Rise Above

Drones Give Roofers An Aerial Advantage

Angie Lewis, Writer
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Custom Asphalt Life drone from Drone Works

Whether you land a whale-sized job or you’re re-roofing your favorite customer’s house, capturing the project on camera is a must!

Drones offer a dynamic visual perspective that can’t be replicated by another device.

Also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), drones were first operated almost exclusively by the military. They’re controlled by an onboard computer or one of several other methods, including GPS and Wi-Fi. Most users equip them with a high-definition (4K) video camera to capture the best quality images.

Drones have become a popular tool for contractors, who use them to inspect and measure roofs. Without ever having to climb a ladder, you can give customers an up-close view of their roof repair or replacement before, during and after installation.

Drones are also helpful when insurance adjusters are documenting roof damages for claims.

Take Flight

Manually surveying a roof can be cumbersome, time-consuming and costly work. Measuring tape may get bent or stuck, the roof could have inconsistent endpoints or inaccessible edges, and the entire process is subject to human error or, worse, injury.

“Residential roofing is a major continuing source of construction fatalities,” according to a study published in Safety Science, a research journal on the science and technology of human and industrial safety.

Drone Works

Atlas is excited to be working with Drone Works, which can provide you with customizable drone bundles that support your business technology needs. Check out these new gadgets in the Tech Tools section of the shopping cart in your Atlas Pro™ Plus account.

Drones keep boots on the ground, assuring the safety of contractors and insurance adjusters. Drones also take accurate measurements and provide real-time data three times faster than traditional methods.

Newer generations of drones are equipped with thermal capabilities. This technology can detect issues not easily seen with the naked eye, such as smaller leaks that may lead to major problems for homeowners.

But before taking the controls of a UAS, operators should know the rules mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

License And Registration, Please

More than 7 million drones will be in use in 2020, according to the FAA Aerospace Forecast.

Because of the increased popularity and affordability of drones, the FAA regulates their usage to avoid safety threats.

For example, all commercial use falls under the FAA’s Small UAS Rule, which requires a drone to be registered and operated by a certified remote pilot.

The drone must also weigh less than 55 pounds and be flown at or below 400 feet, within the pilot’s line of sight.

For all of the FAA’s official rules and guidelines for drones, visit FAA.gov/UAS.

Custom bundle from Drone Works

Best Flyers

Not sure which drone best suits your roofing business? A quick Google search of “best drones for roofers” yields nearly 1.3 million results. Here are a few of the top articles:

About Atlas Roofing

Atlas Roofing Corporation is an innovative, customer-oriented manufacturer of residential and commercial building materials. Atlas has grown from a single shingle-manufacturing plant into an industry leader with 24 facilities across North America. For more information, visit atlasroofing.com. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.