Omaha District takes to the sky!

Photo By Maj. Ryan Hignight | Jeff Cowman, Omaha District Aircrew Training Program Manager and drone pilot, launches a fixed-wing aircraft during a recent flight. The aircraft is capable of surveying and measuring Corps-managed land at a fraction of the cost and time it takes for a person to conduct the same mission.  

OMAHA, NE, UNITED STATES

02.06.2019

Story by Capt. Ryan Hignight 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Omaha District has taken to the sky! Because part of the Omaha District’s mission statement is to drive to be more efficient, more effective, and safer for both employees and the public while conducting government missions, it has recently adopted a new capability to conduct business. The Omaha District has recently begun using unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, to perform a variety of missions.
Utilizing UASs to conduct business saves the Corps a significant amount of time and money. On average, the Corps spends one tenth of the time to perform a mission with a drone versus the same mission with a District employee, and the mission can be completed within one-sixth of the cost when compared to traditional options.

Additionally, there is an added layer of safety when using a drone instead of a person. “By performing missions with UASs, we can mitigate a threat or reduce the risk exposure to Corps employees,” said Jeff Cowman, Omaha District Aircrew Training Program Manager (ATPM). “For example, I can use an unmanned aircraft to fly an area at one of our civil works projects that would otherwise be too difficult or too hazardous for an employee to physically survey or inspect.”
While use of drones in the Omaha District is new, Cowman and his team are already compiling a list of potential opportunities for his UAS. Some of the missions include: collecting high resolution imagery and generating elevation derivatives in support of boundary and topographic surveying; accretion and erosion delineations; invasive species and noxious weeds surveys; vegetation and wildlife management practices; environmental hazard and drought/flood analysis; terrain modeling and substrate mapping; habitat vulnerability and risk determinations; as well as control structure observations and inspections.

“This is nowhere near a comprehensive list of possible missions for the District,” Cowman said. “As we acquire additional aircraft, with different configurations and capabilities, the number and type of applications in which UAS can be employed should continue to grow.”
The Omaha District’s UAS program is still being established and growing. District leadership have appointed Jeff Cowman and Army Capt. Ryan Hignight as District ATPMs and empowered them to establish the program. Currently the District has only a single fixed-wing drone in the fleet but the ATPMs are working to add more, both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

Moreover, interest in UASs is spreading within the District. Personnel from Engineering, Construction, Operations, Emergency Management, Public Affairs and Contracting sections expressed a growing interest in utilizing drones to assist their missions. Using UASs, Emergency Management will be able to inspect damage after storms or observe ice dams in winter along bodies of water. Engineering can survey construction progress and Public Affairs can tell the USACE story through photo and video captured from unmanned aircraft.
UASs have been utilized by the military for many years, but only in the last few years have they been adopted by USACE. Senior leadership within the Corps sees such potential utilizing UASs, they hired Jason Kirkpatrick as the Army Corps Air Program Manager so he can lead the charge for drone usage across the USACE.

“Drones are an enabler for the Army Corps of Engineers,” Kirkpatrick said. “UASs do not replace jobs. They are a tool that helps the Army Corps do missions cheaper, fast, and more streamlined. We (Army Corps) are working to remove red tape so people in the field can work on planning missions, flying missions, and recording missions.”

For more information about USACE UAS operations and to learn more about operations, like and follow the Omaha District’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/OmahaUSACE/.

• Date Taken: 02.06.2019
• Date Posted: 02.07.2019 14:51
• Story ID: 309888
• Location: OMAHA, NE, US