Employee Certification & New Equipment Adds Drone Capabilities to WLC’s Resume

Employee Certification & New Equipment Adds Drone Capabilities to WLC’s Resume

Joe Salveson, senior surveyor and CAD Technician for WLC Engineering and Surveying received his Remote Pilot Airman Certificate with Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on March 3, 2017. This certification and the purchase of a sUAS will enable WLC to provide a new survey and inspection tool to our clients.

More specifically, the sUAS is a quick and cost effective way, when compared to traditional methods, to collect high resolution imagery for survey and engineering purposes, periodic monitoring and documenting of construction progress, and inspection of facilities such as power lines, cell towers, water tanks, and industrial process units.

“WLC is continuously looking for ways to offer our clients new services and technologies that will save them money while continuing to provide accurate data,” said Shane Porter, president of WLC Engineering and Surveying. “Data is critical as it’s the foundation of a project’s overall design. WLC continues to engage new tools to support a variety of applications that meet this demand.”

Ideal applications for unmanned aerial systems are alignment and routing projects as the sUAS can cover a large area in a relatively quick time period. The device can be used to collect data for design, inspection, monitoring, sales, marketing, and forensic purposes.

The sUAS certification is valid for 24 months and will require retesting for a renewal. To obtain this certification, Mr. Salveson was required to take a proctored FAA knowledge test and pass a Transportation Security Administration background check. Following notification that he passed his exam and background check, he applied for the formal certificate.

Mr. Salveson joined WLC in 2004 and has more than 25 years of experience in the heavy construction industry. He has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wyoming and an A.A.S. in Civil Engineering from Casper College.