Drones are transforming the modern construction landscape. From tracking progress to inspecting performance to ensuring site safety, they are becoming a top choice among construction managers and asset holders who want to improve their operations.
But when implementing drones for the first time, many construction companies accidentally fall into making extremely costly and dangerous mistakes.
To avoid them, you need to first know what they are. So here are the top 6 mistakes we commonly see construction companies make:
Table of Contents
1. Not Confirming Permission to Fly
Before you launch a drone on a construction site, you need to confirm you have clearance to fly. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controls the national airspace, which is split into three main categories:
- Uncontrolled airspace—Here you don’t need special flight authorization, but you still need to follow all FAA 107 rules for commercial drone flying as well as any state or local flight regulations.
- Controlled airspace—Controlled airspace is typically areas near airports where there’s a lot of air traffic. Here you need to request Low Altitude Authority and Notification Capability (LAANC) authorization. Fortunately, the process is extremely fast and nearly all requests are granted. Just download a LAANC authorization app to get approval at the click of a button. And remember to specify that you are flying your drone under 107 rules and not recreationally.
- Restricted airspace—This is the most heavily regulated of the three types of airspace. Usually, it protects classified locations like government buildings or military installations. Other times, it covers densely populated areas, like a sports stadium. In those cases, it usually will only have a temporary flight restriction (TFR). Either way, you’ll need to request special flight permission from the appropriate authority.
Before every flight, you should check to see which type of airspace your construction site falls under. Then get the necessary flight authorization. If you don’t, you could face hefty fines up to $32,666 or even criminal sanctions with fines up to $250,000. So don’t take any chances.
“Nearly all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 local jurisdictions have laws and regulations for drone usage. Many are in place to protect people’s safety and privacy. Depending on the jobsite’s location, these laws, which are often designed as anti-harassment or anti-nuisance laws, may be applicable.”
- Elisa Silverman, Built, The Bluebeam Blog
2. Purchasing the Wrong Equipment
Many construction companies purchase expensive drone equipment only to realize that it’s not what they needed after all. Sometimes it’s the wrong drone or payload or both. And often, they could have gotten away with a much cheaper setup.
Part of the reason many buy the wrong equipment is that there’s a lot out there. Learning to distinguish between various drones and payloads can be confusing. Still, it’s important to get the right ones for the job.
Here are the two main drone types you should know:
- Rotary drones—These are the most common and affordable type of drone. They usually have 4 rotors and that’s why they’re also called “quadcopters.” They’re best for short distances and flight times. And if you’re just looking to get an eye in the sky at minimal cost, this is your drone.
- Fixed wing drones—These drones are more suitable for long distances and long flying hours. Their airplane-like design allows them to scan lots of ground for mapping and topography purposes.
You can also get drones with advanced positioning capabilities and a range of payloads to capture different types of data. Here are the most useful ones for construction:
- RGB cameras—These are high-quality visual cameras. You can use them for initial site surveys, progression monitoring, stockpile measurements, and more.
- Thermal sensors—Aka infrared (IR) sensors, thermal sensors detect heat and cold spots. They can be useful for inspecting roofs to detect heat or water leaks. And most also have radiometric capability for measuring exact temperatures.
- LIDAR—LIDAR stands for light detection and ranging and it uses lasers to measure precise distances. Think of it as sonar but with light waves instead of sound waves. LIDAR is helpful for land surveying among other things.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
A Proven Roadmap of Success for Implementing Drones in Construction.
A List of Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Drone Service Providers.
How to Persuade Your Leadership Team to Leverage Drones on Every Jobsite.
- GPS—Drones equipped with GPS units can measure real-world geographical data to help you carefully plan construction around nearby buildings and structures. They do this by referencing geotagged physical markers called ground control points (GCPs) that you place around the construction site. Or with the help of real-time kinematic (RTK) or post-processing kinematic (PPK) positioning technology.
Whatever you do, make sure you get the right drone with the right technologies and payloads for your project requirements. There’s no point in buying expensive equipment that you don’t need.
3. Hiring Inexperienced Pilots
Another mistake to avoid is hiring an inexperienced drone pilot. A lot of beginner drone pilots get interested in the growing drone industry because it only takes a few weeks and $175 to get your FAA Part 107 license. But this doesn’t make them qualified to take on data-specific drone jobs.
Construction drone pilots need to know how to properly capture and process different types of drone data. One accidental error could ruin an orthomosaic map or site survey report. And if you rely on them for your construction plans, you could end up with costly building mistakes later on.
You also don’t want to hire a drone pilot who doesn’t understand construction site safety. They should follow a preflight safety checklist and wear any personal protective equipment (PPE) required onsite. One way to ensure a pilot’s safety knowledge is to require that they pass the OSHA 10 hour construction training course.
Otherwise, you want to verify a drone pilot’s experience by reviewing their past work and case studies. Check their reviews and ratings online or ask for references. An experienced pilot shouldn’t have any problem handing over this information to you.
4. Not Defining Objectives
Set concrete objectives for how drones will be used for your construction project. If you don’t, you may end up spending more on drone services than you need.
So define how and when drones will be implemented. Do you need stockpile measurements? What about monitoring crew safety? Plan for exactly what the drones will do and when they will fly. Then mark the flights in the construction schedule to inform project managers and stakeholders. If you’re clear on drone objectives, you won’t be surprised or disappointed at the end of the project.
5. Not Tracking All Construction Phases
When using drones in construction, monitoring progress monitoring is key. You want to track every phase of the project so you have a complete record. Otherwise, you’ll end up with significant knowledge gaps that could hamper your ability to stay on schedule and make it harder to settle any disputes later on.
Use drones to track progress day by day or week by week. They can even take photos from the exact position and angle each time you fly. These images can then be combined into a report to share with stakeholders and clients. This way, you can estimate project milestone dates and finalize budgets to make better planning decisions.
6. Not Staying Vigilant of Your Surroundings
Flying a drone for construction takes full concentration. One small error could cause a crash and total the aircraft or damage expensive building materials or even hit workers. You definitely don’t want any of these to happen.
To keep pilots focused on the job, they should wait to talk with other workers who approach them until after landing the drone. That way, they don’t get distracted mid-flight and accidentally make a costly mistake.
Pilots should also be aware of any hazards around the site like power lines, cranes, tall buildings, and circling birds. They can take note of these things during a site walk-through before flying. At the same time, they should designate a safe secondary landing location somewhere on-site in case of an emergency.
Avoid these Common Mistakes: Hire a Drone Construction Photography Company
Now you know some of the most common drone mistakes to avoid in construction. But if you want to rest easy, you should hire a professional drone company with a proven track record. They’ll know the proper procedures to follow for achieving the deliverables you need.
Here at The Drone Life, our expert pilots have helped on numerous construction projects. Whether you need a pre-construction land survey or start-to-finish progress monitoring, we can help. Check out our past projects and reviews to see for yourself. We’re a trusted team dedicated to the success of our clients. Contact us today for a free consultation.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
A Proven Roadmap of Success for Implementing Drones in Construction.
A List of Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Drone Service Providers.
How to Persuade Your Leadership Team to Leverage Drones on Every Jobsite.
