Saltuarius RPA Promotes the Benefits of Drones
By EMILY RAMSEY
Managing Editor
AERIAL VIEW: An aerial photograph of real estate property that was taken by a drone belonging to Saltuarius RPA. Although drones are still a new technology, they are increasingly moving from solely recreational use to the commercial and public service sectors.
Courtesy Saltuarius RPA
While drones may be in their infancy, with a long way to go in industry regulation and general consumer understanding, many individuals and businesses have been eager to jump into the front lines of this new technology.
Josh O’Leary and Jeff Spatz, owners of Saltuarius RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft), are two such individuals.
O’Leary, a mechanical engineer and local business owner, began building drones in 2012. “Drones were still very new at that point. There was nothing legitimate yet on the market,” O’Leary says.
As he began to learn more about the technology, O’Leary began to envision the future possibilities of drones’ many uses, and he reached out to Spatz, who lives in O’Leary’s neighborhood.
O’Leary was also aware of Spatz’s background working in television and photography. Spatz is a University of Tulsa graduate who has worked as a news photographer and news manager for local stations, including FOX 23 and KJRH Channel 2.
Spatz holds the role of director of operations for Saltuarius and is in charge of image and video capturing; he also handles the legalities involved in operating drones commercially and remaining up to date with industry regulations that are continually evolving as the understanding of drones increases and technology improves.
While most individuals are familiar with drones for recreational use by hobbyists, drones are increasingly being used for commercial and public service needs.
“Drones are basically flying robots,” says O’Leary. “And what robots are good for is eliminating human danger and repetitive tasks, examples being search and rescue situations, crop dusting and oil tank inspection.”
O’Leary and Spatz have used their fleet of drones to help the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations in a search and recovery operation.
“Drones are also cheaper and faster,” adds Spatz. “They cost one-tenth the amount of a manned aircraft.”
For example, Germany is using drones to deliver medications to island countries. Drones are also being developed with defibrillators to be utilized by ambulance providers to help heart attack victims, says Spatz.
“There’s a large opportunity for police and fire to use drones for a relatively low cost,” he says.
Drones can be used to investigate fires to provide information on their status and overall damage.
O’Leary and Spatz have used their drones in other areas of work, including real estate, providing outdoor aerial views of land and property for sale. They have also used their drones to assist attorneys and private investigators in investigating crimes. “Our drones display the time and location when something is recorded,” says Spatz, “which helps when privacy concerns come up and if the evidence in presented in court.”
Yet, even with the many benefits of the industry, moving past people’s initial fears and misunderstandings takes time, so O’Leary and Spatz make every effort to be proactive in their approach when using their drones.
“We are risk averse,” says Spatz. “We have turned down jobs because people didn’t care that we would be endangering other people or doing something illegal. For example, many individuals do not know that it is illegal to fly drones over people.”
When O’Leary and Spatz are photographing a home, they call on nearby homes to inform the neighbors of what they are doing. They coordinate with area businesses and any nearby airports to inform them of their plans and where they will be flying their drones.
“When we started two years ago, it was a slow process of educating people,” says O’Leary. “People didn’t know how drones fit into their needs; we had to show them what they could do.”
For additional information about drones and Saltuarius, visit saltuariusrpa.com.
Updated 07-25-2016
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