ATTACK OF THE DRONES ; Irish firms use tiny craft for air surveys [Eire Region] [Mirror (UK)]

(Mirror (UK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) EIGHT firms in Ireland are using unmanned drones for aerial surveys and other operations, it was revealed yesterday.

The Defence Forces use the tiny craft for military purposes but they are also being flown by civilian companies.

The Irish Aviation Authority said the firms have been licensed to operate the pilotless aerial devices, which weigh less than 150kg.

An IAA spokesman added: "The European Aviation Safety Agency is in the process of introducing pan-European legislation to cover the operations of systems with a mass of 150kg or more.

"Below this weight, operations will continue to be subject to national legislation." The cost of these drones has fallen to below EUR 300 and some can be operated using a smartphone.

This has allowed industries to use them to monitor forests and farms and survey houses from the air.

The devices may be used for search and rescue operations, aerial photography and even power line and gas pipe monitoring.

One company with such a licence is Cyberhawk Innovations, which used an unmanned drone to study the Great Island power plant in Co Wexford.

Spokesman Stuart Thomas said: "The type of work we are involved in is inspections and surveys.

"For example, we do land surveys, which is an alternative way of surveying to using people with a theodolite [optical instrument with a small mounted telescope] walking the land." The Agriculture Department stated it "does not propose to use the drone technology at the moment". But a paper from the European Commission last September wants EU members to integrate drones safely into normal air traffic by 2016.

Towards A European Strategy For The Development Of Civil Applications of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems suggests widespread use of drones technology will see it applied in different ways and will create thousands of jobs.

The organisations that use these machines must be mindful of data protection laws but at the moment there are no specific guidelines for their use in Ireland.

The IAA said drones must meet the same safety standards as normal aircraft but that it has no power over associated privacy problems.

Other firms in Ireland licensed to use drones are Collin Williams Photography, aerial surveyors ASM Ireland, SKYTEC UAS Ireland, Baseline Survey, Precise Construction Instruments, NUI Maynooth and Coastway.

PARROT AR DRONE 2.0 THIS 380g drone is available for EUR 300 here from Apple.

Described as "the nextgeneration quadricopter with intuitive iOS controls", it can be remote-controlled by an iPhone or iPad and has two highdefinition cameras.

The operator can record video and take pictures in-flight.

RQ-16 T-HAWK THIS particular drone was used after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan two years ago.

It was used because it was simple to fly, only needs a small amount of training and it can be airborne within 10mins.

It has been reported to weigh 8.4kg and the RQ-16 has an endurance of around 40 mins, a 3,200m ceiling and can operate within 11km.

AR100B THE AR100B is able to carry out surveillance tasks during any hour of the day and it is used by police in the UK.

It can carry thermal imaging, night vision and cameras with a powerful zoom function. The AR100B can fly silently through the air or hover while transmitting live images to the operator.

Because of this and its size it can be used in builtup urban areas.

with "The type of work we are involved in is inspections and surveys. CYBERHAWK at (c) 2013 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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