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Detect Data Quality Program - free utility drone pilot training

Detect offers a free training program for drone pilots seeking utility inspection work. Complete a course, a capture task, and a review call to join the Detect Partner Network to fly the utility work Detect wins.

From the team behind 2,600-structure utility inspection campaigns.

Apply to the program

The Partner Network

What is the Partner Network?

The Partner Network is Detect's community of qualified drone pilots - the pilots who fly the utility inspection work Detect wins. The way in is the Data Quality Program: free training, a self-paced capture, and a review call, all in the Partner Portal in DetectOS.

Free at every stepAny pilot, any quadcopter droneTwo certificatesFrom the team behind 2,600-structure campaigns
The Partner Portal runs in DetectOS - see how utility asset inspection works →

How does the Data Quality Program work?

Two parts and a review call. Set aside about two hours - 30 to 60 minutes of prep, under an hour in the field. Free at every step.

Part 1

Foundation

Self-guided videos and short quizzes in the Partner Portal - five topics, at your own pace. A certificate when you finish.

Part 2

Workflow verification

Pick one of three pre-built shot sheets - vehicle, light pole, or distribution pole. Capture manually with any quadcopter drone, review your frames against the sheet, upload to DetectOS, then a 30-minute review call with Detect. A second certificate follows.

Then

Eligible to become a Detect partner

Pass both parts and you are eligible to join the Partner Network. A qualification check - insurance, licenses, documents - comes before your first project. Didn't pass? You get notes and re-fly, with no cap on attempts.

What is a shot sheet?

A pre-built capture plan: every position and photo the workflow needs, mapped for one structure type - so any skill level can fly it, manually, at their own pace. Part 2 uses one of three:

VehicleLight poleDistribution pole
A Detect shot sheet capture sequence around a lattice structure - numbered positions and camera angles on a 3D plan
A shot sheet's capture sequence - every position and angle, planned before anyone flies.
Access planning on satellite imagery - structure points plotted along a line
Access planning on real terrain - you know the site before you arrive.
An annotated finding on a captured frame - shield and OPGW hardware flagged loose
What your capture becomes - a reviewed, annotated finding on the structure.

What does the course cover?

Five self-guided topics in the Partner Portal - short videos and quizzes, with a certificate when you finish.

  1. 01Access planningReading the site before you fly - structures, access, and terrain on real maps.
  2. 02Detect shot sheetsHow a pre-built capture plan works, and how to fly one at your own pace.
  3. 03Power lines and componentsWhat you are photographing and why it matters - the hardware behind the grid.
  4. 04Field equipmentGetting dependable captures from the gear you already own.
  5. 05DetectOSUploading, reviewing your frames, and where your certificates live.
Go deeper: what utility drone pilot training covers →
“
Detect translates terabytes of raw imagery into a concise, prioritized list of the defects that actually matter - clear, actionable information that keeps the grid reliable, together with our partners.

James Dyson, Director of Data Quality at Detect

Utility inspection work is won on data quality

Utilities changed what they buy on. The data standard is enforced at QA, and the evidence trail decides who keeps the contract.

Re-flights are the margin killer

15‑25% of deliverables get re‑flown when nobody hands the pilot a shot sheet. With the spec confirmed before leaving site, it is 3‑7%.

The bar moved from flying to data

The hard part was never the flying or the software. It was data quality and shot sheets - exactly what this program trains.

Most utility RFPs sit behind paywalls

A single shop cannot justify the subscriptions, so the work goes to whoever saw it. Detect's Partner Network pools that visibility for its graduates.
See what re-flights cost you
Detect Data Quality Program

What re-flights cost you

Drag the sliders. The 15% default is the low end of what flying without a shot sheet typically runs.

200
15%
$800

Estimated Annual Loss

$288,000

Annual savings with the spec confirmed before leaving site

$192,000

Apply to the program

What do Detect partners get?

When Detect wins utility inspection work, qualified partners fly it. Here is what being in the network gets you.

Primed project flow

Fly the utility inspection work Detect wins - and bring your own opportunities back through two-way deal flow.

Free training, two certificates

The Data Quality Program costs nothing at any step - and you finish with a certificate for each part.

Visibility and cover

Pooled RFP visibility on the utility bids that sit behind paywalls, and contractual cover when you fly as a Detect partner.

Apply to the program

How do you join?

A person sets you up at every step - apply, talk it through, sign, and your portal is ready on day one.

1Apply on this page
→
2A 30-minute intake call
→
3Mutual NDA
→
4Your Partner Portal login

What the course teaches

The course teaches the why behind every shot: what the utility needs each image to prove, and what QA checks when the data comes back.

Power lines and components

Identify structures, conductors, and hardware - so you know what you are photographing and why it matters.

Detect shot sheets

Follow pre-built shot sheets - every angle and position defined - so every structure is captured completely and consistently.

Capture and upload in DetectOS

Upload and review your capture in the platform - and see how QA reads the data when it comes back.

Apply to the Partner Network

Got it. We review every application and reach out to set up a short intake call.
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Questions pilots ask about the Partner Network

Do I need a specific drone?

No. Any quadcopter drone works - the program is built for manual flight with whatever you already fly.

How long does the program take?

Set aside about two hours for the workflow verification: 30 to 60 minutes of prep, and under an hour in the field. Part 1's videos and quizzes are self-paced.

What does it cost?

Nothing. The Data Quality Program is free at every step - the course, the workflow verification, and the review call.

What happens on the review call?

A 30-minute call with Detect. We confirm you followed the shot sheet and the imagery holds up - pass, and your certificate makes you eligible to become a Detect partner.

What happens after I pass?

Passing both parts makes you eligible to become a Detect partner. A qualification check - insurance, licenses, and documents - comes before your first project.

What kind of work do partners fly?

Utility inspection work that Detect wins: partners get primed project flow, two-way deal flow, pooled RFP visibility, and contractual cover.

Fly utility inspection work as our partner

The Data Quality Program is the way in - free, self-guided, at your own pace. Any pilot, any quadcopter drone.

Apply to the program