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Drones take to sky

As regulators dither, entrepreneurs find roles for vehicles

As regulators work to frame rules on the use of drones, the commercial applications for the pilotless vehicles keep multiplying.

Cameras can easily be attached to drones, making them natural to use with aerial photography. They already are being used to provide photos and video for real estate advertising. Golf course operators use them for promotion.

A drone flight is often cheaper than a comparable helicopter flyover. John LeSage, a Durango drone operator, said a flight over a ranch might cost $600 to $1,500 to produce a two- to three-minute video.

LeSage may be the area’s only full-time drone pilot. He works through his business, LS3 Aerial.

LeSage’s clients have included Jeep (for a commercial) and the reality TV show “Tiny House Nation.” He also has done shoots for filmmakers and real estate agents.

“The uses, quite frankly, are endless,” he said.

Drones can be fitted with infrared cameras that can identify hidden hot spots in wildfire areas. They can quickly survey vast tracts of farmland.

“Let’s say you’re a farmer who’s irrigating your fields. I can fly over a field in minutes and tell you where your irrigation is being effective,” LeSage said.

The Federal Aviation Administration largely bans the use of drones for commercial purposes, but that hasn’t stopped many users from going ahead anyway. There are signs the FAA may be loosening the restrictions; in September, six filmmaking companies were granted exemptions. The FAA also has exemptions for border patrol, and university and government research.

As for commercial uses, the FAA is slogging through the rule-making process. But in the absence of clear rules, entrepreneurs such as LeSage aren’t waiting.

Christine Serwe, a Wells Group real estate agent, recently hired LeSage to shoot images of vacant land she has for sale in Ridgewood Estates in the Hesperus area. Vacant land can be difficult to photograph, and the aerial images give potential buyers a better view of the property, she said.

“I think we’re onto something, especially with vacant land,” she said. “I’m hoping to use it with more of my listings.”

Thad Trujillo, also with the Wells Group, has used a friend’s drone to take photos of ranches he represents. Trujillo simply attaches a GoPro camera.

“You can get photos from different angles,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a huge benefit, but any added marketing material you can use is beneficial.”

Golf courses such as Colorado Golf Club in Parker have used videos shot by drones to promote their links and related real estate.

Extreme sports are another natural fit. In May, LeSage shot video of Mikaela Shiffrin, an Olympic gold medalist, skiing a slalom course in Loveland.

The natural-gas and oil industry could use drones to find leaks and monitor pipelines. Some are already being used in search-and-rescue emergencies.

Tsosie Lewis, chief executive of Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, a sprawling tribal agribusiness south of Farmington, has long expressed interest in using a drone to fly over NAPI’s 70,000 acres. But he has been unable to get permission from regulators.

“We will keep trying,” he said in an email message earlier this week.

Yet despite the many beneficial uses, there’s a backlash brewing. Some fear drones could be used by Peeping Toms, or by government agencies to monitor residents. Much like smart meters, drones have become a symbol for those who fear the misuse of technology.

In April, the small Arapahoe County town of Deer Trail, east of Denver, rejected a symbolic vote to issue hunting licenses for drones with U.S. government markings.

The Durango Police Department isn’t joining the bandwagon, said Lt. Ray Shupe, a department spokesman.

“The (police department) has no intent to utilize drones at this point just because of the controversy that surrounds them” and the changing legal landscape, he said. Shupe said Durango police had received no complaints related to drone use.

The U.S. National Park Service this year banned drones from landing or taking off within national parks, including Mesa Verde.

LeSage said he welcomes sensible regulations.

“All of us that have been doing this for say, five years, we all want regulations. We all want rules,” LeSage said.

Until then, he said, “we all are self-regulating ourselves. I know that sounds scary, but when you’re talking $50,000 to $100,000 dollars in the air, I can assure you we’re doing this in a safe manner.”

One six-rotor drone LeSage flies is made largely of carbon fiber and cost him about $25,000 to assemble from various parts. In a flight at Buckley Park, the vehicle looked not unlike a large insect and sounded like a swarm of bees.

LeSage is confident society will find more uses for drones, particularly in agriculture.

“They can bring a whole lot of efficiency to our world,” he said. “Things are possible with them that were out of reach for most people. These things are becoming more attainable.”

cslothower@durangoherald.com

What is a drone?

Drones are defined by Webster’s New World College Dictionary as “a pilotless airplane that is directed in flight by remote control.”

Some hobbyists shy away from the term “drone,” believing it carries a negative connotation. In addition to their many civilian uses, drones have been used by the U.S. government to bomb suspected militants in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Drones are also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. The Federal Aviation Administration calls them “unmanned aircraft systems,” or UAS.



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