Thermal Drone Pet Rescue, Drone Business & Orlando Drone Show Crash

Can you build a real business around drones? Michael Parziale has done it in more ways than one.

Michael, founder and team leader of the U.S.A.R. Drone Team, explains how thermal imaging has helped him locate more than 150 missing pets. We talk about how he conducts a nighttime search, identifies animals with thermal cameras, chooses altitudes and search patterns, and what owners pay for a professional drone search.

But pet rescue is only part of Michael's operation. He's trained police drone pilots, worked with agricultural spraying drones, provided free career training for veterans, started a youth drone school, and is now investing heavily in drone light shows.

That last topic leads directly into a major drone-safety story. The NTSB has released its final report on the 500-drone holiday show in Orlando where dozens of drones collided and fell from the sky and one struck a seven-year-old boy, seriously injuring him.

We examine how an incorrect show center, a seven-degree heading error, inconsistent programming among the drones, geofence settings, and inadequate cross-checking combined to produce the accident—and the major safety changes implemented afterward. It's a look at both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with operating drones professionally.

Max and David also discuss a Zipline Drone that came down under a parachute, and a Drone possession ban in Beijing.