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FAQ

BELOW ARE SOME COMMON QUESTIONS REGARDING THE BASICS, OPERATION, AND REGULATIONS OF DRONES

WHY SHOULD I INTEGRATE A DRONE INTO MY BUSINESS?

Now is a great time to integrate a drone into your business and join the other large companies who are already using drones to streamline their day-to-day tasks. The technology has advanced enough so that it is affordable and data processing techniques can finally handle the mass amounts of information gathered by these incredible tools. In most cases, UAVs can increase efficiency, optimize productivity, and save money.

WHAT IS AN UAV?

An UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle or “drone”. UAVs are also referred to as RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems), UAS (unmanned aerial systems), or sUAS (small unmanned aerial systems). What you ultimately refer to it as is a matter of personal preference. Drones are special because fill the gap between manned aircraft and the ground. Drones are able to fly lower, cheaper, and can acquire higher quality data than their manned counterparts — they are also more environmentally friendly.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FIXED-WING (AIRPLANE) AND A MULTIROTOR (HELICOPTER STYLE) UAV?

Multirotors are great tools. They can land and takeoff in confined spaces and have the advantage of being able to hover in mid-flight. However, they are typically limited in endurance since so much power is required to sustain flight while in a hover so they are not the best choice when wanting to conduct long range missions. DELAIR does not offer multirotor UAVs at this time.

Fixed-wing UAVs are DELAIR’s specialty. They typically require a larger takeoff and landing zone than a multirotor but have the big advantage of longer range and endurance. We offer fixed-wing UAVs that weigh less than 15 kg and have as much as 4 hours of endurance and 200 km of range – quite a difference maker!

IS IT HARD TO OPERATE AN UAV ?

No, flying a UAV is not hard. However, it does take some basic technical competence and the ability to learn. UAVs are great because they basically fly themselves and don’t require as much certification (or cost) as manned aircraft. This allows the UAV operator to shift their focus on other things like monitoring the quality of data being gathered. We’ve developed what we believe to be the perfect balance between power and ease-of-use with our flight control software, Solapp.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT UAV REGULATIONS? CAN I FLY AN UAV IN MY COUNTRY?

This is one of the first questions that should be answered by anyone looking to acquire and operate a UAV system. Rules can differ greatly from country to country so it is up to you to research this. If you contact us we will be happy to assist in any way we can. It is always best to consult your governing aviation authority’s official documentation before operating your UAV.

WHAT IS BVLOS OR BLOS?

BVLOS stands for beyond visual line of sight. This refers to the UAV being visible to the UAV operator’s naked eye from the ground control station (GCS) location. If you can no longer see the UAV from the GCS location then you are operating ‘BVLOS’. As the rules differ from country to country this is an important factor to take into account when determining the regulations in your area of operations.

In France, for example, BVLOS operations are permitted with proper certification (our DT-18 UAV was the first drone in the world to receive BVLOS operation certification). However, in other countries, BVLOS flights may not be permitted yet. It is always best to consult your governing aviation authority’s official documentation before flying BVLOS.