What drone would you buy?

[TRD270]

So if you had a $10,000 budget what drone would you buy. More flight time the better, some sort of anti collision system like ADS-B to help with clearance operating near Class B airspace. And the biggest catch is it needs a quality FLIR system included in the budget. Ready.... Set.... Go

So my number one choice is the DJI Matrice 200 with the Zenmuse XT2, but its a little over budget.

This is company that was recommended to me but I again I think its going to be over budget with the FLIR.
https://www.sui.aero/packages

 

[Greg]

For SAR use?

@spencurai any suggestions?

 

[TRD270]

For SAR use?

@spencurai any suggestions?

Primarily yes

 

[spencurai]

Primarily yes

DJI is essentially the only player in the game that I trust with reliability and incredible product integration. Basically you're gonna need a bigger budget. There are ways to cut corners but it's not worth it. You can pick up a used bird for a bit of a discount if you keep your ear to the ground. Is there money in SAR or are you working for a municipality? If you're interested in farming out SAR, let me know...I have some connections and could come up with some prices for you on a per-instance basis with short lead times and highly trained/experienced pilots.

 

[TRD270]

DJI is essentially the only player in the game that I trust with reliability and incredible product integration. Basically you're gonna need a bigger budget. There are ways to cut corners but it's not worth it. You can pick up a used bird for a bit of a discount if you keep your ear to the ground. Is there money in SAR or are you working for a municipality? If you're interested in farming out SAR, let me know...I have some connections and could come up with some prices for you on a per-instance basis with short lead times and highly trained/experienced pilots.

I work in the canyons for UPD. Salt Lake County Search and Rescue falls under our mission. I was tasked with finding a suitable platform for us to buy. The money is being donated by a citizen, his one catch is whatever he buys us has to be equipped with FLIR. I told my LT the camera alone is going to eat up most of the budget. He asked me to find a compromise. For us I feel the M200 is the best platform, with the XT2 we really don't need the dual camera capability of the M210. I wish the XT2 was compatible with the inspire platform but its not so I'm stuck with the more expensive platform. Hoping I can convince them to supplement the donation with some funds to get a good product

We've spoken to several other agencies, and Utah County does farm out for SAR. Our command is not interested in it, and no there is no money in SAR all, even all of are team are volunteers.

 

[spencurai]

I work in the canyons for UPD. Salt Lake County Search and Rescue falls under our mission. I was tasked with finding a suitable platform for us to buy. The money is being donated by a citizen, his one catch is whatever he buys us has to be equipped with FLIR. I told my LT the camera alone is going to eat up most of the budget. He asked me to find a compromise. For us I feel the M200 is the best platform, with the XT2 we really don't need the dual camera capability of the M210. I wish the XT2 was compatible with the inspire platform but its not so I'm stuck with the more expensive platform. Hoping I can convince them to supplement the donation with some funds to get a good product

We've spoken to several other agencies, and Utah County does farm out for SAR. Our command is not interested in it, and no there is no money in SAR all, even all of are team are volunteers.

I would wholeheartedly disagree that you don't need dual camera capability if not for navigation alone. As a certified Thermal imaging specialist and an extremely experienced drone pilot, I can tell you that the IR camera is insufficient for your needs alone. The "pilot" camera on the M200 series is identical to that on my I2 series and it leaves MUCH to be desired for navigation. I am frequently cancelling a shot because my flight camera is blown out by the sun. Being able to snap back and forth with the cameras on the XT2 would be crucial in SAR. Being able to share thermal and visual with the men on the ground is key. If you would like me to have a chat with your LT, I would be happy to do so. I also have a solid contact when it comes time to purchase, he's also a local and a professional aerial thermal engineer with over a decade of experience. If you would like to contact him directly I can give you his info!

The M200 series is going to need a LOT of batteries (any platform will) in order to be effective in the field...if you don't have at least 8-10 pairs (16-20 total) then you're going to be spending a lot of time on the ground waiting for blinking lights to stop. For production we are constantly on the move and we are often running low on batteries with 8 sets in rotation with two fast chargers. Make sure to budget at least 3000$ for batteries and chargers.

It might be worth your time to feign returning the donation to the VERY generous citizen while letting them know you need about 3x as much in order to mount an effective FLIR strategy. You might just get a couple extra bucks outta the deal! Anyway drop me a line and I can get you in contact with my IR guy.

 

[TRD270]

I would wholeheartedly disagree that you don't need dual camera capability if not for navigation alone. As a certified Thermal imaging specialist and an extremely experienced drone pilot, I can tell you that the IR camera is insufficient for your needs alone. The "pilot" camera on the M200 series is identical to that on my I2 series and it leaves MUCH to be desired for navigation. I am frequently cancelling a shot because my flight camera is blown out by the sun. Being able to snap back and forth with the cameras on the XT2 would be crucial in SAR. Being able to share thermal and visual with the men on the ground is key. If you would like me to have a chat with your LT, I would be happy to do so. I also have a solid contact when it comes time to purchase, he's also a local and a professional aerial thermal engineer with over a decade of experience. If you would like to contact him directly I can give you his info!

Absolutely agree a second camera is needed with the thermal, what I meant with the XT2 having an optical camera built in tandem with the thermal we don't need the M210 where you can run two entirely different cameras at the same time. It would be nice to have a optical zoom camera onboard at the same time but it will cut flight time and adds quite a bit to the budget. My LT has taken the recommendation and contacted a local supplier who says he can get the M200 and XT2 under budget.

Thanks for the insight though

If you want to PM your contacts info I'd love to pass it on and support local business

 

[frieed]

wanna see some pretty skilled flying

 

[Trate D]

wanna see some pretty skilled flying

Impressive flying, impressive cabin!