Thermography related training/certifications

[Air Support Solutions]

Is the FLIR Infrared Training Center Level 1 sUAS Certification the industry standard for saying you're "certified" in thermography with a drone? I honestly can't find any other actual certifications to speak of. I also found just quickly googling, that Clemson offers a Applied UAS Thermography course for $1500 and adding the Level 1 certification is a $300 add on. Since it is self-paced, that would be better for me rather than taking 4 days off work for the virtual ITC class. Does anyone else have other options or recommendations for training and certifications in this field?

I have a small side business doing drone photography and photogrammetry. Until this week, I wasn't really planning to get into thermography since I didn't have the funding for the equipment and training and have done no market research on how useful it would even be. However, I got a deal I couldn't refuse on eBay for an Autel 640R FLIR radiometric gimbal to swap into my workhorse Evo 2. Being able to use the word "certified" I'm sure goes a long way. And I imagine becomes required if you want to submit findings for insurance companies, solar farms, etc? In the meantime, it's a hunting and animal location tool. And also really cool to play with .

What I am not trying to do is be a licensed home inspector or provide a bunch of ground based services right now.

 

[TreeLineView]

I took the Flir Level 1 class in 2016. They base their "Certification" on ASNDT (American Society of Non Destructive Testing) I believe. I thought the class was very informative. I will mention I had committed to learning this new technology 6 months prior to the class. After taking some very good advice from someone in this forum, I purchased a Flir handheld and spent 6 months taking and interpreting images I took of everything and anything. It prepared me to better absorb the information covered in the class. It's not rocket science, but it just takes time and experience to be able to correctly/confidently interpret what you see. I would have been lost in the class if I did not have a little experience prior to the class. IMOP.

Oh, not a single customer has ever asked me about my Certification. I'm waiting for Level II Class to be offered in person in Nashua, NH this winter. Why? Mostly to be able to talk to others from around the country and see what they are doing in this industry.

 

[Air Support Solutions]

I purchased a Flir handheld and spent 6 months taking and interpreting images I took of everything and anything. It prepared me to better absorb the information covered in the class.

That's a good idea. I was planning to start investigating all my neighbor's roofs and a solar farm downtown to get some material to analyze. I have a FLIR One for my phone as well for closer up stuff to play with.

 

[Refract]

FLIR has worldwide recognition, they recently bought up a European company that had a similar OS (Sense Software) and are converting it to their system.

Whether they are the leading tech or not, they are positioned to be a worldwide authority in the field, so it's a safe bet recognition wise.

That said, I completed their level 2 course and was left with the impression that it was only a money grab, pretty much a review of level 1. Level 3 is supposed to be much more in depth science.

Finally, like TreeLineView, I have yet to get an inquiry into my certification.

 

[jmichael]

I’m surprised as most comments I’ve heard about the ITC courses has been pretty positive. You should come away from the Level2 course with a good understanding of quantitative thermography. I did my Level 1 and 2 with Infraspection Institute, so can’t comment personally on the ITC material.

 

[Refract]

I’m surprised as most comments I’ve heard about the ITC courses has been pretty positive. You should come away from the Level2 course with a good understanding of quantitative thermography. I did my Level 1 and 2 with Infraspection Institute, so can’t comment personally on the ITC material.

I should specify, I took the level 1 sUAS course which was very in-depth, so much so that I found the level 2 a little bit repetitive.

 

[Djeszelda]

I should specify, I took the level 1 sUAS course which was very in-depth, so much so that I found the level 2 a little bit repetitive.

Several things to be aware of. FWIW I am a Level I thermographer, Part 107 licensed and have taken several courses in building science. I have been flying drones with thermal imagers for more than 6 years. The setup for any of my drones is White Hot. Ironman and other colorized images look great for clients, but, IMO, are far more difficult to interpret. I use default settings for all other settings. I try to keep my altitude to 200 to 300 feet AGL. It is paramount that you understand the composition of the roof assembly. Metal is a no-go. Ballasted is problematic unless you have lots of experience interpreting them. I have flown Millions of square feet of roofs all over Washington, Idaho and Oregon. It is my experience that we need to be looking at areas, not pixels. I do all of my imagery NADIR. I have taken as many as 800+ images for a 675,000 square foot roof. I have them stitched into an orthomosaic. For presentation to the client, I circle areas of anomalies so they can have a roofer perform destructive testing. I hope this helps. I haven't covered everything I have learned, but am willing to share what I know.