Tower INspection Best PRactices

As the harsh winter months finally descend across the Hudson Valley, communication site managers are scrambling to schedule crews for  one last preventive maintenance or installation project before conditions become more complex and unsafe.
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In cold weather, tower climbers will become fatigued more quickly and take longer to perform certain tasks.  Working with certified operators of drones for inspection services not only extends the stamina of a climber, but also increases the overall safety for any project.

Safety is the most important thing for any tower climber and having some advance clues of what to expect before rigging up the harness and properly loading out a tool belt is smart business and people planning. 

Sharing good quality inspection reports with high resolution video can not only help with preventive maintenance needs, but help offer benefits for the following reasons:
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• Insurance reasons
• Municipal concerns
• 3rd party inspection audits
• Wildlife abatement
• Antenna radiation analysis

​Preventive maintenance is by far the best use of a drone based preliminary tower inspection though.  It is easy to use camera zoom functions from a safe distance to inspect certain components such as cable connections, tower mount amplifiers and safety lighting devices atop a tower, especially those higher than 100 foot AGL.
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It is also critical for the drone operator to be aware of what is being inspected on the tower from possible high power microwave links may interfere with certain drones communication links for the remote pilot (RPIC). 

Most importantly, a drone based tower inspection increases not only the overall safety for ground crews below from potential inspection tool mishaps, but can be accomplished much faster than a traditional climber.

When factoring in the time needed for a climber to prepare rigging, safety devices, tool belt fitment and what is going up with the climber, a drone based inspection is a cost effective way to minimize liability for infrastructure and climbers who are often short in number.

Do not hesitate to reach out to learn more about the services and schedule for Low Altitude Services.