The availability of drones for construction surveys is set to grow with the launch of a new service being described as an ‘Uber for drones’.

Above: A Future Aerial drone and, below, the controller

Uber is a cloud-administered taxi service with a smart-phone app that enables customers to summon a cab, thanks to Uber’s network of independent owner-drivers. Similarly, Future Aerial has created its Drone Operations Network (DON) to create a central register of independent and one-man-band drone operators.

Future Aerial says that tis operations model, coupled with Future Drone Cloud, its cloud based technology, enables any company to commission multiple fleets of drones at any one time. It also standardises the quality of data capture, analysis and delivery.

Andrew Blogg, David Bush and Jan Domaradzki launched Future Aerial in June 2014 to provide drone services to local authorities and surveying companies.

Andrew Blogg said: “We’ve been obsessed by drone tech from the beginning. We are operators ourselves and can see first-hand how large corporates will benefit from a network of drones to check assets such as bridges, pylons or roof-tops of buildings.”

Future Aerial currently has over 20 fleets of drones signed up in the UK. One of these, Chris Fenton, technical director at Octovision Media, said: “Drone operators are usually one-man-bands. Future Aerial has helped me turn my love for drones into a viable commercial micro-business. It was difficult to get interesting work from large companies before because it is hard for them to work with individuals. FA removes that barrier and allows me to make a living from flying drones.”

Marek Rozycki, non-executive chairman at Future Aerial, and a former vice president with Amazon.com, said: “People often talk about drones in a military or a novelty context. These guys are one of the first teams in the world to bring a viable and scalable commercial model for large organisations, operating nationwide”.

Future Aerial says that all of its drone operators comply with the ‘dronecode’ set by the UK Civil Aviation Authority or relevant airspace regulator.

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