An Opportunity to Fly

When a client presented a project in a confined space, Mark sought to mitigate exposure risk of the team by air - with a drone. PENN PRO Engineering Manager, David Nickl, took notice that Mark really enjoyed flying drones as a hobby, so the company supported Mark's efforts to obtain his 14CFR Part 107 Commercial Drone License. Read on to see how a hobby grew into an opportunity to grow professionally in an always evolving industry.

How did the opportunity present itself for this certification?

We had an opportunity to inspect a confined space and the client wanted to mitigate risk of human exposure to the area due to its hazards.

What did it take to become certified?

To operate a drone for commercial purposes I had to become certified by the FAA. My particular drone license is called 14CFR Part 107 and is the most common commercial license.

Can you tell us a few details about your favorite part of this job?

We had a lot of challenges with this inspection, however, having a group of externally bright people to pool ideals together was probably the best part. For example, we wanted to know if the drone would communicate inside a metal tunnel while operating controls outside of the confined space area. I was able to defer to colleagues who dealt with communications in the office to conclude that the drone would operate without an issue. This endeavor was all about problem-solving a lot of issues, and that's the nature of what we do.

?Who inspired you to move forward with this?

I would have to give credit to David Nickl. I expressed how much I enjoyed this as a hobby, and he really pushed when the opportunity arose. Really the whole team was excited to see the progress and be a part of something that is a first for the company.

?What is the most difficult challenge you experienced on this project?

There was a lot of working parts of this task that were unexpected. I had experience flying drones and remote helicopters so the flying was really never the issue, however, between FAA regulations on when to fly and where it can be an involved process that I did not expect. This industry is new and is evolving and there's been a lot of changes in regulations over the past few years.

?What’s the most exciting thing you are working on right now?

Right now we are looking into the possibility of using drones for 3D Scanning to help improve gathering information on existing areas in the field. This becomes a team effort to make the most practical decision moving forward.

?What motivates you to continue your professional growth?

Growth is constant in this industry. I would say anyone that works in some form of engineering finds themselves needing to be well-rounded and knowledgeable in how a little bit of everything works. In other words, I would say in general growth is kind of a natural given for the industry we work in.

Thank you Mark for sharing your professional growth experience at PENN PRO.