Where in New Zealand do you operate? 

Culture Drones is based in Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. We operate and service the entirety of Northland as well as North Auckland. Having said that, if you are based elsewhere and need our help then please feel free to get in touch and we can discuss timings and costs to travel to your location and get the job done. 

What does your standard spraying process look like? 

To be the most efficient, we recommend an initial site recce where you can give us a full briefing on the job required and any hazards or considerations to account for during the flight. We will record a job hazard analysis and any appropriate health and safety material prior to the flight.  

As part of the site recce, we will fly a grid pattern above the flight zone with our mapping drone to create a high resolution map and set of coordinates. This is then used by our spray drone to fly a centimetre accurate flight path when applying chemical and ensuring any site infrastructure or hazards are navigated safely. 

Spraying is often best done early morning or late afternoon, when the wind is lowest, reducing the risk of spray drift. So with the initial site visit and map complete and approved by you, we will arrange a day and time to spray based on weather conditions or time constraints. We set up near the spray zone on the day and the drone will begin autonomously flying a perfect grid pattern, spraying where it’s needed and leaving where it is not. 

How does a spray drone operate? 

The spray drone can be flown either manually or autonomously. Spraying is usually done at a height of between 4-8 metres depending on the height of the plants we are flying over. The drone makes use of mapping data and flight path coordinates to avoid obstacles, follow undulating terrain at a consistent height, and modulate the spray rate and droplet size to ensure an even layer of chemical is applied. When the 50L tank is empty the drone returns to its take off zone ready to be refilled with chemical by the operator or ground crew. 

How does a mapping drone operate? 

A mapping drone is used to fly a grid pattern above the zone of operation, taking hundreds to thousands of photos. These photos are stitched together by Pix4Dfields to create a high resolution map of the area of operation. This map is essential when accuracy is needed, as Google Maps has a margin for error of 3-5 metres in any direction compared to centimeter accuracy using a drone scanned map. 

This map can be used by spray drones and other farm equipment such as John Deere tractors and hand GPS receivers to locate and treat problem areas. 

What is multispectral scanning and how is it useful? 

Multispectral scanning is a similar process to the above, but instead of photographs the drone has multiband sensors that can read light waves that our eyes can’t see such as near infra-red and red edge bands. These bands are commonly used to determine health readings in plants, water content in soil, and make estimates on crop and tree yield over time.

Pix4Dfields generates maps with a visual index that clearly identifies problem areas or plants that require special attention.

The spray drone can use these maps to apply a variable rate application to the area, automatically applying more product where it is needed and less where it isn’t. Ideal for if a crop has patchy growth and needs additional fertilizer in areas where plants are experiencing sub-optimal growth. 

How fast can the drone spray or treat weeds and plants? 

This is very dependent on the job needed. For example, spraying woody weeds like gorse or broom would take an hour to cover approximately 1 hectare. Spraying for plant protection would be closer to 10 hectares per hour. 

What’s a spray drone like compared to other agricultural spraying equipment? 

Agricultural spray drones are designed to be able to operate at much lower spray rates than a plane or tractor. There are several key factors as to why the drone works so efficiently: 

Because of the speed and manoeuvrability of the drone, it can spray at a much lower height than a plane, allowing the droplets to penetrate and saturate around the plants more effectively. 

Because the nozzles are directly underneath the propellers, the downwash from the props presses and distributes the spray at a heavily accelerated rate meaning better penetration and more coverage with less water and product needed. 

The nozzles and pumps on the drone are designed specifically for spraying, so the uniformity and adjustability of the pump system is extremely good. 

The drone operates at centimeter levels of accuracy with a low spray height, ensuring that the spray only goes exactly where we want it. This is not only beneficial for cost efficiency due to less product being used, but also allows us to operate confidently in areas with sensitive objects such as beehives, livestock, waterways and shelter belts without the worry of overspray affecting them. 

Is the 50L tank capacity enough? 

Though 50L is not a huge amount of spray to carry, the drone can make many refills per hour and the speed and efficiency that the drone can spray an area out is really something you have to see to believe! 

What certificates does your Chief Pilot have? 

Murray Brock, our Director and Chief Pilot has the following qualifications: 

• CAA Part 102 unmanned aircraft operator certificate 

• RPAS Part 102 Pilot certificate 

• Pilot chemical rating 

• UAV agricultural rating 

• Pix4Dfields trained 

What insurance cover does Culture Drones have? 

Flight and public liability of up to $5,000,000. 

Chemical application liability of up to $250,000. 

UAV equipment damage or loss.