A New Perspective from the Shreveport Skies

Business is looking down for Mike Sledge, which is just how he likes it.

Sledge owns Bird’s Eye View Photography and Video Production based in Shreveport. He uses drones, remotecontrolled flying vehicles to photograph people, places and things from aloft.

He started the business almost by accident. He was trying to get a specific shot for an entry in the Louisiana Film Prize competition and began researching companies that offered aerial photography. Once he discovered the capability of aerial photography from drones, Sledge was instantly a fan.

He’s not alone. It would not be a stretch to say drone equipment has been flying off the shelves, if sales figures are any indication.

In a recent report on its website, Fortune Magazine cited a report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International forecasting the total domestic economic impact will reach more than $82.1 billion between 2015 and 2025. It forecast the creation of more than 100,000 high-paying jobs in the process. Those figures were based on the Federal Aviation Administration meeting a 2015 deadline for integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the national civilian airspace. Those high-tech jobs would in turn create millions in tax revenue and additional economic impact as a result.

All of that is, of course, speculation at this early phase of the drone story, but a quick Internet search revealed prices ranging from $100 to several thousand dollars for different models.

As popular as the niche hobby/industry has become, it is not without its critics. Issues have arisen concerning the safety of operating the small aircraft in the vicinity of full-size aircraft and around sensitive infrastructure and private property. Those concerns have, in turn, driven discussion of freedom to engage in the hobby/industry on First Amendment and Commerce Clause bases. It’s also being closely monitored by the FAA.

In this month’s issue of AOPA Pilot, Bruce Landsberg, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, wrote that the FAA convened a group to study the issues in 2007, concerned about the potential growth of the drone industry. Despite the intervening period, there are not yet clear-cut regulations in place. That’s a situation Landsberg said concerns many aviation industry observers.

He writes that unmanned aerial systems pose a number of problems, but they also open some great opportunities for general aviation. Landsberg and Sledge both say safety comes high on the priority list. Sledge put it atop the three major factors revolving around the UAS debate, safety, privacy and First Amendment concerns.

Those concerns deal with whether flying things around the countryside might be dangerous to people or property if they should crash, how individuals protect themselves from some peeping tom drone hovering around the windows, and how the discussion affects drone owners’ rights and what those rights entail. Landsberg said privacy issues and the like are the prevue of the state and federal courts and not the job of the FAA to police or dictate.

In 1981, the FAA issued an Advisory Circular covering model aircraft. The AC instructs pilots of these aircraft to maintain a safe operating distance from active airports and populated areas. It discourages operation around spectators until the craft are proven safe and prohibits flying the craft above an altitude of 400 feet.

Sledge said, “Ultimately, it comes down to operator responsibility.” He said he does a pre-flight check much like the ones done on full-size aircraft.

He also said he tries to use a spotter, someone who can provide an extra pair of eyes to watch his drones when they are on assignment. He said he does not fly over people in case of a mechanical failure to minimize the risk of injury.

Apparently, not every drone flyer is as responsible as Sledge. Landsberg said the highest-profile incident involving a UAS involved a close call with a regional jet in Tallahassee, Fla., last March. The smaller craft reportedly came within 2,300 feet of the commercial carrier, which was inspected for damage on landing.

Landsberg wrote, “There have been numerous other mishaps – some amusing, others not so much – that punctuate the news, but the reality is that UAS hold tremendous potential for both good and ill. The challenge is to find the balance.”

“Responsible ownership is the key,” Sledge said. “Currently, it’s the wild, wild west out there.” The local entrepreneur said, however, the potential for good in the UAS field is virtually limitless. He said there are applications for farming, geography, search-and-rescue operations, real estate and more. He said the drones could provide a vantage point for police and firefighters to assess critical incidents and devise appropriate action based on real-time observation. He explained that all those potential applications make it imperative that sensible regulations be adopted by the FAA and other jurisdictions.

Those possible uses are becoming more apparent to enthusiasts of all stripes, Sledge said. New ideas about how to make money with drones have been fueling the explosive growth in the field, he indicated, and, “there’s no putting the genie back in the bottle now.”

Sledge likened the coming of drones to the appearance of small, portable video cameras like the “GoPro.” He predicted that in five to 10 years, the UAS market will have settled out and be an old, reliable technology about which no one gives much thought. In the meantime, he said, “Things are very much in flux. There will be some unpleasant instances,” and noted the national parks have already banned the use of the unmanned vehicles on park property. But in the long run he said, “I am optimistic that balance will be achieved.”

Sledge believes many of the concerns surrounding the safe usage of the drones can be controlled by the software that is required to operate the craft. He believes that limitations can be hard-wired into the programs to make it highly unlikely that users could accidentally overreach the crafts’ capabilities or take them where they shouldn’t go. Size and lifting capability limits, he said, would go a long way toward controlling the use of the drones.

He’s somewhat less convinced that legislative intervention would be more effective. “Laws, ordinances and regulations tend to create more confusion than correction,” he said.

Each drone unit consists of a lifting body – a vehicle capable of carrying loads in three dimensions – a remote controller, the photography gear and a means of monitoring the flights. He said there are places on the Internet where the curious or the interested can shop for or compare the models currently available.

On his Facebook page, Sledge has compiled some of the work he’s already done in the area. It includes motion photography of buildings and landmarks and still photography of extremely high resolution. He has two different drones in his inventory. Both are capable of shooting still or motion photography.