Fairlee
He looked at a “cherry picker” bucket lift that he could tow behind his car. He thought of buying an old utility truck. He considered a long pole that could be attached to the car’s bumper.
“I’ve actually even climbed trees,” he said, “which often doesn’t turn out too well.”
Mauchly, one of whose specialties is architectural photography and who often is hired to take pictures of private homes or commercial buildings, said each of those options would get him and his camera off the ground, but each had its limitations.
“If you want to take a picture of a lakefront property, it would be hard to get your car out into the lake,” he quipped, “and the boats rock too much.”
Then, a few years ago, he spotted a magazine advertisement for a “quadcopter” – a small, unmanned aerial vehicle commonly known as a drone — that was powered by four rotors and could carry a camera, in this case a GoPro action camera, up to treetop height and beyond.
He bought the quadcopter kit — drone, camera, controllers — for about $2,200. He also bought a more toylike drone for about $50 and practiced flying with that, although the more expensive version actually was easier to operate.
Soon, however, he realized he was going to need better quality images than the GoPro could produce. Today, Mauchly, 61, operates a much more capable drone — a $6,000 number outfitted with GPS that provides a more stable platform for the camera, which he can operate remotely in the same way he would if he were holding it in his hands, changing lenses and aperatures, shooting stills or video.
“For the real estate market, it’s ideal,” he said. “It brings elevated views at a very affordable rate,” compared with using a plane or helicopter.
“Basically now it’s a camera with wings,” he said, “and as a photographer that’s what I want.”
Mauchly’s business is one of a rapidly growing number of commercial enterprises exploring ways to use drones for business purposes. (See related story, page C2.)
Earlier this month, Mauchly and Mountain Graphics Photography received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, known as a 333 exemption, to operate a drone commercially. The FAA has granted some 5,000 such exemptions so far as it develops the rules for operating drones in the nation’s airspace, and demand for the exemptions is so great that the FAA has reported delays in processing applications. “We will do our best to process petitions being posted to the docket as soon as possible, and in the order they were received,” the agency announced on its website. “We appreciate your patience as we work diligently to process your request.”
By law, the operation of any aircraft requires a licensed pilot, and drones are no exception. So last week, Mauchly and a colleague who operates an aerial photography business and is a licensed pilot, were at Storrs Pond in Hanover on assignment for a magazine story. Mauchly had done some ground-level shooting at the recreation area earlier.
On this day, with his colleague serving as the “pilot in control,” Mauchly was able to get “a couple of different perspectives” of the site with the drone.
Beyond freelance magazine assignments and real estate photography, Mauchly said, the drone offers multiple business opportunities. One idea: Contract with golf courses to create tee-to-green aerial images of each hole that golfers can call up on their smartphones to see hidden water hazards or sand traps.
Other possibilities: roof or chimney inspections, agricultural assessments, utility inspections for solar panels or cell towers. “Instead of sending a man up the tower, which of course always has risk involved, you send this thing up,” he said.
He also noted that, with the right equipment — an infrared camera, for instance — a qualified drone operator also could help first responders, firefighters and search-and-rescue teams.
“I have always run my business to go where the market would take me,” he said. “I have an idea what I want to do, but it’s about, where’s the need?”
Ernie Kohlsaat can be reached at 603-727-3302 or ekohlsaat@vnews.com.