Q: What is your job title and what does it encompass?
A: Because I own the company, I gave myself the title of President/ Chief UAV Pilot. As the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilot, I am responsible for all UAV flight operations, from mission flight planning, through the UAV flight, and confirming final data acquisition. As we are certified by Transport Canada, we are required to maintain flight records for the aircraft as well as the crew. If the operation is near an aerodrome, we must issue a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) with Nav Canada. Also, being a small business, I have all of the normal “small business” issues to deal with
Q: What is it about your job that other people wish they got to do?
A: Pretty much everything -- flying UAVs, working with leading edge technology, experiencing all parts of Ontario, meeting new people at every site. Basically earning money doing fun things. One of the most interesting parts of my job is trying and testing new or upgraded equipment, or developing new techniques. We just pick a nice day and go to the flying field and fly the UAV.
Q: Describe your typical day on the job and how the work you do contributes to your company.
For a survey / mapping project, a typical day actually starts the day before, with pre-mission planning and equipment preparation and checks. After traveling (sometimes several hours) to a site, we set up the UAV base station, as well as establish the ground control points. An actual UAV flight is usually less than 30 minutes, and depending on the area, we may do several flights. Once the necessary aerial data is collected, we return to our office, where the data processing starts. The data processing can take a couple of days. A significant amount of my time not flying is spent researching, developing, and adapting to constant changes in equipment, procedures, and regulations. After every mission, we evaluate our systems, and are constantly making small adjustments to improve our product. Also, due to the delicate nature of many of the components, there is a lot of repair and maintenance work to do. Finally, as with any small business operator, there is a never ending list of administrative tasks to fill in any spare time I may have.
Q: How did you get interested in this job/field?
A: I spent the first 40+ years of my work life in the heavy civil construction industry, including some time with companies with large aggregate production operations. Since my early teens, I have had an interest in anything to do with aviation (I have an Advanced Ultralight Pilot Permit). Because of these interests coming together, I recognized the potential for UAV applications in the aggregate and construction industries. The idea took shape as an interesting way to begin a semi-retirement career.
Q: Detail your past and/or ongoing education as it is relevant to your job.
A: A combination of my knowledge of the aggregate and construction industries, and experience flying an ultralight is my only education that relates to operating a UAV aerial survey company. I did complete a Civil and Commercial Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) training course at the Canadian Centre of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, to update my aviation knowledge. As for the specific geographical information system (GIS) knowledge, that is the responsibility of our in house GIS experts. My focus is on the flight planning and overall operations.