It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s a drone

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) has taken to the skies with its new drone.

The drone, nicknamed Osprey, is a DJI Phantom 4 Pro. The MVC will use it to “acquire video and photographs to assist any of Dukes County’s town departments and committees with their planning efforts. The aerial flights are also conducted to assist MVC’s regulatory review of DRIs (developments of regional impact),” according to the MVC website.

MVC Executive Director Adam Turner said the drone was purchased last spring and cost approximately $1,500.

“We hope to do a lot of great things,” Turner said. “We can take strategic pictures as opposed to just using Google Earth. We can see the full picture, and that’s what we’re looking for, better information.”

Turner said there are lots of possibilities, and that the drone allows the MVC to better evaluate projects and make more informed land-use decisions.

The drone is operated by Christine Seidel, GIS coordinator for the MVC, who is a DOT-FAA certified remote pilot. The drone has also been registered with the FAA, and is authorized to fly within some of Martha’s Vineyard Airport’s controlled airspace.

The drone can fly up to 400 feet above ground level; in some controlled airspace areas the maximum is 200 feet. The drone’s maximum speed is 31 mph, but the MVC says it has no intention of flying that fast.

The FAA also has strict rules on when and where the drone can fly. Islanders won’t be seeing the drone flying around during a nor’easter. The wind speed can’t be greater than 17 mph, visibility has to be a least three statute miles, and there can be no precipitation present or anticipated during the flight. The battery in the drone also requires temperatures to be between 41° and 104° Fahrenheit.

The MVC will post a public notice of flights and notify the airport and respective town police departments at least 48 hours before they happen. Flights will only occur during the daytime. Per FAA rules and regulations, the drone is not allowed to fly directly over people or cars, but may capture them in its field of vision.

The drone can capture video and still photographs, which Turner said will “give us more information that we don’t have.”

So far the MVC has taken the drone on several flights, using it to view historical demolition projects and to evaluate views from a tower. “It can add data in real time to almost anything we do,” Turner said.

Aside from providing data to the MVC, Turner said he hopes to partner with the Island’s towns, nonprofits, and other groups to share the drone.

“It’s technology that moved us forward,” Turner said