The UAV industry is still very young and as such it has its fair share of del-boy operators, newly qualified pilots and so called ‘experts’ But the truth is that they can be far from being an expert!
Just last week I was speaking to a client regarding an aerial topographical survey that they had very recently commissioned from a local drone operator (they had made their decision based on price) who had claimed to be an expert in his field. He turned up on site and set up his operating area and then proceeded to spend the following half an hour playing with his ipad trying to persuade the drone to fly. The pilot eventually got his drone airborne, left the site and around 3 hours later sent the client a link to a drop-box folder full of individual photographs.
Whilst this may sound like great service, what the client has actually asked for was an orhomisaic image, a point-cloud file and a high level of accuracy necessitating the need for Ground Control Points. The upshot of this story is that we were asked to go and do the job properly and provide what the client had asked for. And as for the other remote pilot, he had to refund all of the client’s money and made himself look stupid to boot.
Another client recently experienced the quality of footage that an inexperienced pilot can produce when they hired a nearby operator (again based on price) to shoot a wedding. The result was awful and unfortunately we were unable to salvage anything from it when asked to edit it! You can only shoot a wedding once, and as such it has to be right! There are no second chances to get the shot!
The moral of the story is this. If you are a new pilot, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the learning ends when you get your PfCO, and don’t take on jobs that are above your skillset before you are ready. Take your time to learn and master the precision flying skills that you need to earn the big bucks.
If you’re a client, ask some questions and ask to see some previous samples of their work. No remote pilot worth his salt will dodge your questions!
If you have recently qualified as a remote pilot, give us a call and check out our comprehensive list of courses. We offer 1-2-1 flight training, survey training and much more besides!
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