425 GUIDES · REGULATIONS, PRICES, CRAFT · PAGE 16/21

Professional drone guides — page 16

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

• Thermal drones on composting sites: catching self-heating before it turns into a fireDrone infrared thermography on composting and green-waste platforms: catching windrow self-heating before it ignites, what French ICPE regulations require, and prices observed in 2026.
• Drone thermography of a solar farm: the IEC 62446-3 standard, method, priceHow a drone thermographs a solar farm under the IEC 62446-3 standard, what it actually detects (and doesn't), the applicable rules, and 2026 pricing.
• Construction crane inspection by drone: what it sees, VGP compliance, priceHow a drone inspects a tower or mobile construction crane, why it does not replace the mandatory periodic inspection (VGP), and observed 2026 pricing.
• Sailboat mast, rigging and hull inspection by drone: method, flying over ports, priceHow a drone inspects a mast, rigging and above-waterline hull without climbing, what the new 2025 law says about flying over maritime ports, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Tunnel and underground gallery inspection by drone: GPS-denied navigation, regulations, priceHow a drone navigates without GPS inside a tunnel using SLAM, what the regulations say about flying in an enclosed space, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Coastal erosion monitoring by drone: photogrammetry, shoreline retreat, priceHow a drone using photogrammetry measures shoreline retreat and sand volume lost after a storm, what the Climate and Resilience law requires of coastal municipalities, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Flying a drone BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) in France: STS-01/STS-02 scenarios, SORA, professional missions and priceSince 31 December 2025, the national S1/S2/S3 scenarios have been replaced by the European STS-01 and STS-02 scenarios: what they allow, when a SORA study becomes necessary, and the price of a professional BVLOS mission in 2026.
• Drone thermal inspection of industrial switchboards and busbar systems: preventive maintenance, method, priceHow a drone fitted with a radiometric thermal camera detects hot spots on a switchboard, a medium-voltage substation or an overhead busbar run, the periodic electrical inspection obligation, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Asbestos roofing and drones: what an aerial survey can identify before works (and what it cannot replace)Asbestos-cement roofing surveyed by drone before works: what aerial imagery brings, what French law requires (DAAT, certified operator) and observed 2026 pricing.
• In-house drone or outsourcing: the cost-benefit calculation for businessesShould a business buy a drone and train an in-house pilot, or call in a provider for each mission? Real costs, break-even point and the hybrid model in 2026.
• Parcel delivery by drone in France: where things stand, regulation and priceWhere drone parcel delivery stands in France (La Poste, Atechsys, DPD, Chronopost), the regulatory framework that applies, and what it takes for a business to launch its own project in 2026.
• Forest carbon inventory by drone LiDAR: biomass, Label bas-carbone, priceHow a drone LiDAR measures forest biomass and carbon stock, its place in CNPF Label bas-carbone projects, and observed 2026 pricing.
• Drone-based gas and methane leak detection (LDAR): method, ICPE regulations and priceHow a drone fitted with an OGI camera or a laser sensor detects and quantifies VOC and methane leaks on a regulated industrial site, under the 2026 LDAR obligations, and observed pricing.
• Wildlife counting by drone: method, regulatory framework and priceHow a drone fitted with a thermal camera counts a deer herd, a bird colony or a wild boar population, the regulatory framework that applies, and 2026 pricing.
• Archaeological survey by drone: photogrammetry, LiDAR, method and priceHow a drone documents an archaeological site by photogrammetry or LiDAR, reveals buried structures through crop marks, and 2026 pricing.
• Beach lifeguard drone: swimming safety, shark detection, priceHow a lifeguard drone helps rescue posts spot a swimmer in difficulty or a shark near shore, the regulatory framework and 2026 pricing.
• Medical drone delivery: regulatory framework, examples and feasibility in FranceWhere drone delivery of blood and medicine stands worldwide, what published studies show, and under what conditions a pilot project is feasible in France.
• Drone crack diagnosis after drought (subsidence): method and price for insuranceHow a drone documents façade cracks linked to clay-shrinkage subsidence for a natural-disaster insurance claim, and 2026 pricing.
• Drone forest-fire prevention patrol: early smoke detection and priceHow a drone patrol detects a forest-fire outbreak within its first minutes, alongside human surveillance, the regulatory framework and 2026 pricing.
• Water network leak detection by drone: method and price for a municipalityHow a drone fitted with a thermal camera spots a leak on a buried drinking-water network, alongside conventional methods, and 2026 pricing.
• Railway track and infrastructure inspection by drone: method and priceHow a drone documents the condition of a railway track, embankment or rail bridge alongside operations, the specific regulatory framework and 2026 pricing.