Sunday, January 8, 2017

Training - Part 107 Drone Pilot Test Prep Course

gis, gps, drone, uas, uav, public safety, emergency, response, sar, training, course, faa, 107,

Pass the Part 107 FAA Drone Pilot Exam The First Time!

Course Description:

EMMU Aerial is offering the popular Part 107 Drone Pilot Test Prep Course

To fly your drone under the FAA's Small UAS Rule (Part 107) for commercial purposes, you must obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA.  This certificate demonstrates that you understand the regulations, operating requirements, and procedures for safely flying drones. 

In order to get the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, you need to pass the FAA drone pilot test called the Airman Knowledge Test. The two-hour, 60 question test requires extensive studying and our course teaches you everything you need to know.  Knowledge test topic areas include:

  • Applicable regulations relating to small unmanned aircraft system rating privileges, limitations, and flight operation
  • Airspace classification and operating requirements, and flight restrictions affecting small unmanned aircraft operation
  • Aviation weather sources and effects of weather on small unmanned aircraft performance
  • Small unmanned aircraft loading and performance
  • Emergency procedures
  • Crew resource management
  • Radio communication procedures
  • Determining the performance of small unmanned aircraft
  • Physiological effects of drugs and alcohol
  • Aeronautical decision-making and judgment
  • Airport operations
  • Maintenance and preflight inspection procedures
Taking and completing the in-person class is the right decision. Having an EMMU Aerial instructor to answer your questions as you learn through the material will be a key to success when you take your exam.

  • 16 Hours of In-Person Training
  • Learn from one of our expert instructors
  • Part 107 Student Guide
  • Practice Test Questions
  • Money Back Guarantee*
*For any students who take our Part 107 Test Prep course and achieve a 90% or better on at least 3 practice exams, we will pay for you to take the exam again if you do not pass.

Course Prerequisites - None

Date;                    March 25, 2017

Length;                16 hours

Cost:                      $400.00   
             
Location;             Melbourne, Florida

Contact EMMU Aerial for more information and to enroll

Monday, January 2, 2017

Civilian Drones Search and Rescue Documentary



From a YouTube post on civilian drones in search and rescue in 2013 that I thought would be important to bring back.

I cannot believe how the FAA sacrificed Gene Robinson. He did some amazing things, solving missing persons in minutes vs hours, days and weeks.  Texas was really critical on drones and now they are one of the more accepting states.

This documentary details the bureaucratic challenges faced by search and rescue personnel and their desperate need for civilian drones which are restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Countless lives could be saved with this existing and affordable technology, but the government prohibited their use in 2007.

Friday, December 16, 2016

EMMU Mobile Emergency Response GIS / GPS Mapping Trailer and Geo-Photo

As I was looking back at where EMMU had come from and where EMMU Aerial is today, it was obvious we had come a long way and learned a lot along the way, mostly through our emergency mobile mapping and oblique aerial photography systems.

From the early days of Emergency Mobile Mapping Unit or EMMU in 2000 where we provided a true mobile emergency GIS response capability with our GIS quick response trailer to support wildland firefighters, first responders and search and rescue professionals. 

Read more about the original concept of the EMMU mobile emergency response GIS / GPS mapping system

During an emergency or crisis, maps play a critical role in responding to the event, search and rescue, mitigating further damage, and understanding the extent of the impacts. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an appropriate platform to organize the extensive amount of spatial data both generated and utilized during an emergency event. A properly designed and implemented GIS will allow managers and responders to access critical location data in a timely manner so lives and property can be protected and restored.

Mobile, Emergency, Response, GIS, GPS, Mapping, Trailer,

GIS works effectively in all four phases of the disaster management cycle; preparation, mitigation, response and recovery.

 GIS can play a valuable and vital role in;
             Hurricanes
             Tornadoes
             Floods
             Wild Fires
             Earthquakes
             Volcanoes
             Tsunamis
             Landslides
             Search and Rescue
             Epidemics
             Social unrest
             Toxic spills


EMMU GIS Trailers are capable of quickly and efficiently compiling, processing, managing and printing raw data points onto either full-size 36" or 42" color plots, or on easy to distribute 11"x17" pages. The EMMU GIS trailers also have the ability to project maps inside the trailer for emergency managers to quickly survey and understand an ever changing situation. EMMU has top-of-the line hardware, current ESRI GIS software suites, and experienced specialists to provide a GIS solution that will exceed expectations for quality and speed of service.

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Opportunities for Mobile GIS Systems end with the limits of your imagination. These systems are ideal for emergency management, private, corporate, county and industrial research where onsite mapping technologies and experienced GIS / GPS specialists can save time and cut costs considerably

EMMU GPS Specialists can also assist the incident commander by providing GPS, GIS data integration. GPS is one of the most efficient methods for documenting information regarding the location of facilities, conditions, and environments affected by Wildfire, Floods, Earthquakes, and other incidents.

EMMU GIS units are dispatched out of Central Florida with a fully qualified GIS/GPS Specialist.  Additional GIS /GPS Specialists are available upon request
Standard GIS Unit Features
             8.5 x 24 ft Self contained climate controlled trailer
             Meets OSHA work environment requirements
             Workspace for a minimum of 3 workers
             AC power source (Generator)
             High Speed Satellite Internet Connection
             UPS and line conditioner system
             All workstations, printers and plotters are networked
             1 Xeon 3.0 MHz Desktop
             2 Core 2 Duo Mobile Desktops
             HP 800 PS Large Scale Plotter
             HP 9600 11x17 Printer
             Laser copier, printer, fax, scanner
             Multiple GPS units
             4x4 ATV with GPS  (Optional)

Installed software includes
             ESRI ArcGIS 9.1 and 9.2
             ESRI ArcView 3.3
             Spatial Analyst
             Fire Incident Mapping Tool
             Ventura Tools
             DNR Garmin GPS software
             Adobe Photoshop
             Microsoft Office 

EMMU Inc. also offers Oblique Aerial Photography; we use a professional-grade digital camera with top of the line lenses. The resulting images can be filtered to remove moderate smoke/haze, and enhanced to identify vegetation types. We also utilize Gyro-stabilizing equipment to keep the camera still at the moment the photo is snapped. Thanks to this added stabilization, photographs taken from an airplane or helicopter do not contain the blur seen on many photos. When needed, these cameras can be coupled with a GPS to provide the Latitude and Longitude coordinates in the photo data and on the photo if needed.

Geo, Photo, Oblique, Aerial, Photography, gis, gps,

Years later, EMMU Aerial had developed their skills through extensive operational aerial photography, remote sensing and UAS surveillance work with the military and government agencies. From these beginnings with military systems, we now provide turnkey and flexible training solutions and services for public safety agencies and organizations throughout the U.S.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

2 Strangers And A Drone Help Rescue Veteran Trapped By N.C. Flooding

In this unlikely tale, two strangers and a drone played crucial roles in rescuing a man trapped in his flooded home in Hope Mills, N.C.

Drone photographer Quavas Hart decided to take his drone out on Sunday to capture images of some of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Matthew.

"I happened to come across this neighborhood that was completely submerged in water," Hart tells The Two-Way. He posted a picture on Twitter showing the dramatic scene of a cul-de-sac with floodwaters up to the eaves of the roofs.


As it turned out, Navy veteran Chris Williams and his elderly dog Lana were trapped in the house with one blue shutter to the right of the picture.

Williams thought he was out of the hurricane's path when his power went out a day and a half before, according to his twin brother, Craig Williams, who lives in Texas. "During that day and a half," Craig told The Two-Way, "the hurricane shifted paths and was coming directly towards him."

Chris went to sleep on Saturday night — and woke up to a bang. The surging water had broken through his back door, sending furniture crashing around the house. He grabbed Lana and raced to the highest point in the house, a small room where he had some food stored. "He spent the next 14 hours sitting there," Craig said.

During this time, both Craig and Chris tried to contact local emergency services to reach rescue crews — to no avail. Chris' phone line was down but the brothers were able to stay in touch over Facebook Messenger. When Craig finally got in contact with rescuers on Sunday, they eventually told him they weren't able to get to his brother's area.

Then Craig spotted Quavas' dramatic cul-de-sac picture on Twitter, and wrote a joking note to Chris: "Hey, at least you're not this guy."

It only took a few seconds for Chris to respond: "Hey, that's my house."

Craig immediately reached out to Quavas with this plea: "Any chance you can boat him out of there? He's trapped upstairs."

But Craig messaged again that he was "completely serious." He explained that his brother had an "old dog with him that can't swim."


So Quavas rushed back to the flooded neighborhood to try to help rescue Chris. He says he deployed the drone again, and spotted a FEMA boat nearby. He managed to signal the boat to follow his drone, and then led the rescuers to Chris' house.

Quavas is also a veteran — he says he served in the Army for 10 years, with deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The father of four left the military in July 2012 and went to film school. "It's kind of like replacing my weapon with my camera, from my perspective."

He's still coming to terms with the serendipitous rescue. "It's just so wicked crazy amazing, humbling, I don't know how to explain it," he says. Quavas adds that his home was also damaged in the floods.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Drone Helps Find Man Suffering From Heart Attack on River


Iowa first responders turned to a new colleague when searching for missing boaters.

CNN July 15, 2016
A 20-person team was searching for a grandfather and granddaughter who were stranded in a logjam on the East Fork of the Des Moines River. David Penton, emergency management coordinator for Kossuth County, could faintly hear the cries of the missing persons, but the setting sun was making it more difficult to see them amid the thickly wooded riverbank.

So Penton called a colleague and had him rush to the scene with a drone.

Within three minutes of takeoff, they'd found the duo by watching the live stream from the DJI Phantom's camera. The drone then hovered overhead so that the first responders could use its location to guide them to the grandfather and granddaughter.

Penton said he expected the victims would have been found without the drone, but using it allowed them to find them faster. Once discovered, the man fell to his knees as he was suffering from a heart attack.

"Without the help of that drone, time could've been an issue for him," Penton said.

The man, Thomas Fitzpatrick, was rushed to a hospital. Penton said late Thursday that Fitzpatrick was expected to be upgraded from critical to stable condition.

Drones are proving valuable to people such as Penton, who can benefit from inexpensive aerial photos and videos. Drones are expected to become increasingly common in August as the federal government's rules for commercial drone use will go into effect. The drone industry estimates that by 2025, drones will lead to 100,000 new jobs and an economic impact of $82 billion.

Since acquiring the drone in May, Penton had only used it in test flights. He said the drone performed so well that he plans to get a second one. The drone Penton relied on -- a DJI Phantom -- weighs three pounds and costs about $1,000.

"It gave that patient or that victim reassurance that they have been found," Penton said of the missing persons first seeing a drone hovering overhead. "We're here. We've rolled out every asset that we have to find them."

Monday, July 6, 2015

Drone Helps Firefighters Save Stranded Rafters; Drone Carried Life Jacket To Wet, Cold Kids


drone, uas, uav, rescue, search, water, river, swiftwater, sar,

ibtimes.com July 2, 2015
Firefighters had to use a drone to save a teenager and a younger boy when they became stuck on a rock in the middle of a raging current. Rescue crews tried to reach the pair in a raft -- but when the waves became overwhelming they paddled back to shore and used a small unmanned aircraft to toe a line over to the boys.

The kids, age 18 and 12, were boating down the Little Androscoggin River in Mechanic Falls, Maine on Tuesday when they became stranded on a slippery rock surface. Only one was wearing a life jacket, and they couldn't safely navigate the unpredictable rapids to shore. So Fire Chief Frank Roma, of Auburn Maine, a county in the state's southern region, attached a rope line to his own DJI Phantom 3 and piloted the drone out over the middle of the river. He then sent a life jacket over the line and used the Phantom to watch from above.

“I was able to take the drone out to him; lower it down to his level,” Roma told WMTW, a local TV station. “He was able to disconnect it and get the life vest on and then I was able to put the drone back up as an aerial observation.”

Multiple videos and images on the Auburn Fire Department's Facebook page detail the rescue, in which neither boy was injured.

Cheif Roma said he purchased the UAV with his own money but sees obvious new advantages for rescue teams if they invest in drone equipment. This rescue comes only weeks after lifeguard crews elsewhere in the U.S. began deploying small unmanned aircraft to patrol for sharks and other beach threats.

“I think we've only begun to scratch the surface for what their full capabilities can be in the emergencies field,” Roma told WMTW-TV. “I was able to see exactly what the drone was seeing. I was able to direct it to where it needed to be.” 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

A Drone Helped Rescue Four People Stranded in a Flood



A volunteer drone operator helped a local fire department save the lives of four people in a single day.

Vice.com May 19, 2015
A drone pilot helped rescue four people who were stranded by floodwaters in a Fort Worth suburb Sunday morning.

The drone was used in two separate incidents for two separate reasons, underscoring the versatility of the emerging technology in search-and-rescue scenarios. In an early morning rescue, Garret Bryl, a volunteer drone pilot who works with the Joshua Fire Department in Texas, used his drone to spot a pickup truck that had been swept off the road and into a forest during a flash flood.

Later that day, he used the drone to fly a rope to two people who were stranded in their mobile home. The rope was then used to pass life preservers to the couple, who were later rescued by a helicopter.

"It was pretty exciting, it was the whole team that did it," Bryl told me. "This time, the drone was the hero of the scene but it couldn't have happened without everyone working together."

Bryl told me that he has modified a DJI Inspire One drone to carry a searchlight. Early Sunday morning, he used the drone-mounted spotlight to find two missing people that ground crews couldn't locate. The truck they were driving was swept off the road by rushing water and ended up underneath some downed trees.

"Right now, I'm basically flying as an enthusiast with an emergency scanner"

"The water was pushing it under, it was bad and pretty scary. The fire department had been looking for the truck for about a half hour or so and couldn't find it," Bryl said. "The fire chief asked if I could put up the drone, and I found them in 25 seconds. It was fast. From the aerial perspective, the reflector on the tail light was illuminated by the spotlight."

The fire department sent in a small rescue hovercraft and saved the people trapped inside. Mere hours later, Bryl was at it again.

The second rescue was slightly more dramatic, in that it played out on live television. The water level surrounding Tracey and Bill Kastel's mobile home had risen to their door (their home is on stilts), trapping them inside. The water was rushing too fast to make a boat rescue.

drone, uas, uav, rescue, search, sar, water, flood, swiftwater,
The fire department sent in this rescue vehicle after Bryl spotted the truck. image Garret Bryl
Bryl used the drone to fly what's known as a "leader line" rope over to the Kastel's home. Bill Kastel grabbed the rope and tied it to the base of his home, allowing rescue workers to shuttle over life preservers and a rescue line. With the family stabilized, a rescue worker operating out of a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter was able to rappel down and save them. The Kastels did not respond to my interview request.

Bryl told me the lead line maneuver is one that he and the fire department practiced for the first time a couple weeks ago.

Interestingly, and perhaps unfortunately, Bryl isn't officially affiliated with the fire department, because the Federal Aviation Administration has a penchant for sending cease-and-desist letters to organizations that fly drones for search and rescue without official clearance from the agency.

Last year, the FAA was embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Texas EquuSearch, a volunteer search-and-rescue group that has been flying drones on many of its missions. The FAA formally asked the group to stop flying; the group sued. That case was eventually thrown out, and the organization has, on occasion, obtained what's known as an emergency Certificate of Authorization to fly its drone.

The Joshua Fire Department doesn't have a COA (it has applied for one). So, in the meantime, Bryl is flying merely as a hobbyist.

"Right now, I'm basically flying as an enthusiast with an emergency scanner," he said. "I know they'd like to have me out there, so I show up in the same way the media might show up and ask them if they need help."

Brendan Schulman, a lawyer who specializes in drone issues and represented Texas EquuSearch last year in its case against the FAA said that the agency needs to make it easier for people like Bryl to fly.

"Stories like these are a good example of why we need to create a lightly-regulated framework for 'micro' drones that are very light weight and are flown low to the ground, separate from the regulations for larger systems," Schulman told me.

"In the case of that water rescue with the rope, the drone apparently wasn't even flown above the roof line," he added. "Countries such as Mexico and Canada have created a stand-alone set of requirements for operating commercial drones that are under 4.4 pounds. The United States should do the same."

Bryl says he's been flying in cooperation with the fire department for about six months now (he started flying quadcopters about three years ago). He said he flies for the department multiple times a week, often to get a better perspective on the brushfires that are common in the area.

"It's a whole different level of flying when you're helping out with an emergency," he said. "When you have property and lives at stake, it gets difficult."