Are Drone Pilots Becoming Irrelevant ?

[@freezingfloridian]

Im in the research stage of starting up a drone business, and all of your videos have been a HUGE resource for me on learning about the industry. You have really solid business advice that applies to a lot more than just the drone industry too. And you give a lot of solid examples and industry players that give me a starting place to look into. Keep making videos like this!

[@quitsmile5096]

How its going now?

[@cadthunkin]

The funny thing is, there is no one "drone pilot" role. Normally that person has to know a lot about the usability of the data for a given purpose, then process the data, then derive products from it. For mapping jobs, that is actually a client manager, project engineer, drone pilot, and GIS/CAD specialist, all in one. Can be split between a few people, and surveyors are typically involved, but it takes a while to learn those skills. The whole AI thing is not relevant here, as there is no "model" of the whole process. If you find your one skill is making the flight plan in 5 minutes, "flying" the drone (really pressing a button to take off) and handing off the data, yah, you are already having a hard time keeping busy but even that will be around as long as humans are liable for screw ups.

[@TheDroneAngle]

The NTSB can't interview a computer when they drop a payload or crash into a crowd. Someone has to make the ultimate risk decision for the job and currently, a computer can't handle unforeseen circumstances.

[@DylanGorman]

Agreed!

[@marcuswilkerson1343]

Dylan! Thank you so much for such an informative line of videos. I'm new to this education, but you've really confirmed a lot of what this industry seems to have impressed upon me right off. The thought of "embracing the change" suggests a shift in thinking. What a thought that if you keep up with where the industry is going, it promises these endless possibilities, eh? It is both encouraging and comforting. If you follow the trends and experiment yourself, you will progress along with the industry. I'll be tuning in and seeing how I might be able to connect with innovators of work flow management, specifically those of us who are involved in agriculture. All of this is exciting, specifically the free beta testing that is available. That essentially gives so much autonomy to the "average" person working with drones. I advise everyone to learn as much as they can in the coming months in order to leverage it for the future. Thanks again. Light to you, sir.

[@ImJohavan]

Hey Dylan! Finally got my Part 107 and a Mavic Air 2! I'm caught in the crossroads of wanting to become a drone photographer/cinematographer or a drone photogrammetrist. On one hand, I understand the value that photogrammetry brings, as I have used WebODM to learn and understand the data photogrammetry can produce. But on the other hand , as a business man, I simply see so much more profit potential by creating promotional media. Which career path would you suggest, and why?

[@KTPDAILY]

Dear @ImJohavan - first we send big congratulations!!! Follow the path of photogrammetry as it will open up tremendous other doors. At the same time, keep building your photographer/cinematographer skills and take on small jobs here and there. You will quickly learn how much demand exists for both. Here is to never giving up. Best wishes.

[@joseluisbranconunes]

Another great clip with awesome tips and insights! Thanks Dylan!

[@Madd_Jack]

They will always want "The human responsible" when it crashes into and breaks something.

[@AshleeMason]

Thanks, Dylan For this :) Really Good Value here for the Future of drones and AI Do Have a video of How You first got into this Drone industry I would love to hear your story Greetings from the UK :)

[@DylanGorman]

Hey Ashlee, I appreciate the comment! I haven’t thought about doing a video on how I got into the industry but maybe it’s something that I could make in the future.

[@Matanumi]

I believe it's like driving it may be mostly automated with good systems in place but the artistic/recreational side is ALWAYS gonna have a manual pilot also for work a manual override with RC training is critical anyways. so really it might be easier but no- human element will always be apart of it.

[@richardnewcombe8397]

Dylan, I was heavily involved in mobile video and actual Lly flew drone for the first in at a military show in the UAE in 2007. Back to mobile video and the story of dash cams which were pioneered 20+ years ago by a company called Lytx. While the stated purpose of these technologies was driver training ( they basically measured all activities of the car and driver). At the same time they were training driver they built the world's largest database of driving behaviors. FFWD 20 years to when I was working for Thier biggest competitor, we too had built a similar database ( croxd sourcing should come to mind) and we then sold massive data to the self driving car manufacturers - we built driving simulators for driver less vehicles - think about that for a minute with respect to AIs reach into our fun/field. How do we know there isn't a similar duplicity in some of the systems we use with drones. They could be crowds our ING and letting us train the drones of tomorrow. Either way, I'll still be a fan of yours! Richard

[@LoggerFromTheUP]

I’m staring College at the end of August and I’m doing the UAS program that my college has, is it even worth it at this point? Will I be able to get a job?

[@corydwyer377]

Hi Dylan, do you prefer UGCS over Drone Deploy now? Thank you

[@DylanGorman]

I think UgCS has a lot of features that drone deploy will never be able to do but drone deploy is also a simplified solution from start to finish so it’s hard to say what I like better!

[@stevensykes3740]

Another great video Dylan!!

[@ElyJ.Pixels]

Thanks for the information ℹ️ 👍🏽

[@DylanGorman]

Any time!

[@CatchavistaAerial]

Great info thanks

[@johnbiehlerjr.5736]

Thank you, DG!

[@mediamannaman]

Great video! And I'm going to use this platform to try networking right now, with a question: How do you get new photogrammetry clients? I'm great at learning, experimenting, and gaining skills, but I suck at marketing and networking. I just don't know how to do it. Any ideas are welcome!

[@Oakcitymedia]

Is it just the 107 part and a FAA test? To obtain the Drone license to fly commercially of drones weighing over 250Grams?

[@Emuspaul]

Very interesting.

[@Indigenous_Patriot_1175]

Thanks for sharing! Very informative and I am looking to get my part 107. I definitely want to evolve with the technology. Just subscribed to your channel. Which platform Would you recommend for preparing for my part 107? Thanks again for sharing

[@FullGrainPhoto]

Just got my part 107 and I'm interested in doing photogrammetry. What drone should I get and what software should I get to start out? Thanks.

[@DylanGorman]

I have a video that I posted a few months ago that you can check out that address those exact items!

[@TheDr.OneShow]

Short answer: no

[@figo007tv]

I hope not.

[@DylanGorman]

We aren’t don’t worry

[@blacksunaccounts]

Wouldn't drone pilots just use the ai tech making job easier

[@ThomasAndersonFPV]

FPV pilots :D

[@SoloRenegade]

drone pilots were never "pilots" in teh first place. all they did is tell the drone where to go, and the drone did all the work.

[@DylanGorman]

It still takes a knowledge of how cameras work and how to leverage the image data in systems that makes them effective. You need to be able to know how to use these tools to be an effective drone pilot as a service provider in the industry

[@SoloRenegade]

@@DylanGorman sure. i'm just focusing on the "piloting" portion. I grew up with old school RC cars and airplanes pre-internet, pre-personal computer. I then used multiple land and airborne drones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then I became a professional airplane and helicopter pilot and CFI in both (and Commercial UAS). I now work in an industry related to AI development, and have set records in outer space working with NASA. So this is where I'm judging the piloting aspects from. I started flying the old school way in both RC and real aircraft, then transitioned later to the automated systems, GPS, autopilots, fly by wire, etc. And there is a very real difference between "real" pilots, and drone pilots. We're even seeing this play out in the US military with the F-35. so much is automated, the pilots of F-35s are actually not always very good Pilots (some have skills outside the F-35, so not always true). if you put them in old school airplanes, they'd struggle with basic skills since the computers always do those things for them. Most quad-style drones are self-piloted, with the operator merely telling it where to go. A human is incapable of piloting a quad manually. Add in full autopilot features, hovering, landing, follow and return functions....and you really don't need the pilot much anymore. Camera work makes sense, but some aspects of that may well be soon automated too.

[@DylanGorman]

@@SoloRenegade First of all thank you for your service! I have to agree with you on this aspect which is what I tried to convey within this video. Since drones are so easy to get up and running now that you don't need much skill it really does take into effect what you know outside of "piloting" a drone. I think as tech continues to evolve so do our ways of approaching problems that require unique solutions.

[@LDrift]

pilot /ˈpʌɪlət/ noun noun: pilot; plural noun: pilots 1. a person who operates the flying controls of an aircraft.

[@SoloRenegade]

@@LDrift A person who operates a quadcopter, is not going to be able to pilot a real manned aircraft. they have learned none of the necessary skills, and the autopilot is doing all the flying. An RC airplane with no autopilot nor assist is closer to having transferable skills, but still teaches people wrong skills compared to real aircraft. If you didn't leave the ground, you are not flying, and thus not a "pilot". someone who has only ever flown RC aircraft remotely, is no more a pilot than a kid playing video games or playing a flight simulator. You're not flying, you're parked firmly on the ground the whole time pretending to fly, imagining you are up there among the birds.

[@egorchorniy346]

I mean, it’s gonna replace 90% of us

[@Spambee]

Oh damn and just when I was literally saving to do it for a careere

[@DylanGorman]

You should watch the whole video! I dive into how this industry is going to need more drone pilots not less.

[@egorchorniy346]

@@tigrodelnorte5576 let’s compare our skills and tools )))