COMMUNICA | Issue Four
COMMUNICA: Final Thought
AN EYE IN THE SKY
Drone technology is becoming more commercially available in
the United Kingdom and the implications for its usage have also
taken off. COMMUNICA explores the potential impact of drone
technology in the telecoms and infrastructure arenas in a special
interview with Scott Henderson, Head of Sales at leading drone
retailer and pilot trainer, Heliguy.
Scott, can you give us an overview of Heliguy as
a business?
Heliguy was founded in 2008 and it’s the online
retail brand presence of the company Colena Ltd,
which started life as an RC helicopter specialist in
Northumberland. We have always been focused on
specialisation, offering a higher level of support than
our competitors. In 2013, we made the decision to
relocate closer to Newcastle in an attempt to expand
the business into the emerging ‘drone’ market.
As it turns out, our team was unknowingly a part
of this sector all the way back in 2009 when we
built large RC helicopters capable of computerised
autonomous flight. From here, we evolved the
business; expanding our technical, sales and
e-commerce teams to develop our reputation as not
only a retailer, but a trusted source of advice and
industry insight.
Our CAA NQE accreditation allows us, via an in-
house team of qualified instructors, to train and
build lasting relationships with the next generation
of professional UK drone users giving them a head
start in the evolving enterprise drone sector.
How have drones taken off in the past five years?
There has been an unprecedented level of progress
in the drone industry over the past five years. It
has undergone a rapid maturation and managed to
captivate both the hobbyist and enterprise markets.
Demand for unmanned aircraft has been buoyed by
the interest drummed up by ever-increasing numbers
of aerial videos on YouTube and across social media
as well as high profile tech giants publicly stating
an interest in the technology. This multi-faceted
exposure neatly captures both professional and
consumer imagination.
The main evidence of this evolution can be seen in
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the product line of industry-leading manufacturer DJI
who, five years ago, were promoting their Spreading
Wings S800+ which, when compared to their
recently released Matrice 200 quadcopter series
looks like a technological relic.
What are the main benefits of drones to
contractors?
The benefits to using drones as a professional
contractor are numerous. For starters, there’s the
safety aspect to consider, an unmanned aircraft
allows a company to survey hard-to-reach telecoms
infrastructure without placing staff at risk of injury.
Then there’s the data capture itself. Most premium
drones are now fitted with cameras capable of
recording at 1080p or even 4K meaning that
inspections can be carried out remotely by engineers
while qualified pilots control the drone on-site.
Also, the use of a drone can increase the speed
of maintenance workflows as they negate having
someone there to capture supporting imagery at
each stage of the work. The aircraft can do this while
the job is underway (and much less obtrusively)
giving the client access to a range of stills and
footage that demonstrates the steps of the project up
to and including the finished result.
“An unmanned aircraft allows
a company to survey hard-to-
reach telecoms infrastr