Is it possible to scale drone programs across large enterprise organizations?
If you ask today’s guest, he’d probably smile like the Cheshire cat before giving you his answer. Joshua Ziering is Founder and Chief Pilot of Kittyhawk.io, a drone operations and management solution for enterprise clients. He is an accomplished UAV pilot, having flown all manner of unmanned aircraft for over 15 years. He has flown professionally for the NHL, ABC Television, and various manned-aviation airshows. Josh is also a founding member of the FAA Unmanned Aviation Safety Team and an FAA Part 107 certificate holder.In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Joshua talks about Kittyhawk.io, its innovative platform for serving enterprise drone operations and what the future may hold for the drone industry.
What’s it take for public safety agencies to start a drone program?
For that question, we turn to Brendan Stewart, President & Chief Pilot for AeroVista Drone Academy. AeroVista aids public agencies and corporations in empowering the next generation of drone pilots for success. They provide end-to-end solutions beyond just training, ensuring an effective drone program that minimizes risk and maximizes results. Brendan has almost a decade of unmanned aviation experience and over 2,500 flight hours. He is responsible for driving Drone Training, Program Development and FAA Compliance Solutions for AeroVista Drone Academy. He recognizes that Public Safety personnel need to be equipped with a turn key drone program that solves the challenges of FAA compliance, training, scaling operations, producing actionable intelligence and ultimately accelerates program adoption. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brendan talks about AeroVista Drone Academy, its mission and focus on public safety and the current trends in unmanned training programs.
How can Counter UAS measures be used to enhance security and public safety efforts?
For that question, we turn to someone who is uniquely qualified to give us the answers. Brian Fentiman is Vice-President and CTO of Blueforce UAV Consulting, a Canadian based UAS / Counter UAS consulting and training company. Blueforce assists in building unique UAS and counter UAS programs for enterprises of any size. Brian recently retired from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after 34 years of service. He has spent the last 3 years building the sUAS and C-sUAS program for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia. He is a technical expert on UAS electronic countermeasures and holds a Diploma in Telecommunications. Brian maintains a Part 107 Airman’s Certificate, is a ground school instructor, and has developed several small UAS courses. He has provided support to tactical teams, forensic investigators, as well as Search and Rescue teams. Brian was the first certified Extended Visual Line of Sight check pilot in Canada and the first in Canada to deploy UAS countermeasures at a VIP venue. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show podcast, Brian talks about Blueforce Consulting and the use of counter measures for security and public safety purposes.
What do we need to fly a drone safely over people?
If you ask today’s guest, he would say having a reliable parachute system. Gene Englegau is the founder of Fruity Chutes, a world leader in the manufacturing of recovery systems for drones and rockets. The company provides parachute recovery systems to many of the top UAS manufacturers including AAI Textron, Quest UAV, Silent Falcon, Aeromao, Zipline, and Matternet and more. Their top priority is to work with manufacturers and provide them with world class recovery systems.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Gene talks about Fruity Chutes, the FAA drone over people workgroup and what it’s like to produce recovery sysems for the drone industry. Joining Gene is his daughter, Janice Egnlegau who handles operations and assists in social media and other areas of the company
What do we know about the Yuneec drone company and its products?
Today’s guest will fill us in on details. Frank DeMartin is Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Americas at Yuneec. The company has a long history in the aviation industry, starting out as a manufacturer of remonte-controlled aircraft and evolving in to one of today’s leading drone makers. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Frank talks about the origin and history of Yuneec, its latest products and some case uses, and he offers insights into the commercial and consumer drone industry.
Are there questions that we should be asking?
If you ask today’s guest, he would say, “Hundreds”. Patrick Egan is the editor of the American Desk at sUAS News and host and Executive Producer of the sUAS News Podcast Series, Drone TV and the Small Unmanned Systems Business Exposition. Patrick experience in the field spans military and civilian UAS applications, he was the director of special programs for the Remote Control Aerial Photography Association and he is considered a subject matter expert on the UAS industry.
This is Part 1 of a 2-Part Interview with Patrick. In these two episodes of the Drone Radio Show, Patrick raises some questions about the drone industry, transparency, federal expenditures, priorities, special interests and who’s really advocating for small commercial drone operators.
Are Drones the answer to urban mass transit challenges?
One company thinks they could be. Mark Moore is Engineering Director for Vehicle Systems at Uber Elevate, Uber’s light-aircraft ridesharing project. There he is working the next generation of urban mobility solutions that involve air passenger drones. Prior to joining Uber, Mark worked for NASA for over 32 years, the entire time focusing on conceptual design studies of advanced aircraft concepts. His research focused on understanding how to best integrate the emerging technology area of electric propulsion and automation to achieve breakthrough on-demand aviation capabilities. He left NASA for Uber to make electric VTOL flight a reality. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Mark talks about Uber’s passenger drones, its planned future commuter service and its impact on cities and regions.
Ever Wonder How Europe is Coming Along with Its Unmanned Traffic Management System?
Well, today’s guest gives us some insight. Philip Butterworth-Hayes is a consultant and writer on global aerospace affairs. He is the editor of Unmanned Airspace, the first dedicated UTM/counter UAS new service, and editor of Skyway, the journal of EUROCONTROL. He is also a commentator on aviation safety issues for the global broadcast industry. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show. Philip shares his perspective on efforts to create an unmanned traffic management system in Europe and he compares those efforts with what he’s observed here in the United States.
When can we expect to see drone deliveries?
If we ask today’s guest, he would say it’s already happening. Joel Ifill is the CEO of DASH Systems a California based company that designs, manufactures and deploys low cost one-way delivery drones built from the ground up to operate in today's air logistics network. The delivery drones can be mounted to any commercial aircraft, helicopter or UAV, allowing fast and rapid deployment into any environment. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Joel talks about creating a precision drone delivery service, how it supported recovery operations in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and he future of drone delivery.
What might the next generation UAV engines look like?
Alec Schlonik is co-founder and CEO of LiquidPiston, a Connecticut based company that is revolutionizing next-generation engine development. The company develops and licenses compact & efficient power solutions based on an optimized thermodynamic cycle and a new type of rotary engine architecture. The patented high-efficiency cycle is the biggest leap forward in combustion engine technology over the last 85 years. It holds great promise as the preferred future propulsion solution for both military and heavy commercial drones. Alec has a PhD in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from MIT, and has spent a decade-plus reinventing the rotary engine that Felix Wankel created in 1960 and Mazda is bringing back to life in 2019. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Alec talks about Liquid Piston, it’s revolutionary engine and the potential value and impact on the military and commercial UAV sectors.
IHow important is relationship building in creating a successful drone based business?
If you ask today’s guest, she would say it’s critical. Nicole Abbett is a Tampa based photographer, videographer, artist and drone operator. She is a graduate of the University of South Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in photography. She honed her skills as an artist and photographer before starting her own commercial photography business. A few years ago, Nicole picked up a drone and launched a new career as a droneographer. After getting her Part 107 Certification, she quickly established herself as a leading aerial videographer in the Tampa Bay area, eventually landing high profile jobs and becoming the first woman to fly for the National Hockey League. She credits her success to hard work, refining her skills and nurturing strong relationships that have garnered her high profile jobs, referrals and repeat business.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Nicole talks about her path from artist/photographer to droneographer. She talks about how building strong relationships has landed her some great opportunities and what she’s done to build a successful commercial drone based business.
That’s the question that we explore in this show with Katie Flash of InterDrone and Romeo Durscher of DJI and a member of the InterDrone Industry Advisory Board. In March, InterDrone announced the formation of an advisory board, consisting of 19-members from industry-leading companies, analysts and former FAA employees and administrators. According to the press release, the board will assist conference organizers with program development and speaker selection to ensure the most comprehensive schedule of commercial drone training during this year’s event. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Katie and Romeo talk about the Industry Advisory Board and how it will shape this year’s InterDrone Conference. They give us an update on the plans for the conference, as well as share their experiences of making InterDrone a premier drone event.
How has the Drone Industry changed?
For that question, we turn to Ian Smith, Business Development Lead at Drone Deploy and founder, CEO and Host of the successful Commercial Drones FM Podcast. Ian was a guest on the Drone Radio Show more than 2 years ago, and he talked about finding ROI through drone services. A lot has changed in the drone industry since that interview interview, and its time for an update. In this episode, Ian talks about Drone Deploy’s current products and services, how the drone industry has changed in the past two years and he shares what it's been like to producing his incredibly successful podcast on the drone industry.
What do weather detection systems have to do with the Drone Industry?
For that question, we go to Tampa, Florida to talk the CEO and CTO of Entropy Technology Design, a company that specializes in developing portable, hand-held technology that detects severe weather threats such as lightning and tornadoes, in real time. Its proprietary technology can also detect other threats, such as mortar fire, sandstorms, tunneling and drones.
Tami Fitzpatrick is CEO of Entropy Technology Design and has 25 years experience in small corporate management, public relations, international trade development, and all factors related to product conceptualization, development, sales, and marketing. Her business experience over the last ten years has focused on the developing and launching of product concepts across the government, commercial, and consumer markets.
Joining Tami in this show is Edward Shaver, the CTO of Entropy Technology Design. Edward is a physicist, inventor and a published author. Prior to joining Entropy, Edward led development and production the first commercially viable hand-held lightning detector and the first hand-held product capable of tracking the motion of full thunderstorms. In 2012, Edward developed the StormVector Area Warning System, which use wireless communication to provide storm warning in large industrial facilities, college campuses, and even areas the size of small cities.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Tami and Edward talk about company’s revolutionary hand held weather detection technology, how it can be leveraged to make drones fly safer and how it can be used by military, government and commercial drone entities to support their mission or business objectives.
This is a great example of a core technology in a completely different field finding application and utility in the drone industry.
What’s going on with efforts to develop the unmanned traffic management system?
If you ask today’s guest, he would tell you a lot has been accomplished and there are some exciting things ahead. Parimal Kopardekar, PK for short, serves as manager of the NASA’s Safe Autonomous System Operations Project. The goal of the project is to develop autonomy related concepts, technologies and architectures that will increase efficiency, safety, and capacity of airspace operations. At NASA, he has initiated many innovative research projects. Prior to this current project, he managed the Next Generation Air Transportation Systems (NextGen) Concepts and Technology Development Project. He has published more than 40 articles, and is recipient of numerous NASA awards including Outstanding Leadership Medal and Engineer of the Year. He holds a doctorate and master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering and bachelor’s degree in production engineering.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, PK talks about NASA’s role in developing the Unmanned Transportation Management System and shares what’s been accomplished, the current status and what we can expect in the future for unmanned traffic management.
Why did Pix4d set up a R&D office in Berlin?
For that question, we turn to Jorge Fernandez, Product and Solution Manager for Pix4d Berlin. Jorge is responsible for the vision of Pix4D in the Agriculture industry. He is responsible for advancing product strategy, managing internal engineering resources and coordinating communications with key stakeholders and media. Backed with over ten years of scientific research, Pix4D is the industry leader in professional drone mapping and photogrammetric software solutions. The dynamic and rapidly expanding company is based in Switzerland, with offices in San Francisco, Shanghai and most recently, Berlin. In this edition of the Drone Radio show, Jorge talks about the opening of Pix4d’s research and development office in Berlin, Germany and how the company is positioning itself to support the agriculture industry with photogrammetry, computer vision, and machine learning.
If you ask today’s guest, he would say, create a YouTube channel with more than 75,000 subscribers. Kelly Shores lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children. By day, he’ does video production. But in his off time, he runs a successful YouTube channel, called Ready Set Drone, where he showcases his drone experiences. Since 2014, he's produced hundreds of videos, featuring product reviews, lessons learned and personal drone perspectives. As indicated, his channel attracts more than 75,000 loyal subscribers who tune in regularly to find out what Kelly is up to with drones. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Kelly talks about how he turned his passion for drones into a successful YouTube sensation and gives some advice to others who would like to create their own on-line drone presence.
Can we get paid more for following the rules?
Today’s guest on the Drone Radio Show not only believes that we can, he’s jumped full force into creating a platform that will do it. Steven Flynn is the CEO and CoFounder of SkyTango, the world's first marketplace connecting drone operators, their content buyers, and landowners in a digital space where all can do business in a new and revolutionary way.
Recently, SkyTango teamed up with Pond5, a global media marketplace, to give drone operators the ability to earn a premium for their content if they document that the mission complied with all regulations and that all required image permissions were obtained. These types of certifications are commonplace in the TV and Film Industry, but drone cinematography got out ahead of the rest of the industry in this regard. As a result, questions arise as to the risk of buying video content that may be subject to privacy laws, copyright infringement or regulatory compliance.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Steve talks about the impetus behind SkyTango, how drone operators can earn a premium for their work and the partnership with Pond5 the could revolutionize the drone videography business. Steve is also joined by his wife and Cofounder of SkyTango, Susan Talbot.
What are the business opportunities in the STEM Education Sector?
For that question, we turn to Ron Poynter, President of OnPoynt Aerial Solutions, the nation’s leading supplier of Drone Education Kits and training for STEM Education. OnPoynt was established in 2012, following the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ron talks about OnPoynt Aerial Solutions, the rise of drone technology in STEM Education Programs and the challenge of serving the education market. This is a great example of how one entrepreneur found an opportunity to serve a niche market while doing something really worthwhile.
What are we learning about how drones can be used for public safety?
Mike Uleski is an officer with the Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Department. He has a private pilot’s license, earning it before graduating high school. At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical sciences. He has a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for instrument flight, single-engine, and multi-engine aircraft. In addition to being a patrol division sergeant with the Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Department, Mike is also cross-trained as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMT. He is also the Chief Public Safety Instructor at DART Drones. Additionally, Mike has more than 17 years of experience building and flying remote-controlled aircraft, including fixed wing, helicopters, and multi-rotors.
Under Mike’s supervision, the Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Department has been using drones in its public safety operations. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Mike talks about four case studies where drones where used by his department, the lessons learned and what public safety agencies should consider when creating their own drone program.
Today's guests would say it’s getting the package into the hands of the customer, wherever they are. Bashir Khan is CEO and Founder of ScorpioX Technologies, an early stage drone start-up company that has developed a proprietary delivery process and mechanism, which addresses many of the challenges posed by last minute-last meter delivery in urban spaces. He is joined by Alexandra McCalla, COO, Armel Njinkeu, CPO and Talha Javed, CTO, all of ScorpioX Technologies.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, the ScorpioX Technologies team talks about their exciting technology that they hope will make drone deliveries in challenging environments possible. They’ll also share their experience with the Brinc accelerator in Barcelona, Spaine and the lessons learned that could help other early stage entrepreneurs launch successfully
What’s it take to create a really compelling drone video?
For that question, we turn to two people that spend most of their day watching and ranking drone videos submitted by people from all over the world. Megan Gaffney is Vice President of Marketing and Tyler Mason is Director of Digital Media, both from AirVuz. AirVuz was was launched in late 2015 as a video-sharing platform for the worldwide drone community. Featuring a blend of user-generated content and original programming, AirVūz has become the premiere online video site for the emerging Drone Age. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Megan and Tyler talk about the factors that can boost a video’s likeability and push it to the top of the charts. Anyone wanting to take their drone videos to the next level will be interested in hearing what Tyler and Megan have to share.
Are we ready to make the jump to integrate augmented reality with drone systems?
Today’s guest believes we are, and his company has developed the first app that introduces this concept. Dan Burton is Co-Founder and CEO of DroneBase, a large network of drone pilots, highly engaged by streams of commercial and creative activities, creating value for the new economy. In addition to providing a platform for drone operators to undertake paid and training missions, DronBase recently released a first of it’s kind augmented reality platform to enable users to create whatever they imagine in open airspace. This could be a drone race course, giant works of art or waypoints for client missions. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Dan talks about DroneBase, the company’s technology based solutions and the promise that augmented reality holds in achieving positive ROI.
What Did We Learn In 2017 That Will Help Us in the New Year?
For that question, we turn to the leading analyst in the drone industry. Colin Snow is the CEO and Founder of Skylogic Research, a research, content, and advisory services firm supporting the commercial UAS industry. Colin is a 25 year technology industry veteran with a background in manufacturing, electronics, digital imaging, field service, software, research, and mobility. At Skylogic, Colin and his staff, helps companies make critical investment decisions with confidence by providing research-based insights on the commercial drone markets. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Colin gives us a year-end review of the drone industry and offers insights into what we may see in 2018.
Can drones be used to help our understanding of war zones and conflict areas?
If you asked today’s guest, she would offer a resounding YES! Gail Orenstein has been a global photojournalist and documentary photographer for 25 years. She’s originally from Mystic, Connecticut but has lived in London for 20 years now. Her work has taken her to over 71 countries, some of them are the most conflicted regions in the world including Syria, Iraq, Eastern Ukraine, Central Africa and Central America. Her photos have been published extensively around the world. In 2016, Gail started using drones in covering stories of conflict areas. She quickly learned the power of drones to capture and tell compelling stories and she made the full transition from a photojournalist to dronelist. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Gail talks about her 25 year history as a photojournalist, how she began using drones and how the technology has opened a new passion for telling stories.