Censys Technologies and Coutts Brothers Inc. Work to Test a Safe and Low-Cost Alternative to Helicopter Patrol
Aviation has been a tool in the back pocket of most enterprise utilities in the United States for decades. Helicopters have dominated in utility infrastructure surveying due to their ability to place inspectors very close to powerlines. The flexibility these aviation assets provide has made it a long-standing workhorse for the energy industry, but not without great cost.
Although the versatility is there, helicopters have a higher probability of causing fatality than manned ground vehicles and other forms of aviation equipment. The cost to operate a helicopter can be many multiples of alternatives are now available through the commercial small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) industry.
Coutts Brothers Inc. has been in the utility business for over a half-century constructing and maintaining critical infrastructure. Their focus is performing quality work safely, on budget, and on schedule. Coutts has partnered with Censys Technologies, a sUAS manufacturer, to use customized UAS to make operations safer and reduce risk by replacing helicopter operations. For the cost of operating a single helicopter, Coutts will be able to operate an entire fleet of UAS.
The two entities will be collaboratively conducting Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) testing and training in New York with he NUAIR Alliance in early 2019. Censys recognizes the energy industry’s need for BVLOS, motivating them to aid partners like Coutts and establish the capability at scale. Censys UAS have previously been FAA-approved for BVLOS flight under the 8th §107.31 waiver ever granted. Censys’ Sentaero BVLOS-VTOL model will be used for thermal powerline inspection services provided by Coutts in the Northeast throughout 2019.
Trevor Perrott, CEO of Censys Technologies, said “I’m excited to be building this relationship with Coutts Brothers, an organization with a long history of safety and innovation. Our Sentaero sUAS is going to prove an excellent tool for the utility industry, and I couldn’t be happier to help Brad and his team improve powerline inspection safety.” Brad Stout, CEO of Coutts Brothers, commented, “Our partnership with Censys will allow us to provide our clients a faster, safer and more accurate tool to utilize during line inspections and patrols. The Censys solution is an economically effective system that eliminates the risks associated with manned aircraft.”
Censys Technologies Corporation, see www.censystech.com.