425 GUIDES · REGULATIONS, PRICES, CRAFT · PAGE 15/21

Professional drone guides — page 15

EU regulations, real prices, mission preparation: concrete answers before commissioning a drone service.

• Transport pipeline right-of-way monitoring by drone: method, regulations, priceGas pipelines, oil pipelines, chemical product lines: drones are gradually replacing helicopters for right-of-way patrol. French multi-fluid order, surveillance and maintenance programme, 2026 prices.
• Environmental impact studies (wind, solar): the drone's role in wildlife and flora surveys, priceRenewable energy developer or ecological consultancy: how drones complement the naturalist survey of an environmental impact study (habitats, birds, bats) over the full biological cycle the law requires. Method, 2026 framework, prices.
• Offshore wind turbine drone inspection: method, maritime regulations, priceHow drones inspect the blades and saltwater corrosion of an offshore wind turbine, what maritime overflight changes for the regulations, and 2026 prices.
• Cable car and ski lift drone inspection: pylons, cables, stations, priceCable cars, gondolas, chairlifts: how drones complement STRMTG inspections by documenting pylons, anchor points and stations, without replacing cable testing. Method and 2026 prices.
• District heating network leak detection by thermal drone: method, priceHow a thermal drone spots leaks and heat losses on a buried district heating network, the right flight conditions, and observed 2026 pricing for local authorities and operators.
• Brownfield mapping by drone: redevelopment, land-use targets, priceOrthophoto, 3D model and visual survey of an industrial brownfield by drone: what mapping brings to redevelopment projects under French land-use targets, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Ecological compensation monitoring by drone: mitigation hierarchy, method, priceHow drones document environmental compensation measures (revegetation, wetlands, hedgerows) required by the French mitigation hierarchy, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Municipal orthophoto by drone: uses, accuracy, price for a local authorityWhy a municipality commissions a drone orthophoto (planning, network management, roads, communication), the accuracy achievable versus national imagery, and observed 2026 pricing.
• RTK or PPK drone: what centimetre accuracy is for and when to require itRTK, PPK, ground control points: what these options really change about drone survey accuracy, which missions justify requiring them in a specification, and their impact on 2026 pricing.
• Tank, boiler and confined space inspection by drone: method, safety, priceHow a caged indoor drone inspects tanks, boilers, silos and ducts without sending anyone into a confined space, what French labour law says, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Agrivoltaics: drone monitoring of crops and panels, method and priceWhy agrivoltaic installations must prove farm production is maintained (French 2023 law and 2024 decree), how a drone monitors crops and panels in one flight, and 2026 pricing.
• Shellfish farm monitoring by drone: oyster and mussel farming, method and priceHow drones map oyster tables and mussel beds at low tide (structure condition, silting, storm damage), the coastal overflight framework, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Quarry face inspection by drone: stability, photogrammetry, priceHow drones inspect quarry faces without exposing anyone (fracturing, unstable blocks, bench heights), alongside volume surveys, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Facade cleaning by drone: spraying, buildings and cladding, priceHow a spraying drone cleans and treats a facade without scaffolding or a lift (algae, grime, cladding), what still needs rope access, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Wastewater treatment plant drone inspection: thermography, basins, digesters, priceHow a thermal and photogrammetric drone inspects basins, digesters, lined lagoons and buried pipework at a wastewater treatment plant, the regulatory framework, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Landslide monitoring by drone: photogrammetry, risk plans, priceHow drones measure the displacement of an unstable slope through repeated photogrammetry, the French risk-plan framework, and what monitoring costs a local authority or network operator in 2026.
• Landfill cell volume survey by drone: ISDND monitoring, remaining capacity, priceHow drones measure the filled volume and remaining capacity of a non-hazardous waste storage cell each month, what French ISDND regulations require, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Drone bathymetry: mapping the bottom of lakes, reservoirs and waterways, method and priceHow a bathymetric LiDAR drone measures the depth of lakes, reservoirs and waterways without a boat or diver, the French DGAC and VNF regulatory framework, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Wind turbine drone inspection: blades, tower, regulatory duty and priceHow a drone inspects a wind turbine's blades, tower and nacelle without a rope-access technician, the twice-yearly regulatory inspection duty, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Warehouse inventory by drone: method, indoor regulations, priceHow a drone counts warehouse stock without GPS, what the regulations say about flying in an enclosed space, and observed 2026 pricing.
• GDPR and professional drones: anonymisation and impact assessments, what's mandatoryWhen a drone photogrammetry, inspection or construction-monitoring mission processes personal data under GDPR, what the CNIL expects on anonymisation and impact assessments, and the right habits to adopt in 2026.