What happens when aerial photography drones crash? What questions to ask before hiring a UAV/Drone pilot
According to DJI, the maker of the personal UAVs, they’re selling upwards of 10,000 weekly. But, with this said, and all the people starting to use these
devices for either personal or business, what happens when aerial photography drones crash? Because many business see inexpensive UAVs as a high-tech way to do aerial photography, they are at risk of hiring operators who don’t necessarily know how to fly their aerial photography drones. Recently an aerial photography drone was being used to cover a triathlon in Australia. The UAV had an issue and crashed, unfortunately, into an athlete which resulted in this individual being hospitalized. In Virginia a drone operator crashed his UAV into several people resulting in minor injuries, and luckily, resulted in no lawsuits suggesting an out of court settlement was reached. The operator stated his battery ran out of power during the flight causing the accident. In my opinion, negligence. With all the numbers of people and business’ beginning to fly these aerial photography drones the numbers of accidents will go up drastically. Again, the largest manufacturer is reporting sales of 10,000 weekly. Because of the rise in these numbers law firms have begun to spin up on what little rules and regulations are in place. According to an article written by Fast Company; Florida aviation attorney Timothy Ravich said, ” the operator of a small UAV that loses control and accidentally injures an individual could be named as a defendant in a trial. Though the question of liability is up to a judge and jury, the vehicle’s loss of control could lead to charges of negligence–charges that, depending on the specifics of the situation, could also lead to the UAV’s manufacturer and event organizers being named as defendants as well. In addition, intentionally injuring bystanders with a UAV brings up separate issues of criminal law.”
The FAA is preparing to issue guidance in 2015 and in the next year to three or so 77,000 jobs are expected to be created. This is huge business. Now, back to the question. How can you protect yourself in the event the aerial photography drones crash? The answer is simple for people wanting to use these drones/UAVs for commercial purposes. First, the prospective client of such a business should concern themselves with the pilot of said drone. You want to make sure this individual has experience with the aircraft he or she is flying. This experience will come from attending an FAA approved ground school so the individual is well versed in the rules and regulations of the national airspace system. At the moment, no certification or licensing exists for operators of UAV aircraft in the United States and this will likely change soon. My suggestion would be to utilize a person holding, at the very minimum, an FAA private pilot certificate and preferably a FAA commercial certificate. Second, you want to know the number of hours this person has spent flying this aircraft as there’s no better experience than hours at the controls. Third this individual, and or company, should have an insurance plan in place from an aviation insurance provider. As a prospective client utilizing their services you would like to know the name of the insurance provider and what the coverage consists of.
Sky Eye Aerial Imaging Insurance agent is Transport Risk Managment and Global Aerospace
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