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Fleet of 2200 sUAS

Started by etodd, November 20, 2022, 02:27:39 AM

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etodd

From this month's issue of Vounteer:

QuoteSmall unmanned Aerial Systems (suAS): CAP has an unmanned aerial vehicle fleet of more than 2,200, one of the largest noncommercial fleets in the country, available to respond to local, state, and federal requests for aerial search and rescue, remote aerial imaging, and infrared and thermal imaging for locating missing persons and vehicles, aerial radio direction-finding, disaster recovery, and imaging of both large- and small-scale mapping.

Can we PLEASE stop saying this? Hdqs is counting every tiny little toy drone that we use with Cadets. We DO NOT have 2200 capable of "aerial search and rescue, remote aerial imaging, and infrared and thermal imaging for locating missing persons and vehicles, aerial radio direction-finding, disaster recovery, and imaging of both large- and small-scale mapping."

What is the actual count of approved mission capable drones that do the above? 200 total? Probably less.

This kind of false marketing isn't helping us to get business.

JMHO ....
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

AirDX

And as of this morning we have exactly 300 qualified sUAS mission pilots nation-wide. By CAP's own rules, who's going to operate all these drones, if they are all that?

How many actual IR-capable drones are out there? How many capable of aerial RDF?

The emperor, I fear, has no clothes.
Believe in fate, but lean forward where fate can see you.

Fubar

CAP's sUAS program is unfortunately a complete boondoggle. Volunteer organizations like CAP create value by being a cost effective force multiplier, something CAP can't do as it is without the 50+ million dollars in tax money it gets each year.

Public safety agencies moved to sUAS platforms because they are a cost effective force multiplier. There's no need to rely on external agencies, let alone volunteer agencies because it's quite affordable to put a drone program together in-house. Fire departments are using sUAS aircraft with IR cameras to find hot spots from above, police departments are using them for everything from vehicle crash reconstruction to finding bad guys in houses. CAP has no roles in this arena, especially since CAP lacks the sensor equipment that the public safety world already purchased for their sUAS platforms.

How after 6 years CAP still doesn't have an official sUAS program is mind boggling, especially given there are paid employees who have been running and developing the program the entire time. I saw somewhere, I think a NHQ presentation where it said some wings refuse to participate because there is no actual regulation governing any of our sUAS program. I say good on 'em.

Even when there is an opportunity for a wing to finally let their trained pilots fly their sUAS for a real mission, NHQ won't let you. They send some paid employees in a box truck and a hand-picked team of pilots out of the midwest to come rolling into your region/wing and operate independently of whatever mission you have stood up for the event. It sort of kills any motivation your pilots may have had to train to be ready.

Even internally the sUAS platform is generally ignored outside of cadet programs. Ground teams aren't interested since they don't want to haul the drones around nor get trained to fly them and the drone guys aren't interested in getting GT qualified. Mission planners don't find a lot of value in 20 minute flights that have to originate and conclude off a roadway that the van carrying the drone guys are in.

There will continue to be just enough fluffing and embellishment of our drone capabilities to keep the program alive, which I suppose is good news for the small number of volunteers nationwide who have really dug into the sUAS world because they enjoy flying decent aircraft the government paid for.

etodd

Quote from: Fubar on November 21, 2022, 06:37:22 PM.....

Excellent post Fubar. Spot on. As one of the first cheerleaders of the program a few years ago (I drove everyone crazy trying to get a Discussion page started here), I saw tremendous possibilities ... but we did not get the correct gear, and too few. It needed a budget nearly equal to what we spend on new Cessnas each year. We needed $30-50k drones, not $1500 ones. And in a speedy manner.

But it may not have mattered. As you stated, there is funding available for all these agencies to get equipment and run it themselves. No need for us.
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

PHall

Quote from: etodd on November 22, 2022, 02:27:13 AM
Quote from: Fubar on November 21, 2022, 06:37:22 PM.....

Excellent post Fubar. Spot on. As one of the first cheerleaders of the program a few years ago (I drove everyone crazy trying to get a Discussion page started here), I saw tremendous possibilities ... but we did not get the correct gear, and too few. It needed a budget nearly equal to what we spend on new Cessnas each year. We needed $30-50k drones, not $1500 ones. And in a speedy manner.

But it may not have mattered. As you stated, there is funding available for all these agencies to get equipment and run it themselves. No need for us.


Yep, pretty much what we all tried to tell you. But you didn't want to listen.
The thing is we've all seen this happen before, unfortunately... ::)

TheSkyHornet


FlyingPig

When it comes to LE and public safety agencies and drone use, its exploding nationwide.  There are even agencies dumping their aircraft pre-maturely because they think drones can do anything an aircraft can do. What they miss is that they need to work together.
We had a lot of success in FL using the helicopter and doing FLIR searches, finding a heat source and then having a patrol guy launch the drone to take a closer look. These drones are so inexpensive its nothing for even small low budget agencies to have several.  The last thing they are going to do is call in volunteers.  Its just how it is.  Sure, CAP can use them in ground teams or if they happen to have them available but with public safety buying them by the crate load, plus several volunteer Drone programs in addition to CAP, its a tough niche to promote because its not offering anything different.
Robert Steht, Capt.
Mission Pilot/CD Pilot
CFI Airplane / CFI Helicopter
Former Sq. Commander

heliodoc

We all knew this was coming after all the geee whiz tech tries of ARGUS,PHYLISS, ARCHER, and now VIRB...and now Aeroball or whatever

CAP maybe the choice by FEMA, but there's a reason that aerial survey outfits w cameras, LIDAR, and other sensor optics exist to this day....drones will not totally replace all missions for those who are in the belief that sUAS is the savior of all photo missions, at least for now.

CAP can find niches in technology but the truth is as a former aerial photo interpreter for 10+ yrs and assisting setting up contracts...aerial photography/ survey outfits with everyday pilots, I may count on more often even w their drones because, well, some even may be CAP pilots

I can say this as a CAP pilot with a little authority because one sometimes does not have the time to "wait around."