Anyone using their Anafi for Inspections?

[Kdavis2269]

I'm looking for feedback regarding the use of Anafi for inspecting roofs and chimney crowns. As a professional inspector there are times where a roof may be inaccessible or unsafe to walk. I think an eye in the sky would be a valuable resource at times. Is anyone using their Anafi to assist with professional inspections and if so what are your thoughts?

 

[d95gas]

As a favour for my employee I did a roof and chimney inspection on what was an old country mansion type place. Very high building and due to that it had not been inspected in years.

The Anafi performed well. Did it in 4K which was probably overkill, but gave them the ability to zoom in and still get clear images.

It clearly identified a few areas of concern: Trees growing out of the chimney and gutter, flashing that had just perished away, tiles that had moved.

They were over the moon with it and were able to look at getting a contractor in for repairs.

The Anafi definitely proved its worth.

 

[Malc]

Kdavis, although not a particularly good video and lots of peripheral stuff and done in an unprofessional way but of a professional subject, I'd say it would be perfect for inspections.
Regards
Malc

 

[Risi Fausto]

Hello KDavis, I am becoming a professional operator for aerial inspections of roofs and urban buildings in Italy and with Anafi I can do the job well thanks to the camera that rotates at 180 "and zoom, I am happy with the drone that is easy to pilot .

 

[Efliernz]

I also did a gutter inspection for a work-mate on his 2nd story gutter. Just stills - as we could zoom post-production. The good side - the Anafi was perfect and did the job well. The bad side - my team mate needs a new gutter

 

[Kdavis2269]

Thank you for your responses everyone. I'm working on my 107 now and will continue to monitor the forum posts regarding recent technical issues. This will be my first drone so trying to figure out which one I need is a bit overwhelming.

 

[ufosaboveus]

I've been thinking about using mine for inspections too. Still testing it but so far, so good. I did do some practice runs around the house and my shop and worked great.

 

[Seitenwerk]

While I am absolutely not related to that business I inspected my own roof with my Spark and again with my Anafi several times.

And i guess what really speaks for the Anafi is the zoom and tilting the camera up. As both are pretty unique to the Anafi there won’t be much of an alternative out there. Usual drones can only look forward and 90 degree down. That will definitely be a problem especially when checking out roofs as you often can’t get closer without crashing especially when trying to check out the segment right under a roof, where my favorite friends (cough cough wasps [emoji219]) like to build their homes. You can’t go higher with the roof above the drone but can’t look up either or get close enough.

That’s where the Anafi really shines. Zooming was a lifesaver when I tried to check out the solar panels on my roof and with the ability to look up I can check out those places mentioned above without the risk to crash into the rooftop.

Noise level could also be a plus for this drone when neighbors are around.

 

[d95gas]

The zoom on the Anafi is great for this, means you dont need to get up close and dirty and run the risk of flying into a chimney or something.

Definitely would use the Anafi over my Mavic for this..... well to be honest not touched the Mavic since I got the Anafi

 

[ufosaboveus]

When I was testing mine, the upwards tilt was helpful in a couple of spots but the zoom was the game changer. I could fly a comfortable distance away from the roof and still see very closeup views of areas that I wanted to inspect carefully. One example was the flashing around the base of the chimney. I could fly the drone several feet away from it and zoom in to see the sealant around the flashing in excellent detail. Same thing for the center cap on the ridgeline of my workshop. I could zoom right in and inspect individual screws that anchored the cap down. I actually found one that hadn't been screwed all the way down doing this. Going to have to get up there and screw it down properly once weather warms up. Zoom camera is a must if you plan to use a drone for inspections. It makes the process much safer as you keep a nice buffer between the drone and what you are looking at.

 

[Kdavis2269]

I've seen an inspector use a P4P and several neighbors came out to complain. I love the fact that the Anafi is reportedly much quieter and less invasive. Once the extended setup goes back on sale I'm going to grab one.

 

[d95gas]

The Anafi is so much more quieter, once you get it in the air people dont even notice it. I was flying near open windows doing a gutter inspection and the staff in the office never batted an eyelid, hence why my Mavic Pro is sat in its case these days

 

[ufosaboveus]

I have a friend at a business client of mine that is the facility engineer. He has the phantom 4 drone he keeps up at work. He uses it to do the weekly inspections of the roof so he doesn't have to climb the tall ladder. (Honestly part of it is he just enjoys any excuse to fly his drone I think) I have heard it first hand and will tell you it is loud. Even when 50 feet up, it is still very loud. He sent it up to 400 height to grab a sample pic to show me what it can do. We could still hear it even that high up. Now I can not deny that it takes some great pictures and is super stable even in winds. The noise though sure make it less desirable at a park or public place and I imagine it would be horrible around animals as it would probably scare them off from hundreds of feet away.

My Anafi compared to his is so much quieter. You have to really hear them side by side to get the full impact.

 

[Seitenwerk]

I posted this somewhere else already but its a good comparison concerning the sound. I only know that the Air is even louder than the spark. Dont know about how it compares to the phantom

 

[ufosaboveus]

wow, that is a dramatic difference isn't it. Angry bees vs. a lower pitched whir sound.

 

[Seitenwerk]

wow, that is a dramatic difference isn't it. Angry bees vs. a lower pitched whir sound.

Definitely and i feel like the Anafi sounds even quieter outside. Maybe it’s because low pitched sound has even less impact in open space but i don’t know

 

[jaja6009]

I am just looking for any advice or tips on how to get started in roof and building inspections. I am currently employed. I have been with my company 38 years and will be retiring at the end of the year. I would like to start a drone business when I retire as a means to supplement my income and to stay busy. Over the next 9 months I want to start honing my skills and getting the equipment and training I will need to get started. I currently own a Evo II and love flying it. I am hoping some of you can give me tips on what software (free versions if possible) to get that will help with flying, mapping, damage inspection etc. also where are some good places to go to get training. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks

The largest hurdle to inspecting anything is knowing about the item/component being inspected. While images are nice, images in a cohesive report are better. To compile a cohesive report one would need to know all about the item/component being inspected to include any deficeincies.

It is easier for an established professional to get a Part 107 than it is for a Part 107 pilot to become an established professional. Example: Home Inspection in New Jersey demands a 40 hour class, apprenticeship program and passing a state test.

Pilot Institute offers pretty good training in most sUAS applications.