Great Uses for Drones
Drones seem to be everywhere these days, and there are a wide range of uses for these aircraft. Drone use can be very helpful for a variety of purposes, while other uses are more of a nuisance. Then some are just plain fun.
Farming uses
Drones can take some of the drudgery out of farming. Because farmland covers huge areas, drones can save time and leg energy when a farmer wants to evaluate the condition of his crops because they provide an aerial survey of the fields.
Here are some crop issues farmers want to check for:
- Plant health using infrared technology
- Irrigation system function
- Plant growth
Sell real estate
Home sellers may enjoy an advantage in getting their homes sold when realtors offer more than frontal and indoor views of the properties they are working to sell. Drones add a spectacular aerial view of property. As a result, real estate agents are flocking to this new selling tool.
However, there have been some legal issues with drone use in some areas. The Los Angeles Police Department banned drones for any kind of commercial use in 2012. The LAPD had claimed that using drones commercially violated federal aviation regulations. However, Congress passed a law that President Barack Obama signed within a few weeks of the ban.
This new law permitted drone use for a variety of commercial purposes. Those uses include:
- Marketing real estate
- Shooting films
- Dusting crops
- Monitoring oil spills and wildlife
Law Enforcement
Police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are now buying up drones for their own surveillance needs. However, this type of drone use is not without controversy because civil liberty groups have some issues with such use on the premise that it violates the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The Fourth Amendment reads as follows:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.“
Clearly, while the use of drones can be very helpful to law enforcement in certain situations (i.e. a hostage situation), there is definitely a line that should not be crossed, which is the Fourth Amendment.
The U.S. Border Patrol has also been using drones to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in particular for many years now.
Extinguish wildfires
Drones have the advantage of protecting people when trying to put out wildfires, which is well-known to be an extremely dangerous task.
Some benefits of drones in firefighting include:
- Spotting wildfire locations
- Gauging wildfire movement
- Actually fight the wildfires by releasing fire-retardant chemicals
In fact, President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation in March of 2019 that pushes federal agencies to consider increased drone use for all the needs involved with fighting wildfires.
Just plain fun
Enough of practical drone use! How about this one?
Believe it or not, you can use a drone to cast a fishing line. This does require a specialized drone, which is called an Aguadrone. This unmanned aircraft can actually float on freshwater or saltwater. You will also need a special attachment called a remote bait casting pod. It can be very helpful in situations where you are trying to cast your line out as far as possible. This is especially true if you’re fishing in the sea because it can be challenging to get your line exactly where you want it to go.
Photo credits:
Hannu Makarainen – License: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hannumakarainen/21634178019/in/photolist-yXJPpi-6mVzwr-8pcuW1-aoH73r-fENGC9-VEX3NX-XaUtUH-VCm1gf-XaUsLF-6Mu2Eu-Sr8cuY-9Nffzk-XaUs8X-Y7FC2J-28yYV1a-9x8fFJ-ECEAVH-2eWejnW-8NRgXa-bJvDDH-XNdtw3-G9Xs9y-G9XdUs-YpiSgM-XaUpVR-G9UYcA-Wj8GDm-KkVPwZ-28yYUd8-XaUtg8-j3jYfj-WGHeXX-XaUp1K-Etqi1B-J8Y5A3-29ARbqm-8S5pSX-XNdqwA-pKeHDj-qnxQSX-pH3wfu-8xseH2-6mVxnD-6n1kkJ-6mZVaE-2aHAZkU-dZswcC-h5furf-ksuDh6-2brxzXi
James Loesch – License: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jal33/40766315283/in/photolist-257o2fT-d3zeEE-d3ze51-bsiy4i-d3zc2b-jfXYM3-mNJJJn-WyzY7S-B7sPvi-dUTTAd-dUTQMb-CaN759-28NMLAb-dUTTuS-9z3Fx3-pv7T4k-222zCuU-HF3epb-dUU2aN-dUTYdE-XxPQYJ-dUNgQv-24gDg4R-fvxfUA-dUTTqU-jT1zdB-XQsAzM-XxPRfq-dUNky2-22kcpCW-X5tT9X-8qN3zH-dUTReJ-dUNqLk-22Vt2QK-dKsTHK-fgLuD6-fMin4e-Ub1xfF-pv7h1W-XAA6Ga-pMybMt-dUTYJ9-dUTZns-h5fu6V-q7Ne-Tdrgm3-dUNpZF-mWx4GD-UREK7j