Monthly Archives - September 2016

Infrared Imaging

Infrared imaging on a rainy, windy day So what does an infrared drone guy do on a rainy windy day... practice.  Happily Flir in conjunction with DJI has upgraded their camera and software to give so many more options.  All the colors and palettes become more vivid and dynamic.  You can even tell how hot your cup of coffee is if you have your drone fired up and running (no propellers) and facing yourself.  The Starbucks coffee was 140 degrees when I first set it on the desk.  Within the first 10 minutes it decreased 20 degrees.  Enough about coffee. Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging Infrared Drone Uses The use of drones and infrared imaging are growing.  A lot of people don't even realize how useful it can be.  I recently had my DJI Inspire Pro with the XT Flir camera flying over a commercial building.  Now I didn't know were the leaks on the building were, but after careful examination I circled areas of concern on the infrared and presented this to the owner.  Surprise surprise the areas that I circled on the infrared turned out to be close to the leak areas on the building.  Now the owner is educated about his roof leaks on his building and a roofing contractor can come out and accurately repair the roof. Roof Infrared Hvac contractors can use infrared to see how hot the units are running and believe me some run very hot compared to others (see picture above, two units running hotter). Electric companies can inspect transformers and any other part of the electrical systems to find out what is operating inefficiently.  Any type of piping that runs on the outside of a building can be inspected. Cellular towers can be inspected. Search and rescue, especially at night reveal vivid pictures of human being trying to hide or run from something. The energy efficiency of any building can be determined.
Infrared Drone

Infrared Drone

PIC AND AN INFRARED DRONE PIC used to stand for Picture.  No longer, the FAA has taken it for there very own.  It stands for Pilot in Command.  The FAA wants every person that is going to fly commercially to be trained.  Flying without an Airman Certificate is Illegal.  That's why everyone at Drone Infrared Imaging must pass the Aeronautical Knowledge Test before they fly.  If nothing else its gets you to think about more than just picking up a controller and taking off.  There is a lot to think about, like the weather, obstacles, wind current around buildings, aircraft, line of sight, visual observer, magnetic fields, down drafts, updrafts and the like.  Our ultimate goal is to be safe.  An infrared drone is a very expensive proposition and believe me we don't want anything to happen to it. Infrared Drone               Infrared Drone Airspace Yes we have to share airspace.  The above images were taken in Class D airspace.  Because the airport has a Control Tower, they had to be contacted so we could get permission to fly.  It is a little bit of a hassle to actually speak to the tower, however the overall process was quite painless.  They gave permission and we were able to fly. https://www.droneinfraredimaging.com/infrared-scans/
Roof Safety

Roof Safety

BASIC PRACTICAL RULES FOR ROOF SAFETY If it looks unsafe it probably is unsafe.  I don't know how many times we have been on job sites to see obvious glaring violations.  The worst is when the owner comes on the roof and they can tell the violations without knowing the violations.  Point being make sure your roof projects look safe!  One final note here, if your job site looks crappy even though you are safe, it gives the appearance of being unsafe.  Let's keep job sites cleaned up. Roof safety should be taught and caught.  Don't get caught in the trap of, well we didn't have many accidents last year so let's skimp on safety this year.  It always works out bad.  Having Drone Infrared Imaging capture pictures and video from your projects to use in the roof safety class room is priceless.  Not only to point out the things that need correcting but hopefully to point out perfectly staged job sites. When safety equipment looks old, it looks unsafe.  Yes I know some of us are conservative and we like to use things until it dies but let's try to stay clear of doing that regarding safety. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION.. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  A little precaution before a crisis occurs is preferable to a lot of fixing up afterward.  Roof safety can prevent a lot of personal injuries.  It can also prevent the ultimate tragedy which is loss of life.  Workman's compensation claims can cost a tremendous amount of money and can drag on for years.  If there is time given in the class room with pictures from Drone Infrared Imaging, that's a great start.  After that having tool box talks with your guys on a weekly basis.  One more thing, your foreman should be very safety conscious and as a result should hold all the guys under his care to a high standard of safety. BE SAFE!