A proposed public-safety drone pilot · revised scaled-down plan
A locally hosted eye in the sky for public safety
A well-secured storage facility in Pueblo West could host a capable, modestly priced drone, kept charged and ready. A qualified person on site could fly low, geofenced patrols under ordinary Part 107 rules today, with no waiver; qualified public-safety responders could use the same aircraft on scene; and remote launch by the county becomes a later phase, not a prerequisite. This site presents options for community discussion; no aircraft has been selected and no program has been approved.
The first version does not need to wait for anything.
When a properly qualified person is physically present and keeps the aircraft in sight, low, geofenced, highly automated patrols are already legal under ordinary Part 107 rules: no waiver, no ATC permission at this site under the current airspace configuration, and night operation included when the training and lighting requirements are met. Verified The expensive long-endurance aircraft and the remote-launch authority the earlier concept centered on are now a later phase, pursued only if the first pilot proves its worth. Proposal
The three-stage operating model
Stage 1 · Facility VLOS mode
A qualified facility person is present, keeps the drone in sight, and flies the facility patrol. Ordinary Part 107; possible today. Proposal
Stage 2 · Responder VLOS mode
A Part 107-certified deputy, firefighter, or other authorized responder arrives, assumes responsibility for the pre-positioned aircraft, and flies it in sight. Proposal
Stage 3 · Future remote mode
Nobody at the site: an authorized county pilot launches remotely under a BVLOS waiver or other FAA authority. Later, and only if stages 1 and 2 prove value. Proposal
The regulatory dividing line is not whether the drone flies automatically. It is whether an authorized crew member can keep the required visual contact with the aircraft. Automation alone does not create a waiver requirement. Verified
Sources: 14 CFR 107.31 · FAA Part 107 waivers · checked 2026-08-23
Low and boring, on purpose
The routine patrol does not need to fly high. The design target is roughly 10 to 25 feet above the highest obstacle a route segment must clear, likely putting much of the patrol around 30 to 50 feet above the ground after a proper site survey, far below the 400-foot Part 107 ceiling. Planning estimate Staying down in the built environment makes the flight easier to watch, reduces aviation exposure, gives better camera geometry for a storage facility, and makes the concept easier to explain. Proposal
Four main use cases
Facility security
After-hours alarms, perimeter checks, fire, trespass, theft, at a site with genuine 24/7 access.
Responder support
A charged, ready aircraft with a known launch area, waiting where the incident is.
Searches
Missing or endangered persons near the site, flown by a qualified responder on scene.
The proof
A flight-history record that shows whether pre-positioned drones earn a wider county role.
How a patrol would happen
- An alarm or a routine check prompts the qualified pilot on site.
- The pilot checks weather, airspace and restrictions, aircraft status, and the launch area.
- The pilot initiates the pre-programmed patrol and keeps the aircraft in sight throughout.
- The drone follows its low, geofenced route; the camera looks at gates, fence lines, and storage rows automatically.
- The pilot can command hold, return, land, or take manual control at any moment.
- The drone returns to its marked landing area and shuts down.
- The flight is logged automatically.
Where this stands
- Concept and regulatory planning, this site Current stage
- Phase 1: site engineering, obstacles, sightlines, geofence Not started
- Phase 2: aircraft and software selection Not started
- Phase 3: train at least two facility pilots (Part 107) Not started
- Phase 4: repeated patrols; build the flight-history record Not started
- Phase 5: invite county, fire, and emergency-management participation Not started
- Phase 6: decide whether remote-launch (BVLOS) authority is worth pursuing Not started
Inspect the details
- FAA and operations: what ordinary Part 107 already allows, and the one thing that still needs a waiver.
- Aircraft options: the modest first aircraft, and the long-endurance county layer as a later phase.
- First site: the facility, its airspace, and the open engineering questions.
- Sources: every claim, linked and dated, and both research reports.
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