Drone pilots are also changing the way inspections are done in the telecommunications industry by conducting tower surveys and inspections in a fraction of the time required to send a person up a tower, making the process both cheaper and safer for those involved.
AT&T began using drones for cell tower inspections a while ago, and telecommunication company Verizon sees so much potential in the drone industry that they purchased drone company Skyward in 2017.
Knowing what to look for when doing these tower inspections and surveys is key for this kind of work.
In general, when doing these kinds of inspections drone pilots are looking for environmental or other hazards before climbing (bee, birds, structural damage, etc.); identifying damaged areas; or investigating the structure’s integrity before personnel climb the tower to find out if it’s safe to climb at all.
As with power line inspections, telecommunications towers usually emit some kind of magnetic interference, which could bring your drone down if you fly too close (i.e., closer than 100 feet). To do work as a drone pilot in the telecommunications sector it’s important to be a highly skilled pilot, and be able to take very accurate photographs from a distance.
We are insured, FAA certified remote pilots. Our projects include residential, commercial, agricultural and government clients:
- Cell tower inspections
- Looking for faulty equipment
- Damage to the tower
- Wildlife living in the tower (i.e., posing a risk to itself or to maintenance members climbing the tower)
- Radio towers inspections—For the same purposes
- Transmission towers inspections—For the same purposes
- Monopole telecom towers inspections—For the same purposes
- Other types of towers—For the same purposes
For more information, please visit our website www.floridadronetech.com