Tank roofs, columns, flare stacks and pipe racks are among the hardest assets to inspect — the traditional answer is scaffold or rope access, which is time, cost and working-at-height risk before anyone has looked at the steel. A survey drone changes that: you get eyes on the asset from the air, and the capture becomes a measurable 3D record.
What a drone survey covers
- Storage tank shells and roofs, including areas unsafe to walk
- Columns, flare stacks and tall steelwork — inspected while online, no shutdown to get eyes on them
- Pipe racks, platforms and congested elevated plant
- 3D mapping and photogrammetry to build a true-to-life model of the asset
The platform behind it
The drone work is flown on a DJI Matrice 4E under a CASA Remote Pilot Licence — a survey platform with a mechanical-shutter wide mapping camera, high-zoom telephoto detail, and centimetre-level RTK positioning for measurement-grade 3D reconstruction. The result feeds the same interactive 3D model of the asset that comes complimentary with a pressure-equipment inspection, with findings pinned to their exact location.
Thermal and infrared survey isn't something we offer today — it's on the roadmap. What's available now is high-resolution visual and photogrammetry work.
Not sure where your equipment stands?
Send a photo of the equipment and its nameplate and we'll tell you plainly under AS 4343 — free, no obligation.
Common questions
- Do you offer thermal drone inspection?
- Not today — thermal/infrared is on the roadmap and described as coming soon. Current drone work is high-resolution visual inspection and photogrammetry at centimetre-level precision.
- Is a drone survey a replacement for a statutory inspection?
- It's a tool within the inspection. A drone captures external condition and feeds the 3D model; the statutory in-service inspection is still performed to AS/NZS 3788 by the certified inspector, with NDT through certified partners where required.
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This guide is general information, not legal or engineering advice. Inspection requirements depend on your specific equipment and jurisdiction; confirm against the current edition of the applicable standard. Speqo supplements but does not replace your own duty-holder obligations.