Which drone / camera for a numpty?

[Davel]

We own several warehouses, as a company, and twice/three times a year we get a roofer to hire a cherry picker to inspect the roofs and gutters.

Surprisingly he gets quite a bit of work out of this and we never really know if everything needs doing or if it has been thoroughly done.

Some of the gutters are between units and it's difficult to get on the roofs to check them, as they are high and some are asbestos.

So I thought it might be an idea to get our own drone / camera set-up so that we can check if each of the gutters is clean and free-flowing as and when required.

So without going mad on cost, can anyone recommend something capable of recording decent quality footage for putting onto a laptop please.

Equally, something simple'ish to operate please.

Cheers

[Magic919]

Have a look at the DJI Phantom thread in here. Just down a bit.

[V8A*ndy]

Davel said:

We own several warehouses, as a company, and twice/three times a year we get a roofer to hire a cherry picker to inspect the roofs and gutters.

Surprisingly he gets quite a bit of work out of this and we never really know if everything needs doing or if it has been thoroughly done.

Some of the gutters are between units and it's difficult to get on the roofs to check them, as they are high and some are asbestos.

So I thought it might be an idea to get our own drone / camera set-up so that we can check if each of the gutters is clean and free-flowing as and when required.

So without going mad on cost, can anyone recommend something capable of recording decent quality footage for putting onto a laptop please.

Equally, something simple'ish to operate please.

Cheers

This will be classed as commercial work so you will need to be qualified, insured and have permission to fly from the CAA.

[Davel]

Even on our own industrial estates?

Not going over other roads or properties, just over our own land.

I know we'd need insurance etc.

[Boatbuoy]

Davel said:

Even on our own industrial estates?

Not going over other roads or properties, just over our own land.

I know we'd need insurance etc.

Yes. Indirectly you would be operating a drone for financial gain (in support of your normal business activity), and therefore you must have a CAA permit for aerial work.

You (your company/employer) may well own the land, but you don't own the airspace.

Commercial insurers are now getting wise to drone ops, and may well ask to see proof of your CAA permit. Conversely, to be issued with a permit you must have specialist drone cover.

Edited by Boatbuoy on Wednesday 9th September 22:21

[GetCarter]

CAA aside, I was going for the DJI until the 3DR Solo came out. This will fly autonomously, programmable, so you can let it do it's thing whilst you take photos/video. You'll need a GoPro 3+ or newer and some sort of tablet to run the app (I use a Nexus 7), so it costs more than the DJI... but let's face it, it'll be tax deductible!

Pic I took yesterday from 400 ft. Drone was flying itself.

Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 10th September 12:45

[Davel]

Could I not buy one privately as my own and fly it on my own land?

There's no real financial gain anyway, I mean if work needs doing then I still have to pay to get it done.

Thanks anyway and I'll look into it.

Edited by Davel on Thursday 10th September 13:22

[RVVUNM]

Yes you can. I've got a DJI Phantom with a Gopro Hero 4 silver and it will do exactly what you want. ignore the ney-sayers, it's you land.

[Davel]

Thanks!

I'm not trying to be clever but commercial to me suggests doing it for profit and this really would not be. It's more peace of mind.

Oh and can a numpty like me soon learn to fly one?

[GetCarter]

The latest ones are fairly simple to fly.

Esp. when they have a 'pause', 'land now' and 'return to home' button.

[RVVUNM]

Yes, they are GPS stabilized and you just control the direction. Very easy to fly and huge fun.

[Davel]

Thanks all - looks like an early Christmas present then....

[AstonZagato]

I was thinking of something for my son (20) for Christmas. He's not used something like this before. I was thinking that the Phantom is a bit too pro and the Hubsans a little too basic. Is that right?

Looking around, the Parrot Drone 2.0 looks to be sophisticated enough to be easy to fly but doesn't cost the earth. A good half way house?

Is that a reasonable entry point? Or do I go the Hubsan route and upgrade him over several years?

TIA

[GetCarter]

AstonZagato said:

I was thinking of something for my son (20) for Christmas. He's not used something like this before. I was thinking that the Phantom is a bit too pro and the Hubsans a little too basic. Is that right?

Looking around, the Parrot Drone 2.0 looks to be sophisticated enough to be easy to fly but doesn't cost the earth. A good half way house?

Is that a reasonable entry point? Or do I go the Hubsan route and upgrade him over several years?

TIA

Just to mention... the more 'pro' they are the easier they are to fly and less likely to crash and burn.

Also... You might want to google DGI's customer service. Or lack thereof.

Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 10th September 14:57

[Dr_Rick]

Davel said:

Could I not buy one privately as my own and fly it on my own land?

There's no real financial gain anyway, I mean if work needs doing then I still have to pay to get it done.

Thanks anyway and I'll look into it.

Edited by Davel on Thursday 10th September 13:22

I'm busy doing a business case for a pucker industrial grade UAV, and despite your thoughts, I think you are doing it for financial gain.

After all, your cherry picker guy gets paid to do his job 2 - 3 times a year and you're thinking that spending (lets say) £1,000 on a UAV of some sort can deliver you the same outcome; a decision on whether you need to get the roofer in. How many visits of the cherry picker do you need to exceed the cost of the UAV? If you say he costs £250 a go and 2 times a year, after 2 years you've paid for the UAV and have found all those extra jobs you never knew you could get done with a UAV at the same time. After 2yrs you're saving the business money so there's your financial gain.

It's not like the UAV spots things (or not) that the cherry picker can / can't. You're trading one set of eyes for another.

Costs wise, you're looking at getting a BNUC-S (Basic National UAS Certificate for Small Unmanned Aircraft). This costs £1050 per pilot with an annual renewal cost of £75. Then you'll need the CAA Permission and Exemption in relation to Aerial Work (multi-rotor, less than 7kg) which is £112 with an annual renewal of £56. The BNUC-S is on the basis of 2 days of theory and then a operational assessment which involves an Ops Manual specific to your platform and a demonstration that you can operate it. If you need another pilot, they'll need to run through this too, and if you change your UAV, you'll need to submit a different Ops Manual. The CAA PFAW is per institution so should remain valid.

The recommendation is for 2 pilots to cater for redundancy (illness) and keeping control of the space you're looking at, but you may get away with just 1.

[andyr30]

Good time to buy a Phantom 3 Standard...currently slightly reduced.

2.7k HD Video
Live 720p HD real-time view
Very easy to fly once you have the hang of it, full stabalised etc


Ideal for what you need I think

http://store.dji.com/product/phantom-3-standard

[JonV8V]

My only 2p is whether you need to do the inspection for buildings insurance purposes. I used to sweep my own chimney but apparently getting a receipt for £60 from someone else doing it is classed as evidence in the event of a chimney fire. Bloody annoying.

[Davel]

Dr_Rick said:

I'm busy doing a business case for a pucker industrial grade UAV, and despite your thoughts, I think you are doing it for financial gain.

I'd say bks

The same guy who does the work goes up in the cherry picker, quotes for any repairs and then does them but I have suspicions that he often invents more stuff as he goes along. I'm not convinced that he does all of the work that he says he does and quite often the same area needs more work on his next visit.

I want to find the bits that need attention then get the cherry picker and the guy to quote and do the work.

I suspect that he is ripping me off and so I'm merely protecting my interests and want to see areas that I otherwise won't.

[sgrimshaw]

If whilst flying your quad over the buildings on your land you spot something which suggests you need the services of a roofer, then there's nojustifyable arguement to say your flight is for "commercial use".

[The Moose]

GetCarter said:

CAA aside, I was going for the DJI until the 3DR Solo came out. This will fly autonomously, programmable, so you can let it do it's thing whilst you take photos/video. You'll need a GoPro 3+ or newer and some sort of tablet to run the app (I use a Nexus 7), so it costs more than the DJI... but let's face it, it'll be tax deductible!

Pic I took yesterday from 400 ft. Drone was flying itself.

Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 10th September 12:45

Quite fancy the 3DR Solo. Annoyingly the thick end of a grand here and less than £700 in the US grrr!