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
Working on the Hawkesbury & Macquarie Rivers
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, UAV Pilots Sheldon, Pat, Nick, Emma, and Oscar embarked on a unique project, tasked with capturing photos and annotations of debris and erosion along the Hawkesbury & Macquarie rivers.
Our exceptionally skilled UAV Pilots saw themselves working from a houseboat which was constantly moving through the river to ensure they covered hundreds of kilometres in a matter of days. Some challenges they faced included operating near birds, low power lines, complex airspace and of course limited space to take-off & land from a moving boat!
Despite these obstacles, the entire team did a fantastic job, clocking in over 8 hours of flight time each day, which our client being extremely happy with the output. Each hazard sighted was documented with images and coordinates then categorised, providing valuable data for our client. We spotted large trees in water, broken jetty’s, severe erosion of people’s waterfront backyards, and much more.
This project was not only an exciting adventure but also a significant learning opportunity for the team, expanding our knowledge and experience in the utilisation of drones for environmental monitoring and management, and our ability to rapidly respond to new requests.
AUAVS Annual Awards
We’re thrilled to announce the AUAVS Awards once again. Throughout the past year, we’ve successfully completed over 50,000 flights across NSW, covering both coastal and inland areas for various emergency response missions, and introduced a new fleet of UAV’s. It’s important to us that we formally acknowledge and honour the dedication and excellence of our members
The awards will recognise the most exceptional individuals based on nominations from UAV Supervisors, and finally determined by the SLSNSW Board.
The 2 awards we will be presenting are;
• AUAVS Pilot/Operator of the Year
• AUAVS Rookie of the Year
With so many deserving candidates, choosing the winners will be challenging for the SLSNSW Board. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for your unwavering commitment and hard work throughout the year.