Anyone have a drone for school use?

[CyBeRkId2002]

Our Geography department has put in a bid for a drone for school use. I see real potential in this for providing real-life examples incorporating the local area in what they are covering in class, and also see other uses relating to promotion and marketing for the school. Obviously there are the associated risks involved in this. Has anyones school purchased a drone? If so did you consider the below and if you have already looked into it please could you share your experiences:

 

• Implications on insurance damage of property

• Implications if crashing into someone

• Data protection (if filming students … doesn’t sound like it)

• Risk assessment if being flown around students

[DrBeaker]

Thought they were going to make it mandatory to register the drone and have a licence for it last I heard? That would means only the registered person could operate it?

[paulkerton]

Our Geography department has put in a bid for a drone for school use. I see real potential in this for providing real-life examples incorporating the local area in what they are covering in class, and also see other uses relating to promotion and marketing for the school. Obviously there are the associated risks involved in this. Has anyones school purchased a drone? If so did you consider the below and if you have already looked into it please could you share your experiences:

 

If it weighs more than 250g (all drones with cameras will), then you've got a lot of hoops to jump through

• Need to register the drone with the CAA
  
• Need to pass a theory test to get a Flyer ID and be able to fly it
  
• You need to register the personal/organisation ultimately responsible for the drone with an Operator ID. This person or named persons in an organisation then needs to make sure only those with a Flyer ID use it.
  
• You need to mark the drone with the Operator ID of the person/organisation responsible for it
  

 

All the info you need is here:

https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/

 

You'll then need all the relevant permissions regarding where you're flying it from whoever owns the land below the space etc, or air traffic control/local airport if you're in a restricted area.

Edited June 5, 2020 by paulkerton

[rad]

If it weighs more than 250g (all drones with cameras will), then you've got a lot of hoops to jump through

• Need to register the drone with the CAA
  
• Need to pass a theory test to get a Flyer ID and be able to fly it
  
• You need to register the personal/organisation ultimately responsible for the drone with an Operator ID. This person or named persons in an organisation then needs to make sure only those with a Flyer ID use it.
  
• You need to mark the drone with the Operator ID of the person/organisation responsible for it
  

 

All the info you need is here:

https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/

 

You'll then need all the relevant permissions regarding where you're flying it from whoever owns the land below the space etc, or air traffic control/local airport if you're in a restricted area.

 

We did all of the above, the school owns it and the land is private.

 

This is not a toy, crashing it costs money.

 

I’d be interested to know what they intend to do with it.

[Sibrows]

Our Geography and Media departments clubbed together with their bids and purchased one.

 

It has now been licensed as its over the weight limit. We insist that any staff flying it pass the, not very taxing, drone license.

 

In sort; it's been out on some field trips for Geography. Media used a lot initially but then the 'new shiny toy' wore off and its been sat in our office for the past year as it needed a new battery

 

I would recommend something with obstacle avoidance as a must and budget for more than a single battery!

[TechMonkey]

We got one a year ago and it has been well used. Yes you have to do all of the things paulkerton say, but they really aren't taxing, all done online and we marked the drone with a label maker.

So when we purchased it we did it through a company that also did training so we got some training as well, not the CAA full license, as that was not needed. The trainer came to site and did a presentation on the theory and then gave us some flight time and a grasp of the basics. I created a policy that set out how the drone could be used and who could use it. We are lucky in that we are an out of town school so don't have to worry about the built up area regs.

 

As for uses, we have used it for:

- Marketing shots

- Building maintenance/inspections

- Survey shots for contractors

- mapping the site

- documenting grounds work

- informational videos for parents

- virtual tour for parents who couldn't make it to site

- Recording sport lessons to give pupils and the staff views they couldn't get normally and help coaching

- recording sport events for parents who couldn't make it

- security checks

 

We still get jibes that it is our toy and that we are playing, but most people when we talk to them then ask if it could do x and generally we can and do. The one thing we have not done yet is let it be taken off site or on trips. Pupils definitely do not fly it.

 

You could get a Mavic Mini and not have to worry about the registering, but it really isn't arduous to register so it would seem silly to lose the capabilites of one of the bigger drones.

 

To answer your questions:

- Implications of insurance - we got specialist insurance that was about £150 for a year for the organisation

- Implications of crashing into someone... 0_o Don't do that. It would hurt. But if you get a drone with sensors it won't do that. I have tested it.

- Data protection - same as someone using a school camera or camcorder. The drone is just a platform to get a camera in to position, so you would have to comply with any policies your school already has about photos or video

- Risk assessment flying around pupils - depends on what you mean by flying around. You wouldn't be flying it around, is in close, pupils, you would be keeping a 50m bubble around people and keeping away from them. If someone was being silly and showing off then they shouldn't be allowed to fly it.

 

It really is a good tool if you have uses for it, and you probably have uses for it you just haven't realised yet. Feel free to ask any questions or DM me if you want further information.

 

EDIT: One thing was said that was incorrect, Get the permission of who owns the land you are flying over. No, no one owns air space. If you want to take off from private land or land there you need permission, as you would be accessing their land, but you can stand on a public footpath and launch a drone with no issues. The only things you have to check are restricted airspace, to keep 50m from people or buildings, increasing to 150m for crowds over 1000 or built-up areas and below 400ft (120m) from ground level.

Edited June 6, 2020 by TechMonkey

[mrbios]

Our IT teaching department had a DFI Phantom 3 pro one, they bought a few years ago. They decided to sell it once the new drone rules came in though because they couldn't be bothered to deal with the registration, keeping a list of people who had passed the "test" .... or even doing the test. Plus it kept getting broken by people misusing it, and i was sick of repairing it.

[synaesthesia]

We've been looking at this for a little while, mostly for marketing/PR purposes and would no doubt serve many uses for maintenance and high level inspection. It would be controlled by the IT department who would be licensed and trained. There's a few things worth a bit of money these days on the PR side of things - good photographic equipment and good use of social media.

[RobFuller]

I was under the impression if you where using a drone for business, and would have thought an employee of a school would class as such, they needed to have a PfCO (Permissions for Commercial Operations) license and appropriate insurance.

[localzuk]

I was under the impression if you where using a drone for business, and would have thought an employee of a school would class as such, they needed to have a PfCO (Permissions for Commercial Operations) license and appropriate insurance.

I don't think that's true.

[mrnoisy]

We bought one for our media department pretty much when the first Mavic Pro came out, it’s been a waste of money in my opinion, it comes out for sports day, and that’s about it, with the introduction of all of the rules and regulations as well as registration I can’t see the point myself.

 

I own my own drone mavic air, and I rarely get out to fly it as your always checking whether and wind speeds. It’s been great for taking on days out and holidays.

 

If schools want to use them for marketing and promotion, why not pay a professional there are loads registered all over the country.

[synaesthesia]

 

If schools want to use them for marketing and promotion, why not pay a professional there are loads registered all over the country.

 

Then you have all the booking them, hoping you're lucky it's a nice day and there's not something going on, the cost, the lack of spontaneity and availability. You could also think a little outside your own school perhaps - can you do it for others, if even for your MAT.

[mrnoisy]

Then you have all the booking them, hoping you're lucky it's a nice day and there's not something going on, the cost, the lack of spontaneity and availability. You could also think a little outside your own school perhaps - can you do it for others, if even for your MAT.

 

Ain’t nobody got time for that [emoji24]

 

It’s a fad like iPads.

[TechMonkey]

I was under the impression if you where using a drone for business, and would have thought an employee of a school would class as such, they needed to have a PfCO (Permissions for Commercial Operations) license and appropriate insurance.

 

It is a fine line but as long as you are not selling the service of a drone, or it can be shown that the use is of significant commercial use to the organisation then you don't need the PfCO. This was investigated by both us and the specialist insurance company to ensure we were compliant and we came to the same conclusion. With in the definition posted earlier there is also the clarification of:

The term ‘available to the public’ should be interpreted as being a service or commodity that any member of the public can make use of, or actively choose to use, (e.g. because it has been advertised or offered to someone).

It is the difference between offering a service to take drone photos for someone to use on their website or as part of a website package and taking a photo to use on your own website. The former would need the PfCO, the latter not.

 

I was very disappointed I wasn't going to be a pilot, I had bought the shades and lapel badge already!

 

@mrnoisy the spontaneity is the big selling factor for us, yes we could plan ahead and hire a drone company to come to events, but they would probably charge a whole day, maybe half, and we only need 30 minutes of footage, if that. The head of Estates asking us to have an inspection of the roof for a leak saved us the cost of a cherry picker and waiting until the next holiday so repairs could be quicker. It also meant someone didn't need to go out on the roof until absolutely necessary when a sapling had started growing in a crevice on the roof and we could work out the best route to get to it. Again, saved the cost of a cherry picker or the cost of booking someone to come when they were free.

 

Yes a drone is like iPads, if you haven't thought about it, only getting it because it is cool and don't manage it properly then it won't be used. If you have purpose and evangelise it then it will get used and can save the school money.

Edited June 7, 2020 by TechMonkey

[RobFuller]

What insurance cover from your drones and operators are you using within your school's?

[TechMonkey]

We use FlyIcarus but by the looks of it they aren't taking new customers at the moment.

[synaesthesia]

Ain’t nobody got time for that [emoji24]

 

It’s a fad like iPads.

 

Like iPads (bearing in mind I'm the world's biggest AntiApple person this side of Louis Rossman) with the right use they can be worth their weight in gold.