The use of an air situation image should not only be mandatory for drone flights in the "special category". We have noticed that if only one air observer is deployed, there is often not enough time available Bringing the drone back to the ground quickly enough. Certainly there is the possibility to lower the drone on the spot at high speed. But it is safer if the pilot has an image of the situation in the air. This allows the pilot to make a decision much earlier and land his aircraft in a safe place.

On average, German Copters carried out two safety landings on flight days. The landings were initiated so early that when the approaching helicopter flew over, the drone had already been on the ground for about a minute. Based on the experiences made, German Copters would welcome it if, firstly, at least for flights above 120 meters, an air situation picture became mandatory for the pilot and, secondly, that the ADAC equipped its helicopters with FLARM and ADS-B out and thus became more visible in the lower airspace .

The topic of "training and education" is becoming increasingly important at German Copters. The procedures for the implementation of drone BVLOS flights are becoming more and more complex, the legal requirements are constantly changing, experience from flight operations must be incorporated into the training documents and practical exercises on the simulator or in the real world are important for the implementation of theory in the practice.

In the near future, the requirements of a UAS pilot will be comparable to those of a pilot in manned aviation. That is why German Copters proposes the development of training for the profession of "UAS pilot / UAS operator". The A2 long-distance pilot's certificate alone is no longer sufficient for the implementation of the tasks.

In the past few weeks, German Copter has continued to work on the automation of flight planning for drone flights. This should make the use of drones even more effective. As a result, this means that times for a change of location are reduced, flight times increased and tasks can be implemented more precisely. The implementation in daily practice has already shown that the effectiveness of drone operations could be increased by around 28%.

Combatting animal diseases with the help of our drones was now also a topic on MDR television. The film team filmed us at work, and we answered questions. With another drone, we produced some film sequences ourselves, which were then also shown in the television report.

Today a nice article was published in the Sächsische Zeitung about swine fever and how we help to fight it with our drones.

From December 2021 to mid-January 2022, we searched an area of 18,000 ha in Saxony and covered a VLOS flight distance of 1,400 km.

German Copters uses drones to help fight African swine fever. In December alone we searched over 140 km2. During the search, we flew over 1,000 km VLOS and documented 40 sites. We were able to search this large area, not only because we have experienced pilots, but because flight planning, process control and documentation are largely automated.

For us as German Copters, 2021 was an exciting but very successful year. Even if Corona was raging and we were affected by it, we were able to more than double our sales. We found new employees, worked on new projects, invested in technology, and signed sponsorship agreements with interesting sports clubs in the region. The planning for the coming year is almost complete. If we only successfully complete 20% of the planned jobs in 2022, we will probably double our sales again in the coming year. It remains exciting.

But now it is time to pause for a moment, use the holidays together with the family for some rest and recharge your batteries. We also think of our employees, customers, partners and friends. Health is most important. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and please stay safe.

The Dresden sports club was founded in 1898 and has a long tradition. The currently most successful team is the women's volleyball team. We have been supporting the team since 2002. 20 years of top sport with many great moments. We say THANK YOU and keep our fingers crossed for the 20th season "with us".

We as German Copters are not only crazy about drones and everything you can do with them, but also crazy about sports. Now we are pleased that, as a partner of the Dresdner Eislöwen, we can support the Dresden DEL2 team with our sponsorship in the current season. German Copters will present the penalties this season. If you love your sport with a lot of emotionality and fight hard for victory, you sometimes have to fight a little harder. In ice hockey, penalties are difficult to avoid. But we don't see it that strictly and want to present these punishments in a funny and entertaining way with little stories on the scoreboard. We received a lot of positive feedback on the first day of the match. We'll come up with more little stories. Just come to the game and check the scoreboard from time to time.

There are tasks that only involve a visual inspection from the air. Of course, this task could also be done with an M300, for example, but it is easier to fly with a smaller drone. With small drones we have a lower risk, they are easier to set up and we can use our more expensive technology for other jobs. The Phantom 4 pro is particularly interesting compared to the Mavic 2 pro because the controller has an HDMI output, and the image can be transmitted to an external tablet with the help of a transmitter. That makes working with the customer a lot easier.

Intergeo21 was not only a great trade fair because we were able to speak to people there again, but we were also able to see and touch technology. There were some new developments to be seen that really impressed us. As a drone company, we are of course more focused on drone technology. But it is already foreseeable that we will use some new developments in our company.

As a drone service provider, we always look at how we can permanently expand our services using the skills we have built up. For some time now we have been dealing with inspections of wind turbines with drones. We also use exhibitions and analyze how our skills in building and tower inspections can be adapted for this service. Our previous knowledge was once again confirmed at the trade fair.

The handball club has grown steadily since it was founded in 2006. The club now not only has over 400 members, but the men's team has also played in the 2nd Bundesliga since 2017. We as German Copters see a great future for handball in Dresden. We think and hope that the club can move up to the top German league in the medium term. In this way, the HCE can also contribute to increasing the image of Dresden. As German Copters, we want to make a contribution with our sponsorship.

We were asked by Droniq GmbH if we would answer some questions about drone-based medical logistics. Sure, we were happy to do it.

Perhaps our approaches are a little different because we already have 20 years of experience with ground-based medical logistics and have also been in the drone business since 2005. So, we know the price pressure as well as the technical challenges in drone logistics. However, we are not a manufacturer of drones and are therefore not dependent on specified designs, technologies, or other restrictions. What counts for us is the proven flight characteristics of the drones, the profitability of flight operations and the possibility of integrating drone logistics into the existing logistics chains.

Even if some system providers like to suggest it, complex tasks cannot be done automatically with the "push of a button". It is not only the knowledge of optics, weather, photogrammetry, flight planning and drone technology, especially the experience of the pilots is important when carrying out complex inspection tasks. We have researched, tested and analyzed and can now deliver high quality results for the inspection of complex structures.

For inspections where a high-resolution camera and a thermal camera are used, the DJI M300RTK is currently the best drone for us. We not only carry out inspections on radio towers, but also on cranes, wind turbines and roofs.

Large drones do not always have to be used for large inspections. Smaller drones are safer to fly, especially in complex environments. The camera of our small drone generates images of such high resolution that the test engineer can see every detail. This makes the examiners' work easier and saves the otherwise time-consuming climbing.

We are pleased that we were able to implement the video project for Uplink Network GmbH. Not only was it a great video shoot, but it was also exciting to see the technology behind the transmission of signals for television and radio.

The shareholders' meeting to confirm the annual financial statements took place at German Copters on Thursday. The shareholders confirmed the annual financial statements. The activity of managing director René Micknaß was confirmed with 100% of the shareholders. At the same time, it was decided that the company's profits will not be distributed to the shareholders. This is intended to support the further growth of the company.

The strategic direction of the company was confirmed by the shareholders. In 2020, the highest sales were generated in the logistics and inspections departments. These two areas are currently experiencing disproportionate growth. The planned increase in the number of employees should also support the growth of these two profit centers in the long term. In addition to the establishment of business operations in the Middle East, the expansion of the service in "BIM / GIS support" was given as a further goal this year.

How quickly time flies. Happy B-Day to all of us for 2 years of German Copters. And we would like to say one more thing: if only 10% of the projects we are currently preparing can be brought to life, then the German Copters rocket will fly. We are already a highly profitable company, we invest a lot of time and money in new technologies and we are getting better every day. It's just exciting!
We would like to thank our employees, customers, partners and our shareholders for the great support. Thank you all!