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File Number: 17-377 <br />·Drone must undergo pre-flight check to ensure sUAS is in condition for safe operation <br />·Can fly in Class G airspace - If within 5 miles of airport, prior notification to air traffic <br />control (ATC) is required (Oakland and Hayward airports) <br />·Operating Rules, which are all subject to waiver, include - <br />o Must keep aircraft in sight <br />o Fly under 400 feet <br />o Fly during day only <br />o Fly at or below 100 mph <br />o Must yield right of way to manned aircraft <br />o Must NOT fly over people <br />o Must NOT fly from a moving vehicle <br />The FAA’s process includes pilot certification and drone registration; pilot certification is held <br />by the drone pilot and similar to motor vehicles, drones should be individually identifiable. <br />Shawn Allison, who is currently a Streets Maintenance Worker I, has flown drones <br />recreationally for 2+ years. In February, Shawn received his pilot certification, which allows <br />him to fly drones under business applications. <br />As presented to the City Council Facilities & Transportation Committee, staff is interesting in <br />pursuing this pilot program because drone usage has the potential to improve efficiency of <br />certain operations, reduce costs, and improve safety. Public Works intends to utilize the drone <br />for several applications including: roof inspections; before/after views of CIP projects, <br />including road reconstruction projects; and specific situations, such as along Lake Chabot <br />Road, where the steep slope precludes staff from safely viewing potential geotechnical <br />concerns. At the conclusion of the Committee meeting, Committee members directed staff to <br />move forward with a proposed plan for field implementation of a drone pilot program. <br />In addition to the requirement for drone flights in San Leandro to file a flight plan with both <br />Oakland and Hayward air traffic control (ATC), the FAA has a free smartphone app, available <br />for both Android and iPhone, called B4UFLY. This application pulls information directly from <br />publicly available FAA data sources and packages the information in a user-friendly and <br />intuitive format, allowing drone pilots to see what flights are occurring in the area and to help <br />plan their flight. As stated on the FAA’s website, they hope that the app will prevent conflicts <br />between manned and unmanned aircraft and will support the FAA’s primary mission of <br />aviation safety. Airplane and helicopter pilots are not required to send flight information to <br />B4UFLY (its primary target is recreational drone users). <br />Staff requests City Council approval for a 1-year pilot program to utilize the drone as indicated <br />above. As part of the 1-year pilot program, City staff will work with the City Attorney’s Office to <br />implement a policy that expressly states the permissible and prohibited uses for drones. A full <br />year will allow staff to see what seasonal applications it may be useful for. Because flight <br />plans must be submitted to local ATC for every flight, Public Works will maintain a log of each <br />use, indicating the proposed flight plan, duration of use, and whether video footage was saved <br />or not. The drone purchased by the City is a DJI brand, Inspire 2 model and has both a fixed <br />camera and a gimbal camera. It can be used with either a smart phone or tablet, with the <br />ability to store video footage on a memory card. The California Joint Powers Risk <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 7/11/2017 <br />17