Matt Smith Receives Certification as Drone Pilot

MATT SMITH | Survey Crew Chief

Matt Smith, Survey Crew Chief has received his certification as a FAA Certified Remote Pilot. Smith is one of three certified pilots at SSM. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology, Associate of Applied Science and Forest Technology, with over 15 years of surveying and data capture.

On June 21st, 2016 the FAA finalized a new regulatory framework for small, unmanned aerial systems. Titled Part 107, these new regulations created a new drone certification process that covers the majority of low-risk, commercial UAS flight operations for all commercially operated drones. Commercial refers to any kind of flight operation that can be tied to economic benefit. These new regulations were implemented on August 29, 2016.

Drones are a powerful solution for monitoring construction, documenting infrastructure on expansive sites, and capturing hard-to-reach details.