Correction: Compliance – Verticals Plug –
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Correction: Compliance
A bit of confusion: I wrote to Skydio2 about the dang Remote ID. I was momentarily misled about the Remote ID support, and I wanted to join a conversation about a workaround. I had originally thought I would be okay with me standard olde quad, copacetic with a long-game pro-drone. But then I recently – in the past two-weeks – read a UAS newsletter that mentioned Skydio2 was going to not be in compliance. I already know the app Skydio uses can supply flight telemetry. What could be the problem, crikey!
I figured the manufacturer had a light duty broadcast function that can relay data compatible with frighteningly slow upload speeds in areas like mine. Telemetry strings on 5 Hz would work, but 50 Hz would obviously be a smoother trace. I have built household cleaning routines out of a need for distraction for the upload speeds of flight records, though. Like, build a staircase out of popsicle sticks. Or a time machine. The upload speed defies comprehension. Automation improves compliance. With a compliance record, you have a systemic diagnostic of the forces used to perform work with the drone. Even at the quantum level, it is possible to produce information through conservation of momentum. The Skydio2 WILL BE COMPLIANT.
Tinkering
Quantum batteries seem too good to be true. I mean, qubits are weird, amirite? How can light have momentum? Very interesting stuff. How can we use quantum field effects to drive a quantum battery?
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Weekly Gallery and Planned Shots
There’s nothing here anymore. It is a hulking ruin, a strange backdrop for local fairs and festivals in Figure 2 and 3. It was rainy. It is rainy. It will be rainy.
Google Maps images of site
I walked the site, checked it on Google Maps, and I started thinking of a way to film everything in fifteen minutes, one battery. So, I plotted some shots. I wanted to fly in from the ball field across the river, thread the gantry, pan the tracks, then the pipe works. I would orbit the building twice at different altitudes, pass over the structure, then track backwards across a vast open field to an abandoned hot metal bridge. I would fly the route twice. I wrote the organization that maintained the site to see if there were any accommodations. I have yet to hear back from them. The gallery, Figures 4-14, show the old iron furnace from different angles and distances. This place screams ‘Drone Park” to me. I just wished historic sites would explore the potential of transformative technology like drones: site management, asset mapping, recordkeeping, entertainment, edutainment, and scientific inquiry. Why is it we cannot pair the industrial marvels of the past to potential projects in the future?
The monetization of information about “historical sites” sort of makes less sense if you consider the “learning experience” in not dependent on anything tactile or physical. If a tour guide had a drone that can deploy automatically and run a precise cinematic flight plan, it would not only enhance the experience of the tour (think big screens here and there, or data transmitted wirelessly to phone apps) It seems like more of a hiccup than anything else. I just imagine the site managers are reluctant to allow anything to happen on the property that does not generate profit.
Again, for site management purposes: Fly the drone over the parking lot/mud pit, determine course of natural drainage, improve it with a digger, a couple of signs, maybe a culvert, and spread some gravel where needed. The drone could aid in parking management that could accommodate more people with accessibility. Just overlay a drawing over the photograph of the lot, make copies, pack the fields. You need a 9’x18′ plus a 20′ lane. So, you need a 9′ x 39′ space cushion per car. 350ish sq. feet per car. Better yet, park at a distance, and use a shuttle. That way you can get people closer to their cars in bad weather if the site plans to grow to use all the space. Also, this is right on the river. Put a space port here.
Verticals Community Learning Center
Drone Cinematography Classes!
So, everyone who attempted the test passed and earned an FAA TRUST certificate. We tested through a site administered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University because I support their UAV technology courses.
The three days I participated as a volunteer instructor at Verticals were as follows: April 28th, May 5th and May 12th, 2022. I guided students through the process of learning how to safely fly drones in uncontrolled airspace. Two students flew my professional drone over the nearby Monongahela River, by an old truss bridge. One landed the professional drone, wow! On the first day! We planned a video with storyboards and a huddle on production elements. They brainstormed, scheduled shots, got gear, and produced the footage. One the last day, students edited and shared footage.
I basically hustled parts, minor repairs, battery charging, and network connections to and from supply to the production locations. I answered questions. One team was outside the building, another inside. I invited students to explore their own styles. They had fun. The teams erupted with creativity and effort. I had hoped to use the course module in a creative writing lesson or a programming lesson. The presentation that I use sort of serves as a class rubric, but I supply the students with worksheets to plan their productions step-by-step.
I learned some crucial limitations and opportunities for the next session. The most valuable thing is to have a report formatted to assign communication channels, teams, roles, and work schedules. Safety issues were routinely handled successfully. All craft and pilots, tablets and other parts of the Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) made it back in the box, so to speak. All inventory recovered, repairs and orders made, all data shared in the cloud, students back in their districts, rooms ready for the next class.
Verticals Plug
Verticals is a local community development center that gives kids a choice of after-school programs that enrich young lives and provide a sense of pride in community. A link to the group is provided. Some school districts, like Monessen and Brownsville, pony up transportation. It makes a huge difference to the kids, and I am grateful to meet the van drivers. They like the class, too!
- How to fly recreational drones with basic and advanced maneuvers.
- How to plan flights for capturing media.
- Get the soon-to-be mandatory – and EASILY OBTAINED – TRUST flyer certificate from the FAA, online for free.
- How to film, edit, and share a video you make with drone footage and apps.
- How to fly a drone with Scratch Python block code.
- Provide information about industrial drone applications and jobs.
Local Resource in Action
Community groups will have some authority to determine the nature of its flight operations in local airspace come this fall 2022. As long as a responsible pilot is connected to the group, the area can develop flight operations that best suits the needs of the group. A FRIA is basically an area supported by a Part 107 drone pilot or more qualified pilots. The FAA determines the location and quality of FRIAs.
I can see a drone academy being a part of an 21st-century community, so I am studying what we need to do to qualify to become a FRIA. I have a break from school in a month, and I like to read legislation. One of the problems is that it’s not 1986 anymore. These rules were written before the Internet absolutely debased the concept of community. It used to involve, at the very least, physical mail for remote correspondence, on land lines, even. Brick and mortar have given way to ones and zeros. The architecture is in an electric field instead of a dirt lot. “Model aviation” was a concept that existed before FPV, before streaming, before smart phones, before laptops. Ridiculous changes continue to occur and need to occur more quickly because of climate change.
- (1) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
- (2) is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
- (3) the mission of which is demonstrably the furtherance of model aviation;
- (4) provides a comprehensive set of safety guidelines for all aspects of model aviation addressing the assembly and operation of model aircraft and that emphasize safe aeromodelling operations within the national airspace system and the protection and safety of individuals and property on the ground, and may provide a comprehensive set of safety rules and programming for the operation of unmanned aircraft that have the advanced flight capabilities enabling active, sustained, and controlled navigation of the aircraft beyond visual line of sight of the operator;
- (5) provides programming and support for any local charter organizations, affiliates, or clubs; and
- (6) provides assistance and support in the development and operation of locally designated model aircraft flying sites.
Topics in the Verticals Youth Empowerment program include artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, drones, digital fabrication, coding, media production, design studio, blockchain, and crypto. Courses in the topics are presented alongside fitness and wellness resources. The center director is retired NFL pro-football player William James, who stepped off the gridiron and into a new life arena. William has an amazing base of supporters, collaborators, volunteers, and stakeholders who help make this happen. Very grateful.
Verticals Youth Empowerment Center is designed to stimulate young minds, give parents an inclusive environment in which to socialize, and to offer youth a sense of pride in themselves and their community. There are other facilities in the works.
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I became a drone technology service integration researcher in 2017 while in university. I have a passion for drones. Contact me for information about services.
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