How important is relationship building in creating a successful drone based business?

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.

Is there a way to safely and legally take control of a rogue drone?

Sotirios Kaminis is the CEO and founder of Drone Defense Systems, a start up company that provides integrated drone detection and mitigation solutions to a variety of customers. Under a newly inked licensing agreement, the company received exclusive rights to commercialize an innovative counter drone technology developed at Embry-Riddle University. The technology, developed by Embry-Riddle faculty member Dr. Houbing Song, suggests a safe, affordable way to neutralize rogue drones – without having to shoot them down or force them to crash-land – even in civilian settings such as large outdoor entertainment arenas and airports. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Sotirios talks about Drone Defense Systems, the “Drone Jacking” technology developed by Dr. Houbing Song and how this technology could make the skies a whole lot safer.

What is DJI Doing to Make It Safer To Fly Drones?

For that question, we turn to Adam Lisberg, Corporate Communication Director, North America, for DJI.  DJI is the world’s largest maker of personal and professional drones. Adam came to the drone world following a successful career in newspapers, from covering murders and fires in Chicago and New York to writing a Sunday column in the New York Daily News as the City Hall bureau chief. He was later head spokesman for the MTA, New York’s transit agency, steering its public communications through train derailments, Hurricane Sandy and other crises. Adam now leads DJI’s messaging on critical policy and regulatory issues affecting how drones are used in America. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Adam talks about a recent blue ribbon task force report on UAS Mitigation at Airports, the lack of verifiable data on drone incursions and the efforts by DJI to create safer drones and safer skies.

Ever wonder how all of these drones are going to be maintained?

Andy Osantowske is Director of Operations for Robotic Skies, the only global network of certified UAS maintenance centers.  Robotic Skies offers comprehensive turnkey field service programs designed to keep UAS flying safely, efficiently and affordably around the world. Founded in 2014, the company has more than 170 certified centers in more than 40 countries, providing maintenance, repair, operations and support services for commercial UAS. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Andy talks about company’s UAS maintenance and repair service and how it can help operators save time, money and maintain mission readiness.

Want to fly a drone in an exotic world location?

Tal Fromchenko is Co-founder and CEO of FlyThere, a new start up that lets people remotely fly drones all around the world from their own laptops. It’s an immersive way to experience the world without actually traveling.  Tal has several years in the software industry and with tech start ups. FlyThere is his most recent venture and offers exciting opportunities for people wanting to travel and fly drones.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Tal talks about the origins of the company, how users can easily and safely pilot a drone in far away lands and how real time remote flying could change the we travel.

What is the key component of an reliable UTM system?

Avner Turniansky is Vice President of Strategy at Vorpal, an Israeli manufacturer of signal analysis products and solutions for drone detection, geolocation, tracking and mitigation. Before joining Vorpal, Avner has, for the last 15 years, carried our various senior management roles with several start up companies.  He is a signal intelligence specialist, having served a lengthy career with Israel’s prestigious Unit 8200 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Avner gives us some insights into Vorpal’s signal technology and how it can detect, track and monitor drone activity with a high degree of precision.

How can we manage air space security?

Robert Tabbara is President and Founder of 911 Security, a leading UAS security software company that specializes in delivering sUAV Airspace Detection Solutions for a wide array of infrastructure and assets.  Their mission is to protect and secure your airspace against drones that threaten the safety, security and privacy of your facility. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Robert talks about 911 Security, it’s drone risk assessment program and offers insights into maintaining airspace security for UAS.

Can the Genius NY Accelerator Help Launch Your UAS Startup?

Jonathan Parry is Director of GENIUS NY at The Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse, NY.  The Tech Garden is home to Upstate New York's most promising technology startups.  Genius NY is an accelerator program focused on unmanned systems. It will award up to $3 million in grand prizes during its 12-month in-residence business competition. The program will focus on early stage technologies in the category of unmanned systems including hardware, software, and analytics. Jon has more than 12 years experience with start-ups and business development in the UAS industry.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jon talks about the Genius NY program and how it’s advancing the creation of innovative UAS companies.  Joining Jon is Ryan Pleskach, Founder and COO of Resilienx one of the companies in the current Genius NY program. Ryan shares what its been like going through the accelerator experience and how it’s helped evolve the company.

Who are the DroneResponders and why should we have an interest?

Charles Werner is Director of the DroneResponders, a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate preparedness, response and resilience using unmanned aircraft systems operated by public safety organizations around the world.  Charles Werner is the retired Charlottesville Virginia fire chief, a 44 year veteran of public safety and a FAA certified Part 107 remote pilot. He organized and is the Chair of the National Council on Public Safety UAS. He also serves on several local, state and national  committees and has authored more than 120 published articles on public safety.  In 2018, he was selected as Homeland Security Person of the Year by Homeland Security Today Magazine for his work on public safety UAS.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Charles talks benefit of creating a grass roots UAS ecosystem to facilitate learning, knowledge transfer and best practices on the use of UAS in public safety.

What can we learn from efforts to promote UAS Economic Development in Virginia?

Tracy Tynan is Director of the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center.  Housed at the Center of Innovative Technology, the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT serves as a unified voice and central source for information and assistance related to the unmanned systems landscape in Virginia. Tracy has more than 15 years of economic and community development and is responsible for instilling an entrepreneurial culture regarding unmanned systems across the Commonwealth. In this role, her main focus is to increase collaboration and communication among the various entities engaged with unmanned systems with the goal of growing unmanned systems economic activity and benefit in Virginia. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Tracy talks about the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center and efforts to promote UAS economic development. Joining Tracy is Marco Rubin, Senior Investor Director at the Center for Innovative Technology.

What is the fastest growing High School STEM Education Initiative Today?

If you said, Drone Racing Clubs, you’d be spot on.  Just do a web search and you find dozens of articles and videos of high school drone racing clubs springing up all over the country.  Drone racing is a great way to engage students in an exciting new sport, and as they build, code and race drones, they’re learning about physics, electronics, aerodynamics, computer programming and a host of other STEM-related topics.

Ron Poynter, President of OnPoynt Drone Solutions, the nation’s leading supplier of Drone Education Kits and training for STEM Education. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ron talks about the rise of high school drone racing clubs, the STEM education value and what the popularity of drone racing clubs mean for the overall drone industry.

Can indoor drones provide a high return of investment?

Patrick Thevoz is Co-founder and CEO of Flyability, the leading professional indoor drone company aiming to increase efficiency and reduce risks for humans in industrial inspections. Under his tenure, Flyability grew from 2 to over 60 employees and has over 300 customers. Before founding Flyability, Patrick worked as a strategy consultant in the life sciences industries. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Patrick talks about Flyability’s indoor industrial inspection drones, what makes them unique compared to outdoor drones and the return on investment that can be realized.

What are Washington insiders saying about drones?

For that question, we turn to Shawn Bullard, president of the Duetto Group, a Capitol Hill based government relations firm. Shawn has long career in federal policy.  Prior to leading Duetto Group, Shawn served as vice president of government relations for one of the oldest PR firms in the nation, and as a senior congressional staff member to a long-serving member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Transportation Committee's Merchant Marine and Coast Guard subcommittee. Throughout his professional career he has had the pleasure to collaborate with some of the most recognizable brands in the world. He has served on multiple boards, including the Royal Aeronautical Society, the National Press Club and the Schar School of Policy and Government.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Shawn talks about federal UAS policy issues, Air Mobility, the 2019 Drone Focus Conference and he shares with us a new podcast on federal UAV policy that all of us will find value.

Guy Nelson, Operations Director for redUAS, a consulting firm that focuses on technology-agnostic solutions and training to mitigate UAS threats. The company is made up of combat-proven drone professionals with real-world counter-UAS experience who can help customers gain a true understanding of the threat.

Guy served 11 years as a Marine Corps officer and naval aviator. He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve as a Harrier pilot and strategic planner for air power and counter-UAS operations. He is also co-founder of Attollo, LLC a veteran-owned start up that provides unmanned aircraft and associated technology training and consulting services.   A frequent speaker on counter-UAS, Guy will be on a panel on that topic at this year’s Drone Focus 2019 conference in Fargo, North Dakota on May 29. 

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Guy shares how public safety organizations can identify and reduce risks of UAS threats to their assets and special events. He also gives us a glimpse into his Drone Focus panel presentation.

What's the next level up for Drones in Stem Education?

For that question, we turn to Michelle Dunphy and Kimberly Gudinas from Fitzgerald Elementary School in Prince William County, Virginia.  Kimberly Gudinas is principal at Fitzgerald Elementary and Michelle Dunphy is the school’s Instructional Technology Coach.  Earlier this year, the school launched a STEM program that featured drones. What makes program interesting is that the drones are used to help students learn and master computer coding skills. It’s another step in the school’s strategy to prepare students for a future where programming language is seen as an essential skill.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Michelle and Kim talk about STEM education at Fitzgerald Elementary and how drones are used to teach students computer coding.

How is the Counter UAS market growing?

For that question, we turn to Michael Blades, Research Director for Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace, Defense, and Security business unit. Frost & Sullivan is a business consulting firm involved in market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting and corporate training across multiple industries. Michael has been with Frost & Sullivan for nearly 8 years as a market analyst and growth consultant and has earned a Masters Degree in Aerospace Operations as well as an MBA.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about the growth and trends shaping the counter UAS industry today.

Can drones fulfill a critical transportation need in isolated areas of Africa?

Today’s guest believes they can. Edward Anderson is a Senior Innovation Policy Specialist at the World Bank’s Global ICT unit. Since 2014 he has been based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he represents the World Bank on Technology and Innovation. As part of this role he leads work supporting the governments’ Open Data Initiative and is responsible for designing government modernization projects in UAV mapping, citizen data, microwork and smart sensors.

According to World Bank estimates, Africa needs to spend $38 billion more each year on transport infrastructure, plus a further $37 billion on operations and maintenance to sustain its current levels of development. A significant financing deficit lies between Africa's reality and the mobility that it both needs and aspires to. Only 34% of Africa's population is within 2 kilometres of an all-weather road.

To address this critical need, the World Bank is sponsoring the Lake Victoria Challenge (LVC), an ambitious project that aims to explore drones as a new mobility model for the hard-to-reach, rural communities of the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania.

In this episode of the Drone Radio show, Edward talks about the Lake Victoria Challenge and what it means to the future of Africa.

Is there a marketplace for autonomous drone services?

Derek Waleko is CEO and co-founder of UpSonder, a drone startup that provides drone services to businesses around the country ranging from local real estate agents to major energy companies. Its vision is to be a one-stop solution for drone services—which Goldman Sachs estimates will be worth $13 billion by 2020. The company went live in March 2017 and has grown into one of the largest drone marketplaces in the country. As a forward looking company, UpSonder is preparing to integrate autonomous flight services to augment its marketplace for human piloted drones.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Derek talks about the growth of Upsonder since its launch, how the company plans to offer autonomous flight services and how we can participate in a uniqued funding opportunity to help raise capital for the release of UpSonder Marketplace 2.0.

Is it possible to create a successful drone repair business today?

For that question, we go to Duluth, Georgia to hear from Rob Schwartz, owner of Thunderdrones a drone repair business. Rob began flying RC airplanes in the early 80’s and expanded into scale RC airplanes, helicopters, cars, trucks and  boats, and in 2016, he added drones. He remains active with RC cars and trucks, but his passion is now drones. So much so, that he started buying, selling and repairing drones. Since 2016, he has repaired more than 3,000 drones and is a frequent contributor and mentor on the Mavic Pilots forum when he helps pilots trouble shoot problems.  Rob flies at least 4 times a week, and also test flies customers aircraft,  He’s also a licensed private pilot with instrument training and complex rating. In this edition of the drone radio show, Rob talks about the common repair issues with DJI drones, provides some tips on how to maximize your enjoyment and how he created a successful drone repair business.

How can we become a better steward of the drone industry?

For that question we turn to Ken Christensen, Co-Founder of Foresight AI as well as Vice-President of Flight Operations. Foresight AI is a Robotic AI company using sUAS to provide accurate HD 3D Point Clouds for autonomous robots. Ken has over 30 years of experience in the aviation field both in the government and private sector. Ken has served in the Air Force, NASA, California Air National Guard and the Department of Homeland Security and has extensive aviation and aerospace experience.  He is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for UAS Drone Detection/Counter Drone technology, space based solutions and aviation airborne sensor solutions. He served in Air Force Special Operations and Air Combat Command and is a veteran of three wars, completing 117 combat and combat support missions. In addition, he remains an active commercial pilot as well as a commercial sUAS Pilots. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Ken talks about how drone operators can be effective stewards and Ambassadors of the Drone industry. He’ll share his 10 ways to become better steward and grow the industry.

What can be learned from serving the military UAV sector?

For that question we turn to Luke Layman, CEO of Vector Aerial, a leading provider of unmanned aerial systems and services offering custom, innovative and cost-effective solutions. Luke is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot with more than 15 years of aerospace experience in critical leadership, training and high technology roles. He founded Vector Solutions in 2014 and subsequently Vector Aerial to provide premier drone solutions.  He holds several flight certifications, including Airline Transport Pilot, Flight Instructor Instruments and Part 107. Luke is highly regarded as an aviation and defense expert and leads the Vector team in providing creative solutions to complex problem sets. In this episode, Luke talks about Vector Aerial, its work with at the 2019 Super Bowl for CNN and the benefits of serving both the military and commercial UAS markets.

Can An Open Source Autonomous Flying System Speed Up the Development of Flying Cars?

That’s the hope of a group of software engineers in China. Nina Rong is the community manager for the Generalized Autonomous Aviation System, or GAAS for short. GAAS is an open source project and community, dedicated to an autonomous aviation system for drones and flying cars. It offers developers and drone companies a software development platform for autonomous flight, collision avoidance, route planning and more. The ultimate goal of the project is to provide a safe and intelligent autonomous aviation system to expedite the coming of flying cars. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Nina talks about the GAAS open source system, how users can access it and its role in promoting the development of flying cars.

How is the European Drone Industry evolving?

For that question we turn to Christoph Raab, Executive Director of the Drone Alliance Europe.  The Drone Alliance Europe is a coalition of leading technology companies representing the commercial drone industry before European political leaders, regulators, and industry stakeholders, as well as international regulatory and advisory bodies. In addition to his role as Chairman, Christoph also founded the European Security Round Table in 2006. He is a regular speaker and chairman at defense and cyber security conferences. He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the UAVExpo Europe, which will be held in Amsterdam on April 8 – 10.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Christoph talks about the Drone Alliance Europe, some of the key issues and opportunities facing the European drone industry and the UAV Expo Europe.  Christoph will also talk about a UAV Expo Europe panel that he will be participating on Smart Cities and Urban Mobility.

Are you trying to find your niche in drone industry?

Robert Dahlstrom is CEO and founder of Apellix, an aerial robotics company that produces tethered drones that fly in very close proximity to structures, to paint, clean and measure (among other things). The precision controlled drones are able to autonomously complete maintenance and measurement tasks, significantly reducing costs and keeping people out of harm's way. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Robert talks about Apellix and its revolutionary drones, how the company found its niche in the industrial sector of the drone industry and he shares some lessons that other entrepreneurs might want to consider as they create a drone based business.

Where can you go to get the state of the art tactical training in the use of drones?

If you ask today’s guest, he would point you to the Unmanned Tactical Applications Conference on March 25-28 in Perry, Georgia.  Ryan English is CEO and co-founder of FLYMOTION, an industry leader in providing innovative unmanned system solutions. FLYMOTION works with government and private industry in a variety of areas, but in recent years, the company has emerged as a leader in the Defense, Public Safety and Emergency Response sectors. On March 25-28, Fly Motion will host the first Unmanned Tactical Applications Conference, where public safety officials will gather to engage in a hands on training in the use of drones in tactical situations. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Ryan talks about the UTAC Conference and how public safety organizations can benefit from attending.