Well, we’re not going to divulge that or give any other spoilers in this episode but we are going to hear from someone who will tell us why we should tune-
in Nick Horbaczewski is the CEO of the Drone Racing League, the premier racing organization combining world class pilots, iconic locations and proprietary technology to create engaging drone racing content with mass appeal. The League was formed in 2015, finished its first successful season in 2016 and is back for what could be its break out year. I interviewed Nick just before the start of the 2016 season, and so much has happened since then. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Nick talks about last year, what’s new for this year and how the lessons of the first two years are taking the league to the next level.
Then you’re going to enjoy hearing from today’s guest. Craig Marcinkowski is the Director of Strategy and Business Development for Gryphon Sensors. Gryphon develops commercial sensor systems for the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). Leveraging six decades of expertise in radar and electronic surveillance sensor research and development from parent company SRC Inc., the company provides innovative multi-spectrum solutions in the drone security and UAS integration markets.
Gryphon Sensors is one of the companies working with the FAA on NAS integration. Earlier this year, the company demonstrated "Skylight", a system that integrates a diverse sensor suite to track objects. A wide variety of drones were flown at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to test the capability of the system to detect, track, classify and display threats. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Craig talks about the Skylight System, the demonstration, the work that Gryphon Sensors is doing to safely integrate drones into the national air space, and he’ll give us a glimpse of what’s happening with this critical FAA initiative.
Ever wonder what it would be like to pilot an underwater drone?
Thanks to the efforts of today’s guest, we now have that opportunity. Christine Spiten is the Co-Founder & Chief Global Strategist for Blueye Robotics, a Norwegian based company that seeks to develop and sell the world's finest drone for underwater exploration. The company launched a new product, the Blueye Pioneer, a prosumer personal drone capable of reaching depths of 150 meters and providing an unparalleled user experience. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Christine ialks about Blueye Robotics, the new Blueye Pioneer underwater drone and the rewards of exploring, first hand, our oceans and seas.
If you asked today’s guest, not only would she say yes there are, she would make a strong case that focusing on women in drones is good business. Sharon Rosmark is the founder and CEO of Women And Drones, a new business venture aimed at being the premier global platform for women in the UAS industry. Women in Drones provides a forum for women to share best practices and their preferences for products and services. She is a licensed FAA Remote Pilot and before starting Women in Drones, she was Chief Operating Officer for AeroVista Innovations. For several years, she has been a strong advocate for women in the drone industry. Sharon talks about Women And Drones and how her passion to support women in the drone industry led her to create a new business.
If you asked today’s guest, he’d have a lot to share. Arthur Holland Michel is founder and editor of the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College. The Center examines the novel and complex opportunities and challenges presented by unmanned systems technologies in both the military and civilian sphere. As a freelance writer and editor based in New York City, Arthur has written about unmanned systems, mechanical autonomy, and surveillance. Prior to forming the Center for the Study of the Drone, from 2009 to 2012, he was the director of the Tambo Foundation, a community nonprofit that developed sustainable projects in education, infrastructure, potable water, and health in the Cusco region in southern Peru. Recently, the Center completed a three-part study on drone use and regulations at the local level in the United States. The Drone at Home study examines local regulations, public safety use of drones and drone incidents. Arthur is here to talk about the Center for the Study of the Drone, an interesting class on the Drone Revolution and the findings of the Drone at Home series.
Well before you grab your UAV and rush out the door, you’re going to want hear what today’s guest has to say. Jay Manley is the CEO and owner of Dakota Skyhook, a commercial drone service company in Fargo, North Dakota. Jay also has a long history of search and rescue participation, including actual mission “Finds”. He is a 18-year member of the Civil Air Patrol, with the rank of Lt. Col., has over 600 hours of flying and over 150 actual mission hours of flying. Besides the flying aspects, Jay is also a certified Incident Commander and actively helps train other members in search and rescue activities. He is a Life member of the AMA and has been operating his UAS business for almost a years. Jay is here to talk about Dakota Skyhook, his background in search and rescue and the challenges and opportunities of using drones for search and rescue.
If you ask today’s guest, she would say there are things you can do to stand out above the rest. Cynthia Cauthan is CEO and founder of Transcendence UAS, a professional recruitment firm specializing in securing the most talented professionals and business leaders for the UAS Industry. She has over 15 years of success in information technology, executive management search, client relationship management, business development and project management.
It’s been said that in the next few years, the drone industry will create as many as 100,000 jobs. For most first time job seekers, the typical job search techniques – specialization, training and networking – will suffice. But for those seeking to advance into mid and executive level positions, the competition can be fierce and you may need to differentiate yourself. At the same time, with dynamic changes occurring in this fast paced industry, choosing the right opportunity is paramount to achieving long term success. That’s where Cynthia comes in. On this episode of the Drone Radio show, Cynthia talks about Transcendence, the types of jobs that may be in most demand in the UAS industry and how career seekers can find the right positions that maximize their value.
If we ask today guest, he would say that’s where the opportunities lie. Bjorn Forsdal is the President of Robot Aviation USA, an international company based in Norway. Robot aviation develops and produces unmanned aircraft systems designed to deliver a working solution for the end user. Their systems will typically be used in inspecting, monitoring, surveying and helping search and rescue operations. In 2016, Robot Aviation established its US base of operations in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Bjorn is here to talk about Robot Aviation, its products, autonomous and beyond line of flight operations and why the company decided to locate in Grand Forks. We’ll also hear from Brian Opp, Manager of Aviation Business Development at the North Dakota Department of Commerce who will give us some insights into why the North Dakota UAS economy is attractive to foreign investment by companies like Robot Aviation.
Terry Sando is the Director of UAS Sector Development at the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation. The Grand Forks EDC promotes economic development in the Northeast North Dakota region, working to establish new wealth and job growth for the City and County of Grand Forks and outlying regional communities. Among the leading industries that the EDC targets is the Unmanned Industry. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Terry talks about the efforts of the Grand Forks EDC to encourage and support the growth and formation of UAS companies and offers lessons to other economic development professionals on how to nurture this fast growing industry in their regions.
Today's guest says we already have. Alex Caccia is a serial entrepreneur, with start-ups in hardware and software, as well as sports equipment. He is also the CEO of Animal Dynamics, a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University. Animal Dynamics is setting out to develop a portfolio of products derived from research into evolutionary adaptions in flight, swimming, walking, based on the fundamentals mechanisms of high-performance animals. Their current project, the Skeeter Drone, is micro droned with flapping wings like a dragon fly. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Alex talks about Animal Dynamics, the science behind looking at high performance animals, the Skeeter Drone, and the role of university based research in launching new technologies.
The View From The Great Plains
In this third segment of Stories of the Drone, we travel to the Great Plains, to the town of Mandan, North Dakota to talk with Marlo Anderson. Marlo, also known as the "Guru of Geek", is the host of the Tech Ranch, a weekly radio program featuring technology for everyday use. He is also co-founder of Zoovio, Inc., Awesome 2 Products and NationalDayCalendar.com.
Marlo is actively involved in promoting unmanned and robotics technology in North Dakota. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Marlo talks about his Tech Ranch radio show, how drones are viewed in the Great Plains, the origin of 1 Million Cups and its impact on the drone industry, the efforts to create an Autonomous Friendly Corridor and his latest venture, the National Day Calandar. We’ll also talk a little about Drone Focus 2017 which begins on May 31st, which coincidently is also marked as National Autonomous Vehicle Day.
Todd Wahl is the President of Multi GP, the premier FPV racing league uniting pilots across the globe in casual and competitive events. Todd is a lifelong entrepreneur and technologist who sold his technology consulting company to focus fulltime on growing Multi GP’s FPV Sports offerings. He has been involved in drone racing for years, having organized and managed Atlanta’s Drone Racing Club and working to involve people at all levels of the sport. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Todd talks about Multi GP, the current state of drone racing, the Multi GP Drone Championship and how drone racing could very well become the next organized college sports sensation.
Can We Really Have an Impact?
David Rovira is the Regional Manager SensFly, a drone manufacture and services company based in Switzerland. He is also the director of Drone Adventures, a non-profit organization comprised of SenseFly employees who banded to make a difference. Their goal is to demonstrate and promote the great potential of drones to protect our planet and support local communities. On this episode of the Drone Radio Show, David talks about Drone Adventures, how it was formed, some of the missions that have been undertaken and how a group of like-minded employees are using their passion for drones to make a difference in the lives of people and communities across the globe.
For that question, we turn to Brigham A. McCown, Chairman and Founder of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure. AII is an independent, national, educational organization dedicated to identifying our nation’s infrastructure needs, creating awareness of those needs and developing public-private partnerships to address those issues. Their goal is to create higher standards by promoting innovative technologies and safer outcomes for national infrastructure projects.
Brigham has more than 28 years of executive management, legal, and operational experience at the local, national, and international levels of government. In addition to serving as the Chairman of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, he also serves as the Chairman and CEO of Nouveau Inc. and is a Managing Shareholder of Kilgore / McCown, PLLC. He’s a former senior executive at the United States Department of Transportation, and current entrepreneur and philanthropist. We’re fortunate to have him with us today. Drones have surfaced on the Alliance’s radar as a promising innovative technology and because of the potential to support our country’s infrastructure goals. On this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Brigham talks about the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, it’s mission and objectives and how drones fit into the overall agenda.
What Do We Need To Know about Drone Security?
Michael Monnik is a cyber security consultant and founder of DroneSec a drone-security service. Michael has built a successful career in helping clients secure their networks. Over the past few years, his interest in internet security led him to drones. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about the drone security sector, the risks to our systems, mitigation options and what we all need to know about drone security. He’ll also introduce us to a new podcast that he’s producing on drone security that will explore these concepts in greater detail.
Lisa Murray is the event director for Diversified Communications, an international media company with more than 12 years’ experience in producing world-renowned events for precision measurement professionals. If you’re in this field, then you have most likely have attended one of their events, including SPAR 3D Conference & Expo, the International Lidar Mapping Forum or the Commercial UAV Expo.
One June 20-22, Diversified Communications brings its winning formula to Brussels, creating a signature forum for UAS professionals all across Europe. It’s called the Commercial UAV Expo Europe. In this episode, Lisa talks about the Expo, why it’s being held in Europe, what attendees can expect and, most importantly, why UAS professionals should to attend.
For that question, we speak with Heriberto Saldivar, the technical director for the Reimagine Drone program, an accelerator for drone startups organized by Brinc and Incubio. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Harry talks about current trends in the European drone market and how they compare to the U.S. market. He also talks about the finalists of the Reimagine Drone Accelerator and how those companies fit into the European drone market.
Rolf Schlub, founder of TerraCam, based in Johanesburg, South Africa talks about the remote sensing business. TerraCam was founded in 2011 by Rolf W. Schlub to satisfy the growing trend of remote sensing in industries such as mining, land surveying, construction, urban development, security and agriculture. Using unmanned aerial platforms, TerraCam gathers image and video data that can then be processed into actionable information. As the director of TerraCam, Rolf manages the strategy and direction of the company while maintaining close collaborations with the R&D department. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Rolf talks about the company, its services and the challenges and opportunities of creating a remote sensing operation in the drone industry.
Michael Scholl, CEO of the Save Our Seas Foundation and Sonja Betschart Co-Founder of WeRobotics explores this question.
Save Our Seas is a Geneva based foundation dedicated to protecting life in our oceans, especially sharks and rays. The organization supports researchers, conservationists and educators across the globe. They have centers in Florida, Seychelles and South Africa, dedicated to learning about sharks and rays and sharing that knowledge. Michael has more 20 years of experience researching and studying sharks. His efforts have been featured in television documentaries by the BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery Channel and in publications including Science, Nature, BBC Wildlife Magazine, and Africa Geographic. WeRobotics promotes the positive impact of drones across multiple social sectors, particularly in developing and at-risk countries. Prior to joining WeRobotics, Sonja was on the Board of Directors of Drone Adventures, a non-profit organization in Switzerland dedicated to showing the great potential of drones to protect our planet and support local communities. In 2015, Drone Adventures and Save Our Seas teamed up on a project to map a shark ecosystem in the Seychelles using a drone. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael and Sonja share their experience of that mapping project, offer some lessons learned and give us some insights into sharks, their ecosystem and the future of drones in marine research.
Ever wonder how we’re going to train all of the new UAV pilots?
If you ask today’s guest, she would say that she’s got this. Abby Speicher is the CEO and Co-Founder of DART Drones, a flight school for drone pilots. DART Drones is the national leader in drone training, consultation, and expert support for new drone pilots. Their mission is to provide the highest quality training on Unmanned Aerial Systems to ensure the safe integration of drones into the national airspace. In this show, Abby talks about how she started Dart Drones, the courses offered and how the company is preparing this generation’s UAV pilots for the commercial drone industry.
Are you getting undercut by drone operators that won't follow the rules? According to today’s guest, there is a way to grow and sustain a drone based industry by rewarding compliance. Steven Flynn is an Emmy Award winning Filmmaker: Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor, and a drone pilot. With a background in electronics and photography he honed his skill both as a photographer and editor, forming his own post-production company in 1996. Among his past clients are PBS, DISCOVERY, TRAVEL CHANNEL, HGTV, and PAISLEY PARK. He moved to Ireland in 2012 and co-found Aerial Filming Ireland. Flying for big and small clients alike, he saw both the opportunities and the tensions in the booming drone economy. In 2015 he pitched Skytango to the National Digital Resource Centre in Dublin and has spent the last 2 years as CEO, creating a new on-line drone marketplace. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Steve talks about SkyTango and introduces the concept of rewarding compliance in the drone industry to help promote long-term economic sustainability.
Have you ever wondered how drones are used in the public safety sector? If you asked today’s guest, he would say drones provide a cost-effective solution to other costly equipment and that they can provide great ROI to local public agencies.
Ryan English is President and Co-Founder of FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems, a full service UAS company headquartered in Tampa, Florida that delivers a range of UAS solutions, one of which is focused on the public safety industry. In addition to his military service and civilian special operations background, Ryan has over a decade of successful entrepreneurship to the FlyMotion team. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ryan talks about FLYMOTION, how drones are used in hazardous public safety situations, the value of drones to public safety organizations and the challenges and rewards of starting a public safety drones based business.
If you asked today’s guest, he’d give us seven predictions for a dynamic year ahead. Jeremiah Karpowicz is the Executive Editor for Commercial UAV News. He creates articles, videos, newsletters, ebooks and other content for various communities as a contributor and editor. He is also the author of a number of industry specific reports how drones are being used in various markets. His latest report is called “7 Commercial Drone Predictions for 2017”. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Jeremiah talks about the report, some of the key predictions that we should look for and what they will mean to the commercial drone industry. Halfway through this interview, Chris Korody of the Drone Business Center joins the conversation and shares his perspectives on these predictions.
Do you have an idea for a new drone start up?
Then the lessons offered by todays guest will really interest you. Siggi Hindrichs is an entrepreneur in residence at the Samsung NEXT Start tech accelerator in San Francisco. She is the founder of Notifleet, an early stage startup that aims to be an all-in-one solution for fleet management for commercial UAVs. Siggi is also a certified remote pilot with sUAS rating under Part 107. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Siggi talks about her business idea to help companies scale their drone fleets, the benefits and opportunities of working in a tech accelerator and the challenges and rewards of creating a new tech start-up. If you have an idea for a new drone business, you’ll find this interview interesting.
Have you wondered how drones can be used in the legal profession?
If you asked today’s guest, he’d tell you that drones are helping juries better understand the facts in complicated accident cases. Mark Johnson is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Visual Law Group, a company in San Jose, California that provides a variety of litigation support services. The company is comprised of creative visual media professionals who, by utilizing the most cutting edge software and technology, create innovative and easy to understand stories and presentations. In 2015, Mark began using drones to collect aerial data, create 3D models and produce virtual reality scenes to support cases of litigation. In this episode, Mark talks about the field of visual law, the rise of drones in the profession and the opportunities that drone technology offers in the litigation process.