Good afternoon everyone! I was approached today with an idea today that deeply impacts my business.

How can drones be of use in the AmCon world?

Drones are becoming part of our everyday life, as you have seen in the news Amazon is now trying to deliver their products with drones. Think of this as a media story and not the whole story of what the drone industry is really about. If you fly drones, then you know.

Drones are used in the practical world in many ways. They are used for surveying, mapping, modeling, search and rescue, real estate, erosion monitoring, storm chasing, farming and agriculture, photography, video, cinema, advertising, marketing.......just to name a few.

How could we use them in AmCon? Well, there are several different ways. My neighbors and I have a contingency plan if things start "flying" off the handle. Not only can we scout our neighborhood for potential threats but we could survey the main roads coming into our area. If you had a thermal drone you could potential do a search and rescue mission.

Do you want to fly a drone? I am sure many of you would love to add this to your contingency plans but there are some thing you need to know.

1. Your first drone will not be your last - I taught myself on a $10 drone and slowly moved up to a DJI Mavic 2 Pro which I run my business with now. There are better drones, of course, which could be in the tens of thousands of dollar. Pick one that works for you as a learning tool then go to a GPS drone or an FPV drone (so you can use it without the need of satellites.

2. What will you use the drone for? Are you strictly using it for property security or do you plan to travel and use your drone which leads me into number 3.

3. There are rules to follow whether you are a hobbyist or a Part 107 Pilot. If you plan on making money with your drone you will have to take classes to be a certificated Part 107 Pilot by the FAA. Also National Parks are off limits as well as some other places that may have NO FLY ZONES, TRF's etc. If you stick to the hobby side of drones there are rules to follow as well. The internet provides a lot of this detail.

4. Networking! There are a ton of drone pilots and groups to help you learn about the world of drones. I for one leaned heavily on networking when I got started and I have actually helped a couple people get their Part 107, coached on one on one time with them as well as helped with editing.

5. Can someone shoot a drone down? NO this is a felony as it is destruction of personal property and they could be interfering with an FAA operation.

Those are really the main points. Drones are and will continue to be in our skies for the foreseeable future. So yes, drones can be a great addition to your contingency plan and with that being said, if you do decide you want to learn how to fly, reach out and I will do what I can to help you out.

Keep a growing mindset to better protect you and yours,
SkyWalker