The very first STS-01 telepilot in Austria: The interview

Raffel Portugal was lucky enough to become the first Austrian telepilot to be able to fly in the STS-01 scenario thanks to the C5 class markings on his DJI Inspire 3 drone. What were the steps involved in becoming a telepilot, how did Dronavia products help him and what impact did they have on the business of his company FlightKinetic: find out all the answers in this interview.

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I’m into modelplane flying since my childhood and so it become 13 years ago that I started building drones. The requests for aerialphotography become more and more over the years and I quittet my job as paramedic and become a self employee with my company flightkinetic. Now I work on commercials, hollywoodproductions and also I’m starting to do things on the industrial sector with laserscanning. This can be done now legal with the Dronavia’s systems.

Youtuber Gautier Veltri and Ludovic Pelletey looking at kit c5 drone documentation

What type of drones do you use on different missions?

Originally homebulit drones, but since the legacy changed and DJI pushed the market, I use drones from DJI like the Inspire 3, Mavic series and Avata2. For some jobs I even use homebuilt FPVs in rural areas.

why did you choose the Kronos I3 safety system?

I was looking for a way and a system to fly an Inspire 3 legally in cities. The workflow with larger, redundant drones in Austria was very difficult and limited at the workflow in the past. Since the EASA rules are now fully implemented, I decided to convert everything to a new standard. I heard about Dronavia from a german drone dealer and a partner company.

What documents did Dronavia supply with KRONOS I3 safety system?

In general, all you need to upgrade from C3 to C5 for the Inspire 3. Then all you need is the STS-01/02 licences and a operation manual and you’re ready to fly.

Once the Kronos I3 system had been acquired, what were the main steps before you could officially fly in the STS-01 scenario?

To make a course for the theoretical and practical STS-01/02 exam. I decided to make the training and exam via U-ROB in Germany and received the learning materials via online access. The course + exam took me 3 days in person in Germany. Additional you need an operation manuel and send everything to the national aviation authorities (EASA). You will receive notication within a short period of time and you will be able to fly from that point on.

Dronavia's members looking at Youtuber Gautier Veltri while he holds a drone

“A vast new world with new possibilities has opened up. There has always been a great demand in the market for an “easy to use” system with a good camera that can fly in cities. Now it is officially and legally possible to fly with it.”

Raffael Portugal

CEO of FlightKinetic

A drone after its parachute has triggered

What impact has the launch of C5-compliant drones, and therefore the opening up of the STS-01 scenario, actually had on your business?

A vast new world with new possibilities has opened up. There has always been a great demand in the market for an “easy to use” system with a good camera that can fly in cities. Now it is officially and legally possible to fly with it.

What types of missions were you able to carry out with the Kronos I3 system that were previously impossible?

Like every flight in a city with the Inspire 3 for example. Of course you have to follow all the rules under Specific STS-01, but in my case these are large sets for movies or commercials where there are road closures anyway.

Finally, what did you think of the system installation and start-up process? And more generally about the system?

I really like the design and installation process. It installs in minutes and when you don’t need it, you can easily remove it with a few screws. The startup process takes the same amount of time as the drone’s standard process. Checking the LEDs for full function takes less than 5 seconds. Hot swapping is not recommended, but frankly isn’t necessary if you’re flying with a professional set and under STS-01.

So you need to take your time anyway for all procedures. I don’t feel like you lose more than 1-2 minutes of flight time, it depends on your flying style, which is also a big plus. I also tried the maximum situations that can be created in “N” mode and there were no worrisome situations. In fact, it is an absolute game changer for the European market.