horizontal lines. If
you place key elements where these lines intersect, you’ll
have a more natural composition.
 TAKE AN AERIAL PANORAMA
Many camera drones have a panorama feature that you
can use to seamlessly meld many images into a single,
wider view. Panoramas are ideal for overlooks or wide
expanses—anyplace that has a wide, 180-degree view.
Be careful not to shoot panoramas in wind because if
the drone or objects in the image move, the program
may not be able to stitch the images together.

CREATE AN ILLUSION
Enlist props and a friend to create a scene that looks
“vertical” when shot from above. Have your friend lay on
the ground in a pose that makes it look like they’re upright
and use other props or nearby objects to set the scene.
CREATE ABSTRACT ART
Look for interesting shapes and lines from
your aerial perspective. Frame up multiple
shots from various angles and heights.
Often, just cropping in tightly on an area
will create a type of abstract aerial photo.
LOOK FOR REPETITION
Some aerial views provide a great opportunity for repetition. Carefully arranged objects can form
precise, formulaic lines. A place like a shipping yard or train station can have a huge collection of
identically-shaped objects. Even your ordinary neighborhood has a character with all its houses in a
row. Appreciate the repetition with a great picture.

CAPTURE SHADOWS
When the sun is low in the horizon,
the light creates long shadows
that you can play with to create
wild scenes. Your subjects aren’t
the interesting part of the image;
their shadows are. Vary your drone’s
height to elongate shadows.
LOOK FOR SYMMETRY
A bird’s-eye-view allows you to find surprising symmetry, like the top of a gazebo in a park, a water
fountain, or a town square. The entire image doesn’t need to be symmetrical; just parts of the frame
can be symmetrical. Or you crop in on just the symmetry. The symmetry doesn’t need to be perfect;
a break in the symmetry can catch your viewer’s attention and make the image more interesting.

FIND COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

Keep complementary color pairs in mind when you’re
composing a shot. A lush green forest is stunning against
the fall-orange trees in this photo. For the best color
contrast, keep things simple. The fewer colors in the image,
the more dramatic and effective the contrast. Always be on
the lookout for ways to juxtapose color complements.
ZOOM CLOSER
Although you never want to fly close
to people, you can use your drone’s
optical zoom capabilities to capture
the personality of your subjects. Using
your drone’s optical zoom function to
take the photo instead of cropping
in post-production will let you retain
resolution and image quality.
CAPTURE UNIQUE PATTERNS
Humans like patterns, so they make great
focal points in an aerial photograph. Getting
an aerial perspective is a great way to find
unexpected patterns in ordinary places. Start
by finding repetition, then re-frame it in a way
that draws the eye. To draw the most attention
to the pattern, remove any distractions.
THE BOTTOM LINE
We hope this advice and these images will
inspire you to take your drone photos to new
heights. Be sure to enter your favorites into the
RotorDrone Pro “Over the Horizon” competition.
Every issue, we showcase our favorite
reader photo and give away a free one-year
subscription or extension to RotorDrone Pro.
Send your shot to RotorDrone@airage.com!
EXPERT TECH

PHOTOGRAMMETRY
vs.
LIDAR
Choosing the right sensors for your job
BY GABRIEL TORRES
The WingtraOne vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone allows users to conduct small- and large-scale drone surveys with unmatched data quality
at a fraction of the time and cost of a crewed aircraft.
I
n drone survey missions, the choice
between photogrammetry and
LIDAR depends heavily on the exact
application. You also need to consider
operational factors, such as cost and
complexity. Knowing what outputs you
really need will help you make the right
decision.
What is LIDAR and how does its
output compare with results obtained
with high-resolution RGB cameras and
photogrammetry? In this article, we’ll
explore the ways photogrammetry
and LIDAR are actually quite different
from each other, even if their three-
dimensional (3D) outputs look similar.
We’ll then dig deeper into specific
applications and how photogrammetry
can provide exceptional results for most
missions at a fraction of the cost and
complexity of LIDAR.
Photogrammetry and professional,
high-resolution cameras can cost-
effectively generate 2D and 3D surveys,
with absolute accuracies down to 1
cm (0.4 in) root mean square (RMS)
horizontal and 3 cm (1.6 in) RMS vertical.
HOW PHOTOGRAMMETRY WORKS
In photogrammetry, a drone captures a
large number of high-resolution photos
over an area. These images overlap
such that the same point on the ground
is visible in multiple photos and from
different vantage points. In a similar way
that the human brain uses information
from both eyes to provide depth
perception, photogrammetry uses
these multiple vantage points in images
to generate a 3D map.
The result: a high-resolution 3D
reconstruction that contains not only
elevation/height information, but also
texture, shape, and color for every
point on the map, enabling easier
interpretation of the resulting 3D point
cloud.
Drone systems that use
photogrammetry are cost effective and
provide outstanding flexibility in terms
of where, when, and how you capture
2D and 3D data.
HOW LIDAR WORKS
LIDAR, which stands for “light detection
and ranging,” is a technology that has
been around for many decades but
has only recently been available in a
size and power feasible for carrying on
large drones. A LIDAR sensor sends out
pulses of laser light and measures the
exact time it takes for these pulses to
return as they bounce from the ground.
It also measures the intensity of that
reflection.
LIDAR uses oscillating mirrors to send
out laser pulses in many directions
so as to generate a “sheet” of light
as the drone moves forward. Through
measuring the timing and intensity
of the returning pulses, it can provide
readings of the terrain and of points on
the ground.
The sensor itself is only one part of
a LIDAR system. Critically important
for capturing usable data, you’ll
also need a high-precision satellite
positioning system (GNSS) as well as
high-accuracy sensors to determine
the orientation of the LIDAR sensor
in space—an inertial measurement
unit (IMU). All of these high-end
subsystems must work in perfect
orchestration to enable processing of
the raw data into usable information, a
process called direct geo-referencing.
As the sensors have evolved,
there’s now the option to capture aerial
LIDAR data from one of two types of
systems: classical manned airborne and
lightweight UAV.
Classical airborne LIDAR surveys
are conducted from a crewed airplane
and are less accurate but capable of
covering more ground than lightweight
UAV LIDAR operations. Specifically, you
can cover between 10 and 1,000 square
kilometers (4 and 400 square miles)
in one flight. The absolute accuracy
depends on the flight height and sensor
choice. At a typical flight height of 2,000
meters (6,600 feet) above ground level
(AGL), you can expect an absolute
accuracy limit of about 20 cm (8 inches)
horizontal and 10 cm (4 inches) vertical.
Lightweight drone LIDAR systems
cover as much as the drone allows
per flight. As we will discuss in detail
in below sections, these systems can
be more accurate than those carried
by manned aircraft. Specifically, fixed-
wing drones carrying a LIDAR payload
can cover up to 10 square km (4 square
miles) in a flight, with absolute accuracy
limits right around 10 cm (4 inches)
horizontal and 5 cm (2 inches) vertical.
In both cases of crewed aircraft and
lightweight drone LIDAR, the accuracy is
significantly less than photogrammetry
avails. Plus the post-processing for
October/November 2021 51
EXPERT TECH PHOTOGRAMMETRY VS. LIDAR
SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON
PHOTOGRAMMETRY
Many high-resolution aerial photos
are taken to completely capture
an area. These images overlap so
any point on the ground is visible in
multiple photos and from different
angles. Photogrammetry software
draws on the many vantage points of
the image data to create detailed 3D
maps. With post-processing in place,
precise GNSS positions are recorded
for every pixel of every image availing
down to cm-level absolute accuracy
in the final map.
Resolution: Up to 20,000 px/m 2 density.
(2000 px/ft2)
Accuracy: ~ 2 cm (0.8 in) absolute
horizontal accuracy; ~ 3 cm (1.2 in)
absolute vertical accuracy
Typical coverage: 0-10 km2 per flight
Photo realism: Photorealistic maps
(orthomosaic, point cloud, textured
mesh) are directly available.
Leaf penetration: No leaf
penetration. Ground below vegetation
can only be reconstructed if captured
from multiple viewpoints, i.e., only
through a rather open canopy.
Workflow and support: Companies
like Pix4D, Agisoft, Bentley CC,
Propeller, and DroneDeploy have
optimized photogrammetry
workflows over years of experience
with much data. Cloud/server
solutions allow for large-scale data
processing with minimal hardware
investment. Dedicated support teams
are available to help you.
Processing time: Processing with
full resolution takes several hours (or
days) depending on the project size.
If only a sparse set of accurate tie
points (like from a LIDAR source) is
required, fast processing options on
down sampled data is offered by all
photogrammetry tools.
Payload price: $4,000 to $13,000
CREWED AIRBORNE LIDAR
A light detection and ranging (LIDAR)
sensor sends out pulses of laser light
and measures the exact time it takes
for them to return as they bounce
from the ground. Crewed airborne
LIDAR has been around for decades.
Sensors are typically heavy (> 50 kg),
so they require a lot of power to keep
them aloft. With crewed airborne
LIDAR, you can expect to map from
more than 1,000 meters above
ground level (AGL) and cover very
large areas with a rather sparse point
Resolution: Up to 50 pts/m2 (5 pts/
ft2)
Accuracy: ~ 20 cm absolute
horizontal accuracy; ~ 10 cm absolute
vertical accuracy
Typical coverage: 10-1,000 km2 per
flight
Photo realism: Sparse point cloud
gives a general sense of shapes and
contours but lacks contextual detail.
Detail still lacks even if the point
cloud is colorized with RGB data,
which becomes more complicated.
Leaf penetration: No leaf
penetration. Ground below vegetation
can be reconstructed as long as
single light beams can pass between
the leaves, i.e., on half-closed canopy.
Workflow and support: Point clouds
from manned aerial LIDAR require
trained professionals to oversee
post-processing. While it is well-
established, it requires expertise.
Processing time: Typically large-
scale datasets are developed over
months with multiple correction
steps. The processing time cannot be
compared to the other methods.
Payload price: From $100,000
LIGHTWEIGHT UAV LIDAR
A light detection and ranging (LIDAR)
sensor sends out pulses of laser light
and measures the exact time it takes
for these pulses to return as they
bounce from the ground.
Resolution: Up to 200 pts/m2 (20 pts/
ft2)
Accuracy: ~ 10 cm absolute
horizontal accuracy; ~ 5 cm absolute
vertical accuracy
Typical coverage: 0-10 km2 per flight
Photo realism: Sparse point cloud
gives a general sense of shapes and
contours but lacks contextual detail.
Detail still lacks even if the point
cloud is colorized with RGB data,
which becomes more involved.
Leaf penetration: No leaf
penetration. Ground below vegetation
can be reconstructed as long as
single light beams can pass between
the leaves, i.e., on a half-closed
canopy.
Workflow and support: Companies
like Phoenix Lidar Systems, GeoCue,
and Yellowscan are pioneering
towards a streamlined data
processing workflow. Still today, the
process typically involves multiple
manual steps, different tools, and
expert knowhow to develop an
accurate point cloud.
Processing time: Point clouds
are typically available after a few
post-processing steps like strip
adjustment and noise filtering. For
smaller projects, you can get results
in less than 1 hour after the flight.
Payload price: $65,000 to $100,000
A WingtraOne UAV equipped with a LIDAR sensor can create accurate 3D models with 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) of vertical accuracy. These models can
be used for precise volumetric calculations across a number of industries.
LIDAR absolutely requires expertise
beyond a quick training or reading of a
manual, as we’ll discuss below.
ACCURACY CONSIDERATIONS
As we have seen, photogrammetry and
aerial LIDAR differ in the way points on
the ground are registered. This directly
affects the final point cloud accuracy
and we will see that, especially for
horizontal accuracy of areas free from
dense forest canopy, photogrammetry
clearly outperforms aerial LIDAR.
PHOTOGRAMMETRY. In the case
of photogrammetry, a quality, high-
resolution, full-frame sensor camera
like WingtraOne’s Sony RX1R II can
yield outputs with horizontal (x-y)
accuracies in the range of 1 cm (0.4 in)
and elevation (z) accuracies in the range
of 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 inches) over hard
surfaces, enabling precise volumetric
analysis.
Note, however, that in order to
achieve such performance the payload
used for photogrammetry must be a
professional one, with the right image
sensor and lens to capture more detail.
It’s not just about the number of pixels.
In fact, two cameras with the same
number of megapixels and different size
sensors provide different image quality
and accuracy.
Proper mission planning and post-
processing are also important for
achieving optimal accuracy: good
overlap among images increases
accuracy and provides better error
correction compared to complete
reliance on the direct geo-referencing
method used in LIDAR. A high-end
drone system with professional mission
planning and post-processing workflow
helps ensure that you capture quality
data that generates accurate results.
LIDAR. As for aerial LIDAR methods,
the sensor does not target specific
features on ground but instead shoots
the beams at a set frequency in a
defined pattern. Even if the horizontal
accuracy of the single point might be
higher, the best horizontal accuracy of a
point of interest on the ground is limited
by the point density.
Crewed aerial LIDAR can provide a
point density of up to 50 points per
square meter and offers a typical
absolute accuracy of 20 cm horizontal
and 10 cm vertical if flown at a standard
height of 2,000 meters (6,600 feet)
AGL.
By flying lower, lightweight UAV
LIDAR provides a higher point density
than crewed aerial LIDAR and can
achieve better accuracy even though
the laser is less powerful. Mounted on
a multicopter, point density and the
resulting point cloud accuracy can be
improved by flying low and slow at the
expense of reduced efficiency.
In the case of LIDAR on fixed-wing
drones, a point density between 50 and
200 points per square meter is possible.
This means a measurement every ~ 10
cm, so an absolute horizontal accuracy
of about 10 cm can be achieved.
On top of limited horizontal accuracy,
LIDAR-derived point cloud accuracy
depends on the precision of the LIDAR
itself and the quality of the INS (IMU
and GNSS) system. Considering all
technological advancements and
system variables at this time, the typical
absolute accuracy that you can expect
from a lightweight LIDAR system on a
fixed-wing drone is approximately 10
cm (4 inches) horizontal and 5 cm (2
inches) vertical.
October/November 2021 53
EXPERT TECH PHOTOGRAMMETRY VS. LIDAR
While LIDAR can provide more detail underneath denser vegetation, both photogrammetry (lower
graph) and LIDAR (top graph) can generate terrain models underneath sparse vegetation where
the ground is partially visible from the air. (The data shown in this graphic was captured at 30
meters above the ground.)
PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND LIDAR
APPLICATIONS
For most missions, 3D results
achievable with photogrammetry are
similar to those obtained with LIDAR,
but with better accuracy and greater
versatility, e.g., photorealistic outputs,
thanks to the high-resolution visual
data. There are some applications—
specifically featuring power lines or
large areas of dense forest canopy—
where the higher expense of LIDAR for
airborne missions is justified. Let’s look
at the evidence for this across a range
of actual applications.
Topographical maps featuring light
vegetation (sparse tree stands or
open canopy) are best surveyed with
high-resolution RGB data capture. The
resolution and photorealistic results are
useful in cases like wildfire management
in residential areas and have been used
by some of the world’s largest urban
54 RotorDronePro.com
fire and rescue services since the
information serves many stakeholders
who need a real view of what’s
happened.
Topographical maps with medium
vegetation can be obtained via a
combination of photogrammetry and
a method to capture the ground below
the vegetation. To capture the additional
information below the vegetation,
ground survey methods or aerial
LIDAR can be used. The combination
with ground survey methods keeps
the price down while guaranteeing
high accuracy plus the resolution and
photorealistic results available through
photogrammetry.
While LIDAR can provide more
detail underneath denser vegetation,
both photogrammetry and LIDAR can
generate terrain models underneath
sparse vegetation where the ground is
partially visible from the air.
Large-scale topographical maps
featuring heavy vegetation are best
acquired via manned airborne LIDAR. A
digital terrain model (DTM) of the forest
ground provides useful information
for project planning in construction
(e.g., the planning of new roads), forest
biomass or detailed information on
vegetation and habitats via topography
and underlying terrain, applications
falling under these circumstances will
always require LIDAR at least in part to
normalize topographical data.
Typically, state agencies try to
maintain reasonably accurate digital
terrain models (DTMs) of the forest
grounds. For these kinds of large-
scale projects with low resolution
requirements, manned airborne LIDAR
is the most cost-effective option
available. If a more accurate or up-to-
date DTM of a small forest is needed,
a traditional ground survey will be
the cheapest option available, yet
lightweight drone LIDAR might fill a
niche in-between.
Bare-earth mining, volumetric and
natural resource surveys are best
handled by high-end RGB payloads.
Even massive surveys are ideal with
the right drone and RGB camera. On
top of this, photogrammetry is cost
effective and saves time not only to
capture and process data related to cut
and fill volumes, stockpile assessments
and status reports, but also to share
this information and reconcile with
contractors and stakeholders.
Power line surveys for vegetation
control can be done with LIDAR or
high-resolution photogrammetry
and powerline extraction features on
software like Pix4Dsurvey. For the sake
of photorealism, price, and workflow, I
recommend the latter option. Research
is ongoing around photogrammetry as a
go-to, cost-effective solution.
Powerline pole tower inspection
benefits from live video inspection
with a multicopter carrying an RGB or
thermal payload. These are usually
relatively small areas that multicopters
can maneuver around and take oblique
shots of easily and safely. With this
method, you get all information within
a very short amount of time. Zoom
cameras allow detailed inspection that
cannot be offered by photogrammetry
or LIDAR..
Rail track inspection is still most
often carried out from the ground—by
a train equipped with ultrasonic, LIDAR,
and visual sensors. Inspection from the
air with either photogrammetry or aerial
LIDAR is gaining more and more interest
but both methods are in early stages.
High-resolution photogrammetry
offers data that avails outputs with all
of the essential details accurately and
autonomously while saving time. Plus
the photorealism adds an element of
easy identification and versatility that
can answer to a range of questions.
City mapping with vertical
structures requiring 3D vantage points
Photogrammetry allows the creation of accurate 3D maps of large areas. Photogrammetry
outputs also include high-resolution visual data in full color for every point on the map to aid in the
interpretation.
has been widely demonstrated with
photogrammetry based on imagery
captured with a payload featuring
oblique capabilities. For cityscapes with
many high-rises and intense levels of
vertical detail, multicopters work well,
although their ability to cover wide-
spread areas per flight is compromised.
VTOL drones carrying oblique payloads
can still capture wide areas and achieve
impressive vertical accuracy.
OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
The difference between
photogrammetry and LIDAR grows
when considering operational and
logistical factors. To generate quality
results, a LIDAR system requires all of
its components to work perfectly in
sync. Small gaps or errors in sensor
measurements can lead to significant
errors in outputs. Or worse, outputs
that “look” right but are not. Techniques
like ground control points (GCPs),
which are useful in photogrammetry to
correct issues, are harder to implement
with LIDAR. Most of the time, the only
solution for erroneous LIDAR data is to
repeat flights.
LIDAR projects require an expert who
understands the workflow and details
of each subsystem and can recognize
consistent and accurate data.
In contrast, photogrammetry-
based workflows are more forgiving.
The redundancy created by multiple,
overlapping images of the same point
on the ground enables error correction
during processing and translates
to high-accuracy outputs, even in
non-ideal conditions or operations.
The shorter learning curve for drone-
based photogrammetry (even for
operators with no prior experience),
leads to greater flexibility and cost-
effectiveness.
The ease of use of photogrammetry
solutions like the WingtraOne translates
into greater operational flexibility,
the ability to deploy multiple systems
to cover distributed sites, greater
frequency of captures, and overall
reduced costs.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We have explored the differences
between how photogrammetry and
LIDAR work and the similarities in their
outputs and learned about situations
where each technology can be best
applied. And while some specific
applications might justify the cost and
complexity of LIDAR, photogrammetry
can meet most of the everyday
challenges presented across a range
of projects and industries, providing
exceptional accuracy and stunningly
detailed maps, available on demand and
with minimal expertise overhead.
So if you don’t need what LIDAR
uniquely provides—specifically to mid-
or large-scale forests with heavy but
penetrable canopy—you can do more
using photogrammetry coupled with a
professional drone for significantly less
money and complexity. K
October/November 2021 55
 BAD PRESS
What the Wall Street Journal got
wrong about drones
By Patrick Sherman

ON SATURDAY, MAY 22, more than two million people discovered

a terrifying fact: with seeming impunity, thousands of drones are
flying within the restricted airspace surrounding Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX). The source of this information was
seemingly unimpeachable: the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), one of
the most respected news outlets in the nation.

56 RotorDronePro.com
T
hose of us who work
with uncrewed aircraft
system (UAS) have
every reason to be alarmed
by reports like this: too many
close calls could lead to more
strict regulations and the
loss of future opportunities.
Fortunately for us, all of the
“facts” reported in the WSJ
were either flat-out wrong
or oversimplified to the point
of being meaningless.
It’s worth noting what
went wrong here, because
those of us in the drone
community need to push
back—hard—against
bad information like this,
especially when it is
published in reputable news
sources. We absolutely
cannot afford to let sloppy
journalism hinder the
potential of this new
technology and its many
benefits for society at large.
RESTRICTED AIRSPACE?
The article in question,
entitled “Risks Rise as More
Drones Take Flight,” was
written by Brett Forrest
and Brian McGill. As the pair
breathlessly declares in their
fourth paragraph: “Drone
incursions into the Los
Angeles airport’s restricted
airspace nearly tripled from
2019 to 2020, with a high
of roughly 1,200 flights last
June.”
The first problem is a small,
but important, semantic
detail. As any qualified Part
107 pilot would recognize,
there is no “restricted”
airspace around LAX. That
would imply the military is
conducting live-fire artillery
drills or testing guided
missiles in the vicinity.
Protecting non-participating
aircraft from those and other
similarly lethal activities the
reason restricted airspace is
established in the first place.
Of course, you could
almost forgive Forrest and
McGill for their confusion: it’s
pretty clear that they were
referring to the controlled
airspace that surrounds LAX,
but here is where they fail
utterly to understand the
subject of their own report.
A graphic that accompanied
their article—presented
here as “Figure 1”—shows
a five-mile ring around
LAX and uses a heat map-
type indicator to indicate
the relative level of UAS
operations in the vicinity.
The idea that there is
a five-mile circle around
airports where drones are
not allowed to fly is entirely
untrue, but it is a pernicious
falsehood that still clings to
life among the uniformed.
The genesis of the “five-
mile limit” misconception
was a compromise between
the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and
the Academy of Model
Aeronautics (AMA) that
was reflected in the FAA
Modernization and Reform
Act passed by Congress in
2012.
The AMA wanted to
maintain the ability of their
members to fly more than
400 feet above ground level
(AGL) for certain specialized
activities, such as slope
soaring. In exchange, the
FAA demanded that the
radius where hobbyists were
required to make contact
with an airport before flying
be expanded from three
miles to five miles. It was a
compromise that ultimately
satisfied no one—including
the FAA.
There are three things to
be aware of regarding this
so-called five-mile limit:
1. It only ever applied to
recreational pilots. It
never had any relevance
to commercial operations.
2. It only required that the
pilot contact the airport
and discuss the planned
operation. It was never a
prohibition against flying.
3. It fell by the wayside in
2019, when recreational
pilots gained access
to the Low-Altitude
Authorization and
Notification Capability
(LAANC) system.
So, drawing an imaginary
If you are a journalist
writing about where
drones are allowed to fly
in Los Angeles and the
map to the left doesn’t
make sense to you,
consider consulting with
an expert or writing
about something else.
October/November 2021 57
BAD PRESS

FIGURE 1
This diagram appeared in the May 22, 2021 issue of
the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), to illustrate an article
entitled “Risks Rise as More Drones Take Flight”
by Brett Forrest and Brian McGill. Along with the
accompanying text, it reflects a fundamental lack
of understanding regarding the rules that govern
small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) operations.

FIGURE 2
This diagram depicts what an exclusion zone with
a five-mile radius around airports in Los Angeles
would actually reveal. The original Wall Street
Journal (WSJ) diagram discounts the existence
of Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Hawthorne
Municipal Airport, Compton/Woodley Airport, and
Zamparini Field—all seen here.

FIGURE 3
This diagram overlays the UAS facility map for Los
Angeles on top of the original Wall Street Journal
(WSJ) diagram. Green indicates uncontrolled
airspace. Yellow indicates controlled airspace
accessible by drone pilots via the Low-Altitude
Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC)
with a ceiling between 50 and 400 feet above
ground level (AGL). Red indicates controlled
airspace that is only accessible to remote pilots
through an authorization or waiver granted directly
by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

58 RotorDronePro.com
The Los Angeles International Airport, commonly referred to as LAX, covers 3,500 acres of land and has four parallel runways. It is the world’s third
busiest airport and the second busiest in the U.S.
circle around LAX and
calling it “restricted” or
“controlled” airspace is utter
nonsense. Beyond that,
the article’s claims actually
refute themselves. If this
prohibition against flying
within five miles of an airport
is true, then why doesn’t the
diagram reflect the presence
of Santa Monica Municipal
Airport, Hawthorne Municipal
Airport, Compton/Woodley
Airport or Zamparini Field?
“Figure 2” shows what
a “correct” version of the
diagram would look like, if
the authors’ premise was
grounded in reality.
CRAZY LIKE A FOX
Having failed to even
understand what controlled
airspace is, it comes as
no surprise that Forrest
and McGill didn’t bother to
consult a sectional chart
to determine the actual
shape of the Class B surface
airspace surrounding LAX—
nor did they even conceive
of the possibility that UAS
operators can get permission
to fly in controlled airspace.
In Figure 3, we see the
UAS facility map overlaid
on top of the WSJ diagram.
Green indicates uncontrolled
airspace, yellow indicates a
facility map grid square with
a ceiling between 50 and 400
feet AGL, and red indicates
a square with a zero-foot
ceiling.
Without seeing the
underlying data used to
create the diagram, it is
impossible to say for certain,
but my estimate based on
the heat map is that about
half of these flights occurred
in areas where real-time
LAANC authorization is
available. That means the
other half involved flying
drones in a grid square where
the altitude is limited to zero.
However, even this is
hardly as damning as it
sounds: after all, on UAS
facility maps, a ceiling of zero
only means that immediate
authorization is not available
through LAANC. Pilots are
still able to get permission to
fly in these areas by seeking
an authorization or waiver
directly from the FAA.
Now, do I believe that
each one of these flights
was cleared, either through
LAANC or the FAA? Hardly.
Based on the anemic
state of education and
training, particularly among
recreational operators, I’d
be willing to bet that a lot
of these flights were not
authorized, and I would be
the first one to say that’s
a problem, especially near
one of the nation’s busiest
airports. However, that does
not excuse overlooking
these details or playing up
the threat.
There is one entity that
emerges from this morass
of misinformation looking
very good indeed, thank
you: WhiteFox Defense
Technologies, Inc. The
company, which builds UAS
detection systems, provided
the raw data that Forrest
and McGill relied on in their
reporting. This was a massive
coup for the WhiteFox public
relations team—and good for
them.
WhiteFox isn’t in the
business of publicly reporting
and contextualizing the
number of UAS flights
occurring around airports; it
is in the business of selling
drone detectors. No doubt
this article was a big help in
achieving that goal. Whoever
wrote the press release
around this data deserves a
raise.
Forrest and McGill, well,
they deserve something else.
They saw the opportunity to
publish a quick, sensational
piece on a timely subject
without taking even the
most rudimentary steps to
understand what they were
writing about. In short, they
got played.
THE PARKER PRINCIPLE
I don’t wish ill on anyone,
most especially my fellow
journalists. It’s a tough
racket. However, when you
are given the opportunity to
influence the thinking of the
2.8 million people who rely
on the WSJ for accurate and
balanced reporting, guess
what? It’s meant to be hard
work. As Ben Parker once
advised his young nephew
and adopted son, who
himself went on to become
a noted journalist: “With
great power comes great
responsibility.” K
October/November 2021 59
 EXPERT TECH

WHEN
DRONES
GO BAD
INVESTIGATING INCIDENTS OF ROGUE OPERATIONS
It isn’t all aerial imaging and crop surveys: sometimes, people use drones to
do bad things. Through a partnership with DroneSec—a private drone security
intelligence firm with offices in Australia and Singapore—RotorDrone Pro is able
to offer these briefings regarding the nefarious use of small UAS worldwide
By Patrick Sherman

BET HE DIDN’T MAKE THE SALE

Incident Type: Serious injury to drone pilot
Incident Location: Towns County Jail, Young Harris, Georgia
Aircraft Type: DJI Matrice 300 RTK
Incident Resolution: National Transportation Safety Board Investigation

T
he facts of this case are simple,
yet they defy an easy explanation.
The pilot appears to have made
almost laughable errors in judgment,
but also sustained a serious injury.
Whether you ultimately decide this
incident is a comedy or a tragedy, there
are valuable lessons to be learned and
questions that bear further reflection.
To begin with, let’s review the
details of what happened: in May, an
apparently certificated remote pilot met
with a prospective customer who was
interesting in purchasing a DJI Matrice
300 RTK—a substantial small uncrewed
aircraft system (UAS) weighing about
14 pounds and supported by four, 21-
inch propellers. To demonstrate the
aircraft performance, the pilot selected
the parking lot of the Towns County
Jail in the rural hamlet of Young Harris,
Georgia.
The operation began smoothly, with
the pilot flying the aircraft west, away
from the jail to a maximum of 393 feet
above ground level (AGL). At this point,
the UAS became non-responsive to
further control inputs. The pilot engaged
its return-to-home (RTH) function and
the aircraft descended back toward the
parking lot, ultimately settling about
7 feet AGL above a parked car. At that
point, it stopped responding to all control
inputs and hovered in place.
The pilot then approached the
aircraft, grabbed the undercarriage, and
attempted to pull it away from the car.
The aircraft resisted and maintained its
position. Next, the pilot handed off the
controller to the prospective customer.
While holding the aircraft securely by its
landing struts with both hands, the pilot

60 RotorDronePro.com
asked the customer to input the motor
stop command sequence. Again, the
aircraft would not yield.
Finally, the pilot made the ill-fated
decision to attempt to disconnect
the aircraft’s batteries, resulting in his
right hand being struck repeatedly by
the still-turning propellers, sustaining
serious tendon and nerve damage in the
process. The situation was ultimately
resolved when the now-injured pilot
simply held on to the aircraft until the
batteries were depleted.
During a subsequent interview with
the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB), the pilot reported being
surprised at the fact there was a no-
fly zone in place around the jail and
embedded within the DJI flight control
system (FCS). The pilot further reported
that he did not see any warnings from
the aircraft about the no-fly zone. The
NTSB’s examination of the aircraft flight
log revealed that it recorded issuing two
separate warnings to the pilot.
The ultimate cause of the incident
remains under investigation, but it
seems likely that it was an unintended
consequence of the drone’s no-fly zone
programming. Perhaps upon booting
up, the GPS did not achieve a precise
fix and determined the flight was Young Harris, a town of just over 1,000 people where this mishap involving an inexperienced pilot
occurring in unrestricted airspace, then and a DJI M300 occurred, is in a rural part of Georgia near the state’s northern border.
achieved a more exact solution once the
aircraft was already airborne, creating a be overstated.
paradox within the FCS. Whatever the Third, regardless of whether you are a professional pilot or a hobbyist, recognize
cause, this outcome was both tragic and that these aircraft are not toys—you can’t rely on their systems to always work as
avoidable. advertised—and the potential to inflict life-altering harm is ever present. Learning to
So, what lessons can we take from fly UAS should be undertaken with the same rigor and seriousness as learning to fly
this incident? First and foremost: an aircraft that you sit inside.
spinning propellers are dangerous. Even
a relatively small aircraft, like a DJI Mavic,
has the potential to do serious harm,
but all the more so with the nearly
2-foot-long propellers mounted on
the M300. Basically, imagine taking an
electric weed whacker to your hand—or
your face. Yes, it’s really that bad.
Second, owning a drone, or even
holding a certificate under Part 107,
does not necessarily make you a
pilot in the true sense of the word.
I’ve always thought the absence of
a check ride from the remote pilot
certification process is a mistake. You
must possess a lot of good and useful
knowledge to pass the Part 107 Airman
Knowledge Test, but absolutely none
of it is a replacement for the sort of
commonsense judgment that comes The DJI M300 is a formidable small uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), capable of carrying multiple
payloads and staying aloft for nearly an hour. Weighing 14 pounds and turning 21-inch propellers, it
from working hands-on with a machine. demands respect for its potential to inflict serious injury on anyone who gets too close.
The value of practical experience cannot (Photo courtesy DJI)

October/November 2021 61
EXPERT TECH WHEN DRONES GO BAD

To me, that is what is most

vexing about this case: this
UAS operator made a series
of obvious mistakes that
should have been plain to
anyone with a background
in the industry, suggesting
that he did not have enough
experience to be counted
as a qualified pilot. Yet, he
felt comfortable enough to
spend at least $15,000 on
a large, advanced aircraft,
and even to sell it—when he
clearly should have still been
learning the basics with a Like other corrections facilities across the country, Towns County Jail in Young Harris, Georgia is a no-fly
Mavic Mini. Please, know zone for drones: a fact that is built into the programming of all DJI drones. This likely played a key role in this
your limitations and take this incident and makes it an inexplicable selection to demonstrate the performance of an M300.
(Photo courtesy InmateAid.com)
stuff seriously.

THEY DID EVERYTHING RIGHT, AND YET...

Incident Type: Drone crash
Incident Location: Midlothian Village, Glasgow, Scotland
Aircraft Type: DJI Phantom 4 RTK
Incident Resolution: Air Accident Investigation Board Report

Sometimes drones, rather than the people flying them, literally do

go bad. That was the case last year in Glasgow, Scotland according
to a report from the United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation
Branch (AAIB) released in May. There is every indication that the
drone was being competently operated by professionals, making
this case an especially potent cautionary tale for everyone who
works in the industry.
The facts in this incident are straightforward: the air crew was
working on behalf of Network Rail was conducting a site survey
near the Newtongrange railway station as part of a larger effort to
document 28 miles of track between Newcraighill and Tweedbank.
The aircraft used for the mission, a DJI Phantom 4 RTK, was
operating autonomously when the accident occurred.
The air crew was conducting its third flight of the day, having
already completed more than 30 minutes of flying without
incident, when the propeller separated from the left-rear motor,
causing the aircraft to begin an immediate and uncontrolled
descent from an altitude of approximately 230 feet above ground
level (AGL). At one point during its descent, the aircraft became
inverted and, with the remaining propellers still spinning, actually
exceeded its rate of descent in free fall before crashing into the
backyard of a nearby home.
Fortunately, no one was harmed in the incident. However, there
was an imminent risk of tragedy. A pedestrian walking on a foot
path alongside the railroad tracks at the time of the incident was
only about 60 feet from the point of impact. Prior studies have Midlothian Village is located in Glasgow, Scotland, and the site
indicated that an object with the mass of a Phantom 4, about of a drone crash last year investigated by the United Kingdom’s
Air Accident Investigation Branch—the nation’s equivalent of the
three pounds, can inflict a lethal injury on a person wearing a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as the principal
hardhat when falling from a height of just 25 feet. investigator of aircraft mishaps and crashes.

62 RotorDronePro.com
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EXPERT TECH WHEN DRONES GO BAD

This graphic, prepared by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the United Kingdom, shows the flight path of the doomed DJI Phantom 4 RTK
leading up to its crash while surveying a rail line in Scotland.

While the AAIB was not able to determine why the propeller separated, rules closely paralleling the FAA’s OOP rule,
it concluded that the air crew had likely done everything correctly and that which would allow flights over uninvolved
the ultimate cause was a hardware failure: either of the propeller itself, or persons by drones weighing less than 250
the motor’s mounting mechanism. grams. For its part, Network Rail has suspended
Given the risk and its inability to establish the precise cause of the the use of its fleet of Phantom 4s and has
malfunction, the AAIB report stated: “It is recommended that, until an begun to experiment with the use of lightweight
analysis of failure rates per flying hour has demonstrated an acceptable alternatives.
level of safety, the Civil Aviation Authority [(CAA), the UK’s equivalent So, as professional remote pilots, what
of the Federal Aviation Administration] should consider prohibiting the lessons can we take from this incident? First,
overflight of uninvolved persons for those unmanned aircraft operating in drones weighing less than 250 grams with
the specific category which rely solely upon their propulsion system for lift shrouded propellers are the future. I suspect that
that would, following a failure of the propulsion system, impact the ground over the next 24 months we’ll see aggressive
with a kinetic energy exceeding 80 Joules.” moves by DJI and other manufacturers to
Interestingly, on December 31, 2020, the CAA released a new set of build increasingly robust, professional-grade
platforms that squeak in below that target
weight—and no remote pilot’s fleet will be
complete without one.
The second, and more important lesson, is
that an accident can happen at any time, even if
you do everything right. None of the systems we
fly have airworthiness certificates. It’s entirely
possible that they will fall out of the sky without
warning. If that thought is not forefront in your
mind every moment that you have a machine
aloft, you are doing something wrong. K

This photo of the DJI Phantom 4 RTK that crashed in Glasgow, Scotland, shows the
damage the aircraft experienced after an uncontrolled descent from approximately This briefing is presented with the support of DroneSec, a
230 feet above ground level (AGL). It also highlights the left-rear motor that lost its private intelligence firm based in Australia and Singapore.
propeller, precipitating the crash. For more information, visit dronesec.com.

64 RotorDronePro.com
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 OVER THE HORIZON

Shadowscape
Location: Winchester Bay, Oregon
Pilot: Patrick Sherman
Drone: DJI Air 2S

( SEND US YOUR PHOTOS If you have an image that you’ve taken with a multirotor that you’d like to see showcased
in “Over the Horizon,” please send your high-resolution image, your Instagram handle (if applicable), and information
on the location and the drone you flew to capture the image to RotorDrone@AirAge.com. Every photographer we
feature on this page will receive a free one-year subscription or extension to RotorDronePro magazine.

66 RotorDronePro.com
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