Arthur Tisseront, 16, stresses safety with drones. Photo by Reena Singh.
Arthur Tisseront, 16, held a massive controller in his hand as he peered to the sky.
His hexacopter, a six propellered drone, was buzzing loudly above him and his Great Falls home.
The teen, a rising junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology [TJHSST], has become a local drone expert since his interest was sparked about a year ago.
Before that, he knew he was interested in technology and participated in First Lego League for three years. He also collects instruction manuals to find out about the inner workings of the technology in his home.
“My interest was peaked when I heard about Amazon Prime Air,” he said. “My thought process, then was, ‘That is so cool. I want to try it.’”
Since then, he has built two drones, started a website for an aerial photography business and is going to South Africa’s iMfolozi Game Reserve in September as a U.S. delegate to find a way to end rhinoceros poaching. In October, he will be going to the Wildlife Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Challenge to represent local Kashmir Foundation.
HIS OWN DRONE can fly two kilometers into the sky, but the Federal Aviation Administration limits drone flight to 400 feet. With a digital camera strapped on for the ride, Arthur Tisseront is able to get a live feed of what his house’s property looks like - a view only familiar to Google Maps users.
Before takeoffs and landings, Arthur makes sure everyone in the area is about 20 feet away from the drone for safety reasons.
“The whole thing to stress is safety, because they’re dangerous if they aren’t handled properly,” he said.
His mother, Astrid, stressed the safety aspect as well.
“As a mom, I’m really happy he’s learning how to fly it safely. Watching him build it, you know, it’s a hobby, but it’s also a serious toy,” she said. “You have to know what you’re doing. At this age, 16, they’re ready to understand safety.”
In addition to helping to monitor African national forests for poachers, Astrid said drones have the potential to help local law enforcement find key evidence or an escaped suspect.
The hexacopter was built using a $400 kit, but with all the customization he has done to it - and because it was a learning process since he was doing this on his own with his father’s help - it is about $2,500 in equipment.
Although he created a website for a photography business, he is waiting for the FAA to hopefully have regulations that would allow him to fly his drone for more than a hobby.
“Because the regulations are in a constant state of fluctuation week to week, I don’t want to start anything official until the FAA puts out something official,” he said.
Arthur plans to start a Drone Club at TJHSST to teach other students what he taught himself and hopefully fly their drones in the school’s fields and participate in competitions.
HE PLANS to make drones a long-term plan in his life. With dreams of heading to California Institute of Technology or Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he sees this new technology as something that is not going to go away anytime soon.
“I’m hoping it will lead me to at least some good connections in the technology field and in the drone world,” he said. “It’s both educational and fun, which you don’t often see. It’s nice to have.”