These newsletters aim to share updates, learnings, and guidance about our current (and future!) service deliveries. If you wish to subscribe, please email uav@surflifesaving.com.au
UAV Team Talk to Pilots on the Grounds
The management team took some time to visit the casual pilots who were on duty at various beaches in Sydney, South Coast, and Central Coast. It was great to see everyone in action during the autumn operating period, and the team thoroughly enjoyed saying hello and catching up with everyone.
We recognise the hard work and dedication that our casual pilots put in to ensure the safety of beachgoers during the cooler months. It was a pleasure to witness firsthand the level of professionalism and care that our pilots demonstrate on a daily basis.
As always, we remain committed to providing the highest level of service to our community, and we are grateful for the contributions of all our team members. Thank you for your continued efforts, and we look forward to another successful season ahead.
CASA Know Your Drone Newsletter
Late last year, the AUAVS partnered with CASA on a Drone Safety initiative focused on building public awareness of UAV rules and our types of operations. This included a public facing stall at Circular Quay during Australia Day along with the design of Drone Safety A-frames for our DPI 50 locations, you may have seen these in action! We were proud to see CASA run a piece on these initiatives in their recent Know Your Drone newsletter, just another sign of the recognition the AUAVS has gained in the industry and the excellent work we are all conducting!
Care for the Wear & Tear of Our UAVs
We all want to continuously be able to rely and trust on our UAVs when we need them most. To do this we, need to ensure we always do our pre-flight and post-flight checks and maintenance.
Unfortunately, we have observed a concerning trend of limb snapping on our Mavic 2 Enterprise Zoom fleet, possibly due to stress fractures that may not be readily apparent without a thorough inspection. Stress fractures can be missed if not identified early and accurately. Our UAVs are routinely maintained and serviced to be in working order. But we all have a part to play to ensure any faults are reported.
We strongly recommend that before every flight, the underside of each limb is checked for any hairline stress fractures, and a pre-flight check should be conducted for each flight. Any UAVs with hairline cracks must be immediately removed from service, and a defect should be logged.
To avoid stress fatigue fractures, operators can take the following precautions:
- Unfold the aircraft with extra care and without sudden or violent movements at the start of the day.
- Be careful not to put any weight or force on the aircraft when it is not in use, as this can cause potential damage to the aircraft and its components.
- Pack away the aircraft carefully at the end of the day with the same level of care, ensuring it is properly aligned and inserted into its designated foam cut-out to avoid any unnecessary force or damage.
- Avoid resting the aircraft on uneven surfaces.
- Avoid aggressive manoeuvres or abrupt landings, and make movements in the air deliberate and considered.
- When installing a new battery, do so by picking up the aircraft instead of leaving in on the ground and pushing the battery into its carriage.
- Always flare the props out by hand before starting up the aircraft. Un-flared props cause the aircraft to vibrate and put extra stress on the limbs.
It is crucial to ensure the safety and longevity of our UAV fleet, and we appreciate your cooperation in implementing these preventive measures.
