Coal Age

JUN 2016

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28 www.coalage.com June 2016 mapping & surveying continued versus a smaller tract, as the detail and data points achieved by the flight would be im- possible to obtain via GPS survey on foot or by vehicle. "I would estimate the UAS survey is at least three times cheaper than conventional, and on larger-scale projects, five to 10 times faster," he said. Currently, the drone is somewhat of a mechanical jack-of-all-trades for Falkirk, with its images being utilized to cre- ate a digital terrain module for contour creation and volumetric calculations with as-built surveys, water manage- ment planning, coal stockpile volumes, post-mining topography cut-fill balanc- es and planning, equipment GPS grading files, contours for regulatory submittals, contours for mine planning, and other vital planning needs. With a resulting image that is very high quality, the mine's team can provide clear details for discussion group meetings, planning meetings, as ACAD background maps and also to share information inter- nally at the mining complex. In the future, the two said that Falkirk is investigating a rotor blade drone, which could potentially be used to inspect and collect imagery for structures and ma- chinery, including the mine's two Marion draglines. Integration and Challenges On paper, it may appear that the process from initial idea to actually putting the Trimble UX5 into the air was long and laborious. While there were some chal- lenges in the process, and many steps that had to be taken, Falkirk has set a technological benchmark that other op- erations may want to follow in the future — and hopefully benefit from both the obstacles and opportunities the North American Coal mine encountered along the way. Once the mine decided that it would be incorporating a fixed-wing drone into its fleet, and once the FAA's outlines on drone regulations were in place, Falkirk's work could begin. In March 2013, the unit and its related costs were added to the mine's severed coal budget, and the two worked from April 2013 to the fall of 2014 to review the new FAA regulations and how to submit their COA application as well as a 333 Exemption to the administration to allow them to operate with compliance in national airspace. From that fall through the following summer, fixed-wing demos were evalu- ated, bringing them to the Trimble UX5, which was purchased in September 2015. After training, Falkirk staff developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) for operations, and the needed sports pilot li- cense was obtained. Both Burke and Obrigewitch said the operation learned much from the process that it can share with others who are in- terested in pursuing this technology. For example, according to the pair, it may be significantly helpful to keep spare parts for replacements as needed, especially for wear parts. "I would recommend contacting cur- rent users to get insight from what you can expect from a drone for deliverables

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