Propelling: Taking the Future of Construction to the Skies

 

Drones are creating new workflows, processes and applications in construction design, surveying and mapping, and many see them as the future of the construction industry.

Rick Rayhel, Microdrones‘ Sales Manager for United States’ Western Region, is one of those people; he’s seen first hand how drones can enhance the construction business.

In the U.S., drones have only been used to aid construction in the last couple of years. On the precipice of drone potential, Rayhel said, “There’s never a lack of ideas or interest on what can be done with drones.”

Today, drones are used for volume metrics, aerial photos, mapping, and 3D sketching to name a few applications. Drones assist in the many stages of a construction job, including monitoring safety and progress.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of drones in construction, though, is their cost-effectiveness. On this episode of Propelling,Rayhel emphasizes that UAVs can save a company thousands of dollars in manpower. Instead of filing costly insurance claims after a safety incident, these vulnerabilities can be found before they lead to damage. Instead of laborious and often treacherous ground scanning done by humans, a UAV can collect data quickly and efficiently.

Rayhel dives into detail about what to look for in a drone for construction work, and he divulges what crucial questions to ask before bringing UAVs into a business model.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the AEC Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @AECMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

filmmaking
Lights, Camera, Authenticity: Why Trusting Your Voice Is the Most Radical Move in Filmmaking Today
February 3, 2026

The entertainment industry is at a crossroads, where questions of access, authorship, and technological disruption are reshaping who gets to tell stories—and how those stories get made. From the rise of AI-assisted tools to ongoing conversations about representation and gatekeeping, filmmaking today is as much about identity and equity as it is about craft….

Read More
AI in energy
May the Agentforce Be With You: AI in Energy Services
February 3, 2026

Generative AI has moved past being a shiny demo and into the messy reality of enterprise operations—where data lives in different systems, customers expect instant answers, and security teams (rightfully) say “prove it.” In energy services specifically, even small efficiency gains matter: many retail energy providers operate on thin margins, and operational blind spots—billing…

Read More
Energy billing
Nightmare on Revenue Street: Energy Billing Edition
February 3, 2026

Energy billing is one of those things most people only think about when something goes wrong—an unusually high charge, a missing bill, a surprise shutoff notice, or a rate plan that suddenly doesn’t make sense. With smart meters, more complex pricing options, and different rules in regulated vs. deregulated markets, even a small breakdown…

Read More
career coaching
Work-Based Learning & Career Coaching with Strada Education: Closing the Gap Between Education and Opportunity
February 2, 2026

As higher education faces mounting pressure to demonstrate clear career outcomes, institutions are rethinking how learning connects to work and the role of career coaching in that process. Employers continue to report skills gaps, students are questioning the return on investment of a degree, and states are demanding stronger alignment between postsecondary education and…

Read More