Any pilot, any drone: the Detect Partner Network opens up
The way in is the Data Quality Program - Detect's free pilot training and verification, relaunched inside DetectOS with the equipment rules gone. What changed, how the two parts work, and how to join.
- The Detect Partner Network - the pilot pool for utility inspection work Detect wins - is open to any pilot. The way in: the Data Quality Program, relaunched inside DetectOS.
- Any quadcopter drone qualifies, flown manually. There is no flight-automation software to buy or learn.
- You never plan a mission. Detect pre-builds every shot sheet; you choose a vehicle, a light pole, or a distribution pole.
- Two parts, two certificates: a self-guided course and a workflow verification, closed by a 30-minute review call.
- Passing makes you eligible to become a Detect partner. It is free at every step - the course, the capture, the review call, the re‑flies - and the work pays your firm.
- What is the Detect Partner Network?
- What changed in the new program?
- How does the program work?
- Who is the program for?
- How do you join the Partner Network?
- FAQ
What is the Detect Partner Network?
The Detect Partner Network is the pool of verified pilots Detect draws from when it wins utility inspection projects. Utilities hire Detect to inspect the grid; partners fly that work - and the work pays their firms.
The way in is the Data Quality Program: Detect's free training and verification program for drone pilots. It has two parts - a self-guided course and a self-paced field capture - closed by a 30-minute review call with Detect. Each part carries its own certificate, and passing both makes you eligible to join the network.
It is free at every step. The work you fly as a partner pays your firm - the program never charges you.
The course, the shot sheets, and the review standard come from the team behind 2,600-structure utility inspection campaigns. Part 2 verifies you against the same standard Detect's own crews fly for utilities - not a classroom version of it.
What changed in the new program?
Three requirements are gone: the required drone model, the flight-automation software, and do-it-yourself mission planning. The rebuilt program runs on any quadcopter drone, flown manually, against shot sheets Detect builds for you.
Any drone, flown manually. If you fly a quadcopter, you can fly this program. There is no flight-automation software to buy or learn. You fly your own aircraft, at your own pace, and your skill shows in the capture.
Pre-built shot sheets. You never plan a mission. Detect defines every angle, position, and frame, and you pick one of three assets: a vehicle, a light pole, or a distribution pole. A vehicle in a parking lot counts just as much as a pole - choose the asset you can actually get to.
One login for everything. The program now runs in the Partner Portal, a dedicated tab in the new DetectOS, rebuilt around one record per structure. The Part 1 course and quizzes, your Part 2 upload, and your certificates live behind one login - the same platform you will use on real projects.
The change widens the funnel on purpose. Specialization is the direction of travel for drone service providers in 2026, and utility inspection is its clearest lane - but the old rules filtered working pilots out on equipment before their capture skill was ever tested.
How does the Data Quality Program work?
The program has two parts, each with its own certificate, closed by a 30-minute review call with Detect. Part 1 is self-paced, and Part 2 takes about two hours: 30 to 60 minutes of preparation and less than an hour in the field.
What is Part 1?
Part 1 - Foundation is a self-guided course in the Partner Portal: short videos and quizzes covering utility structures, components, field equipment, and capture technique. It assumes no utility background. Finish the course and quizzes, and the first certificate is yours.
What happens in Part 2?
Part 2 - Workflow verification is where you fly. Pick one of the three shot sheets, capture it manually with your own quadcopter, and check every frame against the sheet before you leave the site. Then upload the set to DetectOS for review.
That last habit is the one that matters. Reviewing frames on site - not at home - is what separates a clean delivery from a second trip, and it is the same discipline behind cutting rework on infrastructure inspections.
What happens on the review call?
Detect's team reviews your set shot by shot, then meets you for 30 minutes to walk through it together. Pass, and your Part 2 certificate makes you eligible to become a Detect partner. If some shots need another pass, you leave with specific notes and re‑fly. There is no cap on attempts, and re‑flies are free.
Who is the program for?
Newcomers and veterans alike. You do not need utility experience - what the program verifies is the skill utilities actually pay for: taking a shot sheet and delivering it, completely and consistently.
Part 1 exists because utility work has a language of its own: the structures, the components, and the why behind every shot. Closing that gap is what makes drone pilot training for utility inspection worth a working pilot's time - utilities buy complete data sets, not flight hours.
There is nothing to unlearn. The program adds no flight software, and the shot sheet defines the deliverable, not your flying style. If your capture discipline is sharp, Part 2 is about two hours of your week.
How do you join the Partner Network?
Applications are open now on the Data Quality Program page. Every applicant takes a 30-minute intake call so we make sure the program fits your operation. Then you sign a mutual NDA, get your Partner Portal login, and start Part 1.
- Apply on the Data Quality Program page.
- Take the 30-minute intake call. It confirms the program fits your operation.
- Sign the mutual NDA and log in to the Partner Portal inside DetectOS.
- Finish Part 1, then fly Part 2 and upload your capture. The 30-minute review call closes it out.
- Pass, and you are eligible to become a Detect partner. A qualification check - insurance, licenses, documents - comes before your first project.
Detect is in Las Vegas September 1 to 3. Come meet the team behind the program, ask anything, and start your application from the show floor.
Any pilot. Any drone. Start today.
The Data Quality Program is free at every step - the course, the capture, the review call, the re‑flies. Apply now: the intake call takes 30 minutes, and Part 1 is waiting behind your login.
Apply to the program →
