How effective are drones in monitoring coastal areas? Mathieu Johnsson is CEO and Founder of Marble, a drone services company in England that provides maritime monitoring using fleets of high speed drones.  The drones are used to monitor coastal areas for illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, providing real time data to suit clients needs. Mathieu Johnsson's passion for aerospace began in childhood, influenced by his family of aviators and skydivers. During his aerospace engineering studies, Mat focused intensely on the future of aviation, from flying wings to hydrogen aircraft, often prioritizing personal projects over formal lectures. His dedication continued into his professional career at Airbus, where he converted his workshop into a makeshift bedroom to devote more time to building aircraft. His innovative work on 3D printing drones led him to a role in Airbus's secretive "Future Projects Office." Eventually, Mat’s ambition to drive change led him to found Marble, where for the past eight years, his company has been developing technology to deploy drones at sea on a large scale.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Mat talks about Marble and the use of drones to monitor coastal areas for a variety of marine situations.

How are advanced drone technologies revolutionizing global delivery systems?  For that question, we head to San Francisco to speak with Keenan Wyrobek and Juan Albanell of Zipline.  Zipline is the world’s first drone delivery service whose focus is delivering life-saving medicine to the most difficult to reach places on earth. The company designs, manufactures and operates the world’s largest autonomous logistics system. Used every day by businesses, governments and consumers, Zipline’s fully electric and autonomous drones reduce delivery emissions by up to 97% compared to gas cars. It has flown more than 70 million autonomous miles, and has delivered millions of items including more than 15 million vaccine doses. Keenan Wyrobek is co-founder and head of product and engineering at Zipline.  Prior to Zipline, Keenan was a co-founder and director of the Personal Robotics Program at Willow Garage. He was involved in launching and growing the Robot Operating System (ROS) and shipping PR2, the first personal robot for software R&D. Keenan has spent years delivering high tech products to market across a range of fields including consumer electronics, sportswear, and medical robotics. Juan Albanell is Head of System Engineering, where he has led engineering efforts to scale up Platform 1 across the world and is now focused on getting Platform 2 from prototype to first customer releases. Prior to Zipline, Juan led a small team at Apple working on taking emerging sensing and display technologies from lab bench to automated production lines. He has dedicated his engineering career on taking early stage concepts to reliable customer products through a focus on test and automation. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Keenan and Juan talk about Zipline, its long-distance Platform 1 delivery service and the company’s plans to scale short-distance Platform 2 home delivery services.  

George Matus is CEO and founder of Teal Drones, a trailblazing U.S. company at the forefront of innovative drone technology for both commercial and military applications. With advancements in air control, data processing, and mapping technologies, Teal is revolutionizing operations for the military, public safety, and various commercial sectors.  Its flagship Teal 2 Drone is a model of security, intelligence, and high performance that meets the stringent standards of the U.S. defense industry. George started Teal Drones in 2014 when he was only a sophomore in high school. By 2023, he was named CTO of Red Cat Holdings, the parent company of Teal Drones. Red Cat is an end-to-end drone solutions company based in the United States that is accelerating the future of aerial robotics to transform the way we live and work. In Episode 412, I interviewed Michael Robbins, Chief Advocacy Officer at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International or AUVSI. In that podcast, we explored the importance of U.S. competitiveness in the drone industry.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, builds on this theme by highlighting the ascent of Teal Drones as a manufacturing leader and sheds light on the expanding opportunities for American drone companies in the global market.

How do we take control of truly dangerous drone situation?   Jeffrey Starr is Chief Marketing Officer at D-Fend Solutions.  D-Fend Solutions is the leading global provider of cyber-takeover, counter-drone solutions for sensitive and challenging environments. By focusing on the acute drone threat, their technology enables organizations around the world to maintain full control, safety, and continuity during rogue drone incidents across complex and sensitive environments and be prepared for future threats.  The company’s core offering, called EnforceAir, automatically executes radio frequency cyber-takeovers of rogue drones for safe landings and safe outcomes.   Jeffery brings a track record of generating revenue and building market leadership through visionary business strategies.  Prior to joining D-Fend Solutions, Jeffrey served as CMO and in executive roles at AlgoSec, Cellebrite, Verisk 3E, Magic Software Enterprises and Amdocs. Jeffrey also served as General Partner at Mission Ventures VC fund and as an Analyst at Booz Allen.   In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jeffrey talks about D-Fend Solutions and ways the company is helping organizations throughout the world create safer skies by controlling dangerous drone situations.  

How is drone technology making STEM education more accessible and fun for students of all background? Rob Harvey is Executive Chairman and Cofounder of For the Win Robotics.  For The Win Robotics fosters critical thinking and lifelong curiosity through the power of experiential STEM and computer science education.  With its Build – Fly -  Code program, the company has developed an innovative education system offering educators new professional development opportunities while making STEM and computer science education fun for learners. For The Win Robotics is currently used in more than 1,000 schools across the United States.  By promoting collaboration, critical thinking and curiosity, For The Win is building essential skills that today’s students need to become the workforce of the future. Rob is a visionary brand builder with more than 20 years of experience elevating unique voices and guiding industry leaders to new technologies. As an executive within the music industry, he defined mainstream culture by breaking 50 #1 songs and promoting artists like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Drake, and Eminem. He held influential positions at two major record labels before transitioning to Spotify, where he leveraged real-time data, consumer insights, and customer feedback to champion new business models and elevate brands globally. In the process, Rob helped redefine the record industry as we know it today. Rob’s ability to amplify brands and identify gaps in the market led him to pivot to education, where he recognized a need for better STEM and computer science-based education technology. As executive chairman, CEO and cofounder of For The Wine Robotics, he pioneered the Build - Fly - Code program and released a first-of-its-kind curriculum to schools across the United States.  In 2023, For The Win unveiled Hopper, its newest drone, designed for hands-on learning and revolutionizing STEM education by providing the tools to make coding, robotics, and engineering fun and accessible for students. Developed by a team of aerospace, education and technology experts, Hopper represents the evolution of FTW’s Build | Fly | Code program.  Hopper’s robust, reusable hardware and software is built around a closed, secure system. The drone, powered by a dual-core processor for communication and flight control, features a lens for advanced computer vision technology, including infrared and color capabilities, allowing for Wi-Fi-driven, real-time data and image information transmission. Validated through 889 Compliance, Hopper empowers educators to expand future-additional and hands-on STEM learning to all learners, including underserved communities and students of all abilities.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Rob talks about For The Win Robotics, the Hopper Drone and how new drone technology is enhancing STEM Education.    

Amit Ganjoo is a serial entrepreneur and Founder and CEO of ANRA Technologies, an Award Winning Drone Operations and UAS Traffic Managment Platform provider based in Washington DC.  The company’s platform is used by multiple commercial and government entities for running and managing commercial drone operations. As advance air mobility efforts accelerate and the use of air taxis becomes a reality, vertiport design and operation is becoming a paramount concern, especially when considering scaling up to meet service demands across many cities and regions.  ANRA Technologies is at the forefront of this discussion with their innovative Vertiport Management System, which integrates disparate data into a single platform to seamless manage the integration and operation of a vertiport. Amit has over 20 years of aviation, telecom and wireless experience in both the federal and the commercial space. He is an engineer, a licensed pilot, following a lifelong passion in aviation and builds experimental aircrafts. Until December 2016, he acted as the co-chair for FCC’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC) for 5G and IoT, which included ground and airborne autonomous vehicles. He was the Director of Engineering at and Principal Architect at Ericsson, providing telecom solutions to commercial customers and Federal Government, where he was the recipient of the Athena Award. He was also the Founder and CEO of a Mobile Marketing company from which he had a successful exit in 2009. Deployed as part of the Expeditionary Strike Group, he was chief system architect for Navy 4G LTE Sea Pilot, delivering a one of a kind turn-key, secure, unmanned airborne/afloat autonomous 4G LTE Network with applications to directly support the war fighter. He architected the first ever approved classified security architecture for 4G LTE in line with NSA Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) framework, approved for operational deployment in DoD in 2012. Amit is also an adjunct professor at the George Mason University and shares his passion for engineering by teaching in the School of Engineering and volunteers at a local Maker Space in the D.C. area. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Amit talks about ANRA Technologies’ Vertiport Management System and how it will help local communities and AAM providers scale up to meet demand.

Louisa Smith is Chief Aviation Officer at Apian, a healthcare logistics company founded by a team of National Health Service doctors in the United Kingdom. The Apian platform integrates both healthcare and aviation systems, creating a fully autonomous, on-demand delivery system that improves patient health outcomes and staff well-being.  The autonomous drone delivery service will provide timely access to prescriptions, wound care, and other frequently needed medical products.  In the long term, this could allow healthcare providers to reduce the number of canceled procedures, and thus decrease wait times. Before joingin Apian, Louisa was the Head of Research and Development at National Air Traffic Service and a former Military Air Traffic Control Officer, she is now bringing her aviation knowledge and experience to Healthcare. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Louisa talks about the efforts of Apian to develop drone delivery services for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.  

Eric Allison is Chief Product Officer at Joby Aviation.    Joby builds quiet, all-electric aircraft to connect people like never before.  With up to 150 miles of range and the ability to take off and land vertically, the Joby aircraft will change the way people move while reducing the acoustic and climate footprint of flight. Their long-term vision is to build a global passenger service that helps the world connect with the people and places that matter most, while helping to protect our precious planet. As well as strategic partnerships with Toyota, Delta, Uber, and many more, Joby has a team of more than 1400 engineers and experts working to bring aerial ridesharing to our skies. Prior to joining Joby, Eric led the Elevate team at Uber, developing software tools that built on more than a decade of experience enabling on-demand mobility. His experience in aerospace research, electric propulsion, energy storage, vehicle autonomy, and composite structures led him to the CEO position at Zee Aero, where he spearheaded the development of Cora, an autonomous air taxi vehicle. Eric holds a PhD in Ae ronautics and Astronautics from Stanford, an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford, and a BS from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Eric talks about Joby Aviation, their revolutionary EVTOL Air Taxi and the not-too-distant future of urban air mobility service.

How will smaller, more powerful radar sensors change the way drones are used in first responder programs? David Cameron ia Field Services Engineer and Lead UAS Pilot at MatrixSpace.  MatrixSpace is a radar sensing company that produces the next generation of AI-enabled sensing that can identify objects and collect data in real time, with no cloud requirements.  The company builds the smallest radar system to provide new levels of integrated outdoor surveillance, monitoring and inspection from both stationary and airborne platforms.  One of promising uses for MatrixSpace radar systems is enhancing drone-as-first-responder or DFR programs for short. David brings 33 years of service with the City of Campbell Police Department, where he held a variety of critical roles, most recently leading the department’s DFR (drone as first responder) operations. He remains a Reserve Officer. As Field Services Engineer and lead UAS Pilot at MatrixSpace he drives the UAS-oriented solutions for this advanced radar company. The small size and powerful capabilities of the sensors mean police departments using drones as first responders can deliver improved service and safety while at the same time, eliminating the need for rooftop visual observers.   In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, David talks about MatrixSpace, the evolution of drone as first responder programs and how MatrixSpace sensors can improve safety and operational efficiency of future DFR missions.

Why is it important that we strengthen U.S. competitiveness in the global drone industry? Michael Robbins is Chief Advocacy Officer at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).  AUVSI is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed systems and robotics.  It represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. Since joining AUVSI in 2020, Michael leads all advocacy, strategic communication, and cybersecurity initiatives. In 2015, he co-founded a business consulting firm, Intrepid, and serves as its Chief Operating Officer. Prior to starting Intrepid, Michael served as Managing Director of Government and Public Affairs at the Air Line Pilot Association, International. Before that, he spent a decade in the office of the late Congressman John Dingell in Michigan, where he served as the Chief of Staff.   Michael serves on the board of the Greater Washington Aviation Open and the National Advanced Mobility Consortium. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from Georgetown University and is an officer in the United States Navy Reserve.  In this episode, Michael talks about the efforts to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in the drone industry and why this is critical for economic and security reasons. 

How is Honeywell Positioned to Serve the Advance Air Mobility Market For that question, we head to Phoenix to speak with David Shilliday, Vice President and General Manager of the Unmanned Aerial Systems and Urban Air Mobility business unit at Honeywell Aerospace. Honeywell’s UAS business develops new products and serves as a systems integrator for both airframe makers and operators in this fast evolving market. Its area of responsibility spans aircraft systems like avionics, electric and hybrid electric propulsion and thermal management; flight services such as unmanned air traffic management; and ground operations services such as predictive maintenance analytics.  In November, Honeywell announced its Advanced Air Mobility business unit had secured contracts worth over $10 billion to build advance air mobility components, signifying the growth of AMM as a viable commercial sector for years to come. David has been with Honeywell for over 18 years. Prior to his current role in the Advance Air Mobility Unit, David held several key leadership positions within the company, including Vice President and General Manager for the Power Systems business of Honewell and Vice President of EMEAI Airlines.  He also led the Honeywell Aerospace Trading (HAT) business, as well as roles leading Aftermarket strategy and IP Licensing. Prior to joining Honeywell David had roles in Engineering and IP strategy within the commercial automotive market.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the WP Carey school at Arizona State University. David also holds a number of patents on innovative automotive safety technology and has published cooperative research in the field. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, David talks about Honeywell’s Advance Air Mobility Unit, it’s recent award of $10 billion in AAM related contracts and what this means for the future of advanced air mobility.

Will we soon be able to talk to our drones via text? Vic Pellicano is CEO and Founder of Avianna, a Chicago-based software company working to bridge the gap between hardware and software excellence in the robotics industry. Avianna offers a suite of products that utilize artificial intelligence to enable drones and other robots to understand human language and operate autonomously.  Their software  enhances mission execution and simplifies data analysis and reporting.  Imagine being able to command your drones or check on the status of your fleet using simple commands in English, such as “find a missing person” or “which drones are scheduled for missions today” Vic is a successful entrepreneur in the software industry.  Prior to starting Avianna, he launch Verenia in 2012, an e-commerce software company.  After a decade of growth, Verenia was acquired by Oracle in 2022. With an interest in robotics, Vic turned his attention to making the interaction of humans and robots more seamless and intuitive.  He launched Avianna in early 2023 with the aim of helping UAS manufactures make more responsive and intelligent unmanned vehicles. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show Podcast, Vic talks about Avianna, its suite of AI-powered solutions and how we will soon be able to communicate with our drones via text.

How close are we to seeing autonomous air taxis? Brian Yutko is CEO of Wisk Aero, an advanced air mobility company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk’s self-flying, electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Headquartered in the Mountain View, California, with locations around the world, Wisk is an independent company backed by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation. With over a decade of experience and over 1600 test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably.  Prior to joining Wisk, Brian served as Vice President and Chief Engineer for Sustainability and Future Mobility at Boeing, where he led a team that leveraged company’s technical expertise in sustainability technologies as well as emerging, advanced aerial mobility applications.  He was the Chief Technologist for Boeing NeXt and sat on the Board of Directors for Wisk following its founding as a joint venture with Boeing.  Prior to his roles at Boeing, Brian was the Senior Vice President of Programs and Vice President of Research and Technology at Aurora Flight Sciences, an industry leader in aviation autonomy and rapid prototyping. Brian was a Research Engineer in the International Center for Air Transportation at MIT after earning a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brian talks about the progress that Wisk Aero is making to develop and deploy autonomous air taxis, including the results of a recent successful air taxi flight demonstration at the Long Beach Airport. 

Is there an easier way to scale aerial data collection? Janne Hietala is a technology enthusiast and CEO of Finland based, Kelluu.  Kelluu designs, manufactures and operates intelligent airships for persistent aerial monitoring.  Kelluu’s fleet of  hydrogen powered vehicles, capable of staying airborne for 12-hours, is equipped with an array of spectral cameras, sensors, and scanners.  These instruments can gather real-time data on a diverse range of subjects, including terrain, vegetation, and infrastructure. Janne's journey in entrepreneurship is noteworthy, with achievements such as bootstrapping a software company to a remarkable 15 million EUR in revenue, managing a team of 250 professionals across seven countries, and ultimately exiting the venture in 2021. His achievements were recognized in 2012 when he was honored with the prestigious Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.  Founded in 2018, under Janne’s leadership, Kelluu has swiftly established itself as a key player in the creation of digital twins, catering to various applications and industries. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Janne shares his insights on how Kelluu's innovative hydrogen-powered airships are poised to revolutionize the way we approach aerial data collection, offering scalability and efficiency across numerous sectors. 

How is cutting-edge radar technology shaping the future of drones and advanced air mobility? Tom Driscoll is CTO and Founder of Echodyne, a Seattle startup bringing breakthrough radar capability to meet commercial and defense needs across autonomy, security, and intelligence markets.  At Echodyne, Tom leads the company’s world-class R&D efforts.  Prior to Echodyne, Tom was Managing Director of the Metamaterials Commercialization Center at Intellectual Ventures, the technology incubator which launched the world’s first metamaterials-enabled ventures.  Recognized as a  technologist, inventor, and entrepreneur with a drive to advance the art of the possible, Tom is a named inventor on over 100 patents, has co-founded five startups, and serves on the board of directors of three.  He holds a PhD in physics from University of California San Diego, a B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd, and is an adjunct professor at Duke University. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Tom talks about Echodyne’s innovative radar sensors and how they’re used in the drone industry, most notably to support advance air mobility.

How can we make search and rescue training more real?   Roger Hall is CEO and Founder of 2D Dummies.  2D Dummies is reshaping the future of public safety training with their patent-pending, two-dimensional rescue manikins.  Designed to precisely simulate the physical attributes & thermal signature of the human body, the 2D DUMMY is the ultimate solution for heightening the authenticity of training drills for public safety professionals.  The 2D dimensional manikins have been used to enhance UAS search and rescue teams in variety of training scenarios, including firefighting, law enforcement, and military settings.   Roger is a retired firefighter with a 25-year career in New Hampshire and a passion for aviation. Holding both FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot and Part 61 Sport Pilot Certificates, Roger transitioned into the field of unmanned aerial systems after retirement. As one of DARTdrones' first UAS instructors, he has trained over 1,000 individuals and co-developed their Part 107 and Public Safety Training programs.   Always seeking to introduce reality into his training sessions, he developed a 2D dummy as a prop.  Continued refinement and feedback led him to produce a life-like 2D Dummy that enhances public safety UAS search and rescue training.   In this edition of the Drone  Radio Show, Roger talks about how 2D Dummies are used in public safety UAS training to enhance search and rescue capabilities and build emotional resilience within organizations. 

Philip Butterworth-Hayes is publisher and editor of Unmanned Airspace.info, the world’s first internet-based information portal dedicated to the global community of UTM and C-UAS system providers and operators.  The site provides daily news on UTM and C-UAS development and deployments, alongside a glossary of system providers and current plans of states and agencies to deploy systems worldwide. Philip has extensive experience as a consultant and writer specializing in air traffic management, aviation safety, military and civil aviation issues. He was formerly Managing Editor of Jane’s Transport Press and editor of Jane’s Airport Review, Jane’s World Airlines, Jane’s Defense Industries and Jane’s Aircraft Component Manufacturers. He has been the Director of Communications and Strategy at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization in Amsterdam and is currently the editor of Skyway, the official journal of EUROCONTROL, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. He is the editorial director of PMI Media Limited, specialist contract publishers for the defense and aerospace industries, whose clients have included the European Defense Agency and Airbus Defense and Space. He is also a regular contributor on ATM and aviation safety issues to global broadcast and print media, including the BBC, CNN and the Wall Street Journal. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Philip highlights five trends shaping urban air mobility today and he talks about some of the communities that are leading the way in air mobility.

How will crewed and uncrewed aircraft systems fly in the same airspace? Toni Drummond is President US for Titan Aviation Global, a worldwide aviation management, jet charter and sales company.  Titan’s mission is to be the most trusted advisors for the best private travel experience, by providing a personalized, efficient, safe and convenient experience to all who fly with them. Toni is a highly recognized private and emerging aviation specialist, with a unique background in business jet flight operations, aviation logistics & regulations as well as sales and business development. With an education in Business Management, she has held management positions within the world’s leading aviation companies until starting her first aviation consulting business in 2008. Toni is an expert  in sustainable and emerging aviation ecosystems using eVTOL and hybrid vehicles. She spends much of her time traveling and speaking around the world about sustainable flight departments and efforts leaning into collaborative future facing air mobility. She consults on emerging aviation projects in vertical infrastructure & electric charging, EVTOL & sustainable ecosystems as well as emerging UAS technologies. Global Aerial Management Group, which is Drummond’s first women owned emerging technologies company, was the winner of the 2021 Women and Drones Team Innovation award. She was also named as one of the Top 100 Women to Watch in aviation & aerospace in 2021 & 2022. Toni is a member of the National Business Aviation Association’s Emerging Tech Committee and Co-Chair of National Air Transport Association’s Advanced Air Mobility Committee. As efforts continue to integrate uncrewed aircraft into the national air space, there are questions as to whether uncrewed systems should be integrated with crewed systems in the same airspace.  Currently there exists a gap between crewed and uncrewed aviation. That gap has cultivated a sense of mistrust across technologies and industries, but it’s one that extends to the general public as well.  This year’s Commercial UAV Expo will dedicate a full day to this gap through the UAV Expo’s Advance Airspace Summit.  This Commercial UAV Expo Summit will discuss where the industry is today, how the technology will evolve over the next decade to bridge this gap, what regulatory changes will likely be necessary, and what challenges the industry will face related to passenger expectations and public acceptance. Toni Drummond will be one of the moderators for the UAV Expo Advance Airspace Summit. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Toni talks about Titan Aviation Global and advance airflight, the challenges and opportunities for integrating crewed and uncrewed systems into the same airspace and how Commercial UAV Expo Advance Airspace Summit will help elevate the discussion among industry professionals.

Will Irish Drones Soon Deliver Coca Cola to Dallas Neighborhoods?   Bobby Healy is CEO and Founder of Manna Drone Delivery.  Manna is the world’s first aviation-grade B2B drone delivery service company.  The company designs, builds and operates unmanned aerial vehicles, which perform high-speed deliveries of up to 8 pounds in high-density suburban communities.    The drone fleet is operated by Manna directly from a restaurant or dark kitchen facility and is accessible via API to food tech providers and online food platforms.  The service enables participating retailers and restaurants to reduce delivery times to a fraction of their current times and improve the consumer experience of delivery.  Manna received the first certificate for commercial drone delivery issued by the Irish Aviation Authority and European Aviation Safety Agency, opening up Europe-wide opportunities for the company.   Bobby Healy is an experienced inventor and technology entrepreneur specialising in booking engine software. He joined CarTrawler in 2005 having begun his career building computer games for Nintendo at 16 years of age.  Prior to joining CarTrawler, Bobby founded Eland Technologies which he later sold to airline technology giant SITA and remained as CTO until 2005.   Earlier this year, Manna received an investment from Coca-Cola HBC.  Manna also announced its first US drone delivery trial for Dallas, Texas, marking a significant milestone in the company’s plans delivery food and products to homes worldwide. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Bobby talks about Mannas successful Drone Delivery service, the strategic partnership with Coca Cola and the company’s plans for the expanding into the United States and other countries.

What is the Role of Drone Forensics in Protecting Against Drone Incursions   Grant Jordan is CEO at SkySafe, a leader in Cloud-based drone defense and airspace awareness solutions. Founded in 2015, SkySafe provides advanced technology to protect people and places against drone threats. The company’s technology allows governments, law enforcement, airports, corporations, cities, and more to manage their airspace with drone data and analytics.  Skysafe applies advanced radio technology, reverse engineering, and deep threat analysis to develop tools to safely and effectively operate authorized drones while protecting against threats to airspace security.    The company has also evolved into a leader in the drone forensics space.  By performing deep data extraction on downed or recovered drones, Skysafe’s forensic technology allows investigators to match metadata with flight logs, serial numbers, and other unique identifiers. This process ensures that experts are able to decisively conclude that a drone they have in their possession is the same drone that was detected acting maliciously or illegally while it was in the air.   After graduating from MIT, Grant served as an officer in the US Air Force for four years.  At the Air Force Research Lab, he designed and built hardward systems for counter-IED missions and small UAVs, specializing in rapid product development for Special Forces units.  Grant has spoken at numerous conferences including DEFCON and the Commercial UAV Expo. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Grant talks about Skysafe, the company’s counter drone and forensics services, and the role that drone forensics have in an integrated counter drone solution.

What makes a drone good for tactical use?   Jon Becker is CEO and Founder of AARDVARK Tactical, a leading provider of tactical equipment and custom solutions.  AARDVARK Tactical has served leading defense and law enforcement agencies at home and abroad since 1987.  The company finds, develops, and manufactures exclusively integrated products that excel in a variety of terrains and use-cases – from personal protective equipment to tactical sUAS, breaching technology, robotics, communication systems, and mission-specific kits.  Its singular focus is to enhance operator safety and mission effectiveness. Jon has spent the past four decades dedicating himself to protecting tactical operators. He at just 17 years old. The company started out as a climbing equipment business, often selling gear to SWAT teams and operators. After attending law school and working in police litigation, Jon realized that the best way he could serve tactical operators was by producing and providing high-quality gear and products that would enhance operator safety on the job. After AARDVARK’s expansion and success, Jon founded PROJECT7, a provider of purpose-built, scalable and configurable tactical platforms. Jon has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s top law enforcement and military units, including the amazing leaders who guide their teams through some of the most dangerous situations and encounters imaginable.   He has keynoted for many years on the leadership of elite units and what he terms "culture-centric" leadership, and he the host and creator of “The Debrief”, a non-profit podcast that shares stories of leadership under fire with the world.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Jon talks about AARDVARK Tactical, the release of the new Loki-2 drone for tactical use and the challenges and opportunities in the use of drone for public safety.

Can drones deliver the mail?   Michael Merritt is Commercial & Growth Manager at Skyports Drone Services.  Skyports Drone Services is a drone logistics company and provider and operator of eVTOL drones for cargo deliveries, survey and surveillance. The company is expert in the operation of long-range and Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight for a multitude of use cases, including ship-to-shore and maritime applications, medical and dangerous goods deliveries, and AI-driven surveys for the agriculture and infrastructure sectors.  Headquartered in London, Skyports Drone Services has projects operating across four continents including Asia, North America, South America, and Europe.   At Skyports, Michael leads on strategy & operations, particularly in the area of drone deliveries.  He has also worked as a flight operations engineer and pilot, gaining hundreds of hours of flight time experience and operating flights across many of Skyports Drone Services’ projects.  Michael studied as an Aerospace Engineer at the University of Bristol and holds General Visual Certificates for fixed-wing and rotary drone operation.   Recently, Skyports Drone Services announced the launch of the Orkney I-Port project, a fully electric drone logistics project established in partnership with Royal Mail, the Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair.  The project will deliver two new capabilities: daily inter-port delivery of Royal Mail items and the demonstration of shore-to-ship deliveries. The I-Port project is significant as it represents the first UK drone delivery project which can be conducted on a permanent basis under existing regulatory frameworks, a milestone made possible due to the unique landscape of Orkney.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about Skyports Drone Services, the Orkney I-Port project and how Skyports is working to create a permanent daily mail delivery service supported by drones.

Which countries are leading in Counter UAS Technology?   Mary Beth Long is a member of the board of directors of Red Cat Holdings.  Red Cat Holdings is a military technology company that integrates robotic hardware and software to provide critical situational awareness and actionable intelligence to on-the-ground warfighters and battlefield commanders. Its mission is to enhance the effectiveness and safety of military operations domestically and globally – and to “Dominate the Night.” Red Cat’s suite of solutions includes Teal Drones, developer of the Golden Eagle, a small unmanned system with the highest resolution imaging for nighttime operations, and Skypersonic, a leading provider of unmanned aircraft for interior spaces and other dangerous environments.  I have published previous podcast interviews with both Red Cat Holdings subsidiaries. Episode 309 features George Matus, CEO of Teal Drones and Episode 386 features Giuseppe Santangelo CEO of Skypersonic. Mary Beth is founder of M B Long & Associates, an international legal and advisory firm. From 2007-2009, Mary Beth served as the first woman confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as Chair of NATO’s High Level Group, responsible for NATO’s nuclear policy. In her defense department roles, she also acted as Principal Deputy Secretary of Defense on the Middle East, Africa, the Western Hemisphere, Asia, and Southeast Asia; and was the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Counter Narcoterrorism with a budget of over $1 billion. To those credentials, she adds more than a decade of Central Intelligence Agency operational experience on terrorism and other security issues.  After leaving government, Mary Beth founded Metis Solutions LLC. Under her tenure as CEO, the company was recognized in Inc. Magazine’s List of America’s Fastest Growing Companies in 2014, 2015, and 2016. She was recently featured in Forbes magazine’s Women Business Leaders. Mary Beth advises several Fortune 500 companies on international defense markets. She has served as a Senior Subject Matter Expert for the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and as a Senior International Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Colombia.  Mary Beth has advised several Presidential candidates and appears regularly on Fox News, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera English and NPR on Middle East issues and the Intelligence Community. She is a licensed lawyer and, from 1999 until 2004, was an associate specializing in civil litigation matters at Williams & Connolly LLP.  She also travels regularly to the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and Afghanistan and has offices in Abu Dhabi and Kabul.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Mary Beth talks about Red Cat Holdings, the current challenges and opportunities for counter drone solutions and the future of protecting critical assets from drone incursions. 

How is drone delivery progressing in other countries?   Manoel Coelho is CEO of Speedbird Aero, a leader in the development of intelligent uncrewed aircraft systems. The company's advanced drone hardware and software solutions are designed to address a range of logistic challenges, from package delivery to emergency response.  Their mission is to enable safer, faster and more efficient logistic operations using autonomous drone technology.  By unlocking the potential of the sky for commercial, industrial, and healthcare use cases, the company is positively impacting businesses and people's lives around the world.   Manoel is an Entrepreneur and Business Leader with more than 20 years of successful and progressive experience in leading sales and marketing teams with proven ability to implement innovative business solutions that effectively enhance organizational productivity and profitability levels. He excels in developing business cases that showcase value propositions and influence leadership decisions and strategic direction.  He has led Speedbird Aero as CEO for the past five years. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Manoel talks about Speedbird Aero, the company’s drone delivery operations and logistics and how the company is making a positive impact.

Are digital twins about to change the way we see the world?   Nilson Kufus is CEO and Co-Founder of Zurich-based Nokomo.  Nomoko creates digital twins that can be implemented for everything from urban planning to music festival security. The company  is on a mission to make the physical world accessible as a digital ecosystem using Digital Twins. With a focus on real estate, Nomoko strives to create virtual copies of individual buildings, larger districts, or even whole municipalities. This helps customers to visualize their projects and to gain informed insights in order to make the right decision at any time. Nilson has a degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences from the University College Maastricht, where he built his curriculum around business, artificial intelligence, and media. He has been a Digital Shaper of Switzerland 2019, a TedX Salon speaker, and Guest lecturer at ETH Zürich & FH HWZ. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Nilson talks about Nomoko, the company’s quest to build a digital twin of the world and how digital twins will revolutionize the way we see and interact with the world.

How are precision drones revolutionizing hazardous jobs and saving lives? Robert Dahlstrom is founder and CEO of Apellix, a software-driven aerial robotics company, that creates cutting-edge robotics platforms for precision painting, coating, cleaning, and testing, making hazardous jobs safer by removing the risks of personal harm.  Apellix's technology enables pressure cleaning and special coatings to be applied to large infrastructure assets like highway bridges, water towers, oil rigs, and battleships, saving tax dollars and private expenditures while extending the life of assets. Apellix also provides technology for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) at an unprecedented level. Using Apellix NDT aerial platforms, cruise ship owners, Navy battleship commanders, or state departments of transportation can collect 1,000 readings on a surface where, in the past, only 10 or 20 readings could be taken. Robert has six fully granted U.S. patents and has received numerous engineering, invention, and teaching awards. He has also published over 50 papers and articles, spoken at multiple conferences, events, and podcasts, and is an author of a chapter on Robotic NDE Inspection in "The Handbook of NDE 4.0." Robert is an FAA-certified drone Pilot, a business mentor for “Startup Quest,” “Startup Weekend by Google for Entrepreneurs,” and a volunteer at startup accelerators. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Robert talks about how Apellix's revolutionary drones are making it safer and more efficient to complete hazardous jobs, including coating, pressure cleaning, and non-destructive testing.

Is India the next hot spot for unmanned business? Ankit Mehta is Co-founder & CEO of ideaForge, India’s largest manufacturer of drones for defense, homeland security and industrial applications.  IdeaForge was founded in 2007, with a mission to bring cutting-edge unmanned aerial systems to these industries.  Over the past decade, the company has emerged as a leader in the Indian drone industry, with a focus on innovation, reliability, and safety. IdeaForge is a pioneer in the UAV industry and has multiple IPs to its credit.  One of the key factors that sets Ideaforge apart from its competitors is its focus on indigenous design and development. The company's drones are designed and manufactured entirely in India, which has helped it to establish a strong foothold in the domestic market while also making it an attractive partner for global clients. At ideaForge, Ankit is leading the charge to deliver cutting-edge technology that is Made-in-India and second to none.  One of those innovations is the SWITCH UAV, a first of its kind VTOL and fixed wing hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. SWITCH features advanced flight time, higher safety and simple operation with additional fail-safe redundancies.  It is used for long duration operations, long endurance surveillance and security, inspection and photogrammetry. It is so good, the Indian Army selected the Switch above all others to strengthen its unmanned presence. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Ankit talks Ideaforge's journey, its approach to innovation and R&D, and its vision for the future of drones in India and beyond. We'll also discuss some of the challenges and opportunities facing the Indian drone industry, and the role that Ideaforge hopes to play in shaping its growth and development.

What is a Chapter 135 certification and how does it relate to drone deliveries? Yariv Bash is CEO and Co-founder of Flytrex, a drone delivery company that partners with retailers and restaurants to offer fast, safe and cost-effective airborne deliveries directly to customers' yards. Flytrex operates the largest backyard drone delivery service in the US, with delivery stations in North Carolina and Texas operating daily, and has signed agreements with several of the world's largest retail and restaurant chains.  Yariv has spearheaded Flytrex delivery services for 5 years.  Prior to Flytrex, Yariv was Founder and CEO of SpaceIL, a $100M Israeli non-profit organization that launched Beresheet, the first private interplanetary robotic mission to the Moon in 2019. In January, Flytrex announced its longtime partner Causey Aviation Unmanned was granted Standard Part 135 Air Carrier Certification from the FAA allowing Flytrex to operate and complete long-range on-demand commercial drone deliveries in the United States. This milestone comes after years of rigorous training and testing verifying that Flytrex’s drone delivery service maintains the highest safety standards. With this part 135 Certification, Flytrex and CAU will further expand their drone delivery service nationwide – eventually offering food, drinks and other goods to the more than 82 million eligible back and front yards across the U.S. This approval has only been granted to a prestigious list of select companies – including Amazon Prime Air, Alphabet’s Wing, UPS and Zipline – to date.   Since successfully launching the world’s first fully autonomous urban drone delivery system in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2017, Flytrex and Causey have been working closely with regulators to help ensure the highest safety standards in getting drone delivery off the ground. Together, they participated in the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), which concluded in October 2020, as well as the FAA’s subsequent initiative, BEYOND, working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help tackle the remaining challenges of UAS integration.    In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Yariv talks about the Chapter 135 certification process, how it differs from a Part 107 certification, and how Flytrex and Causey are now positioned to delivery restaurant orders to homes throughout the country.

 Are Hydrogen Drones Ready To Take Center Stage? Ben Levenson is Co-founder and CEO of HevenDrones, a manufacturer of heavy-lift actionable drones capable of solving a range of commercial, infrastructural, humanitarian and military challenges.  From autonomous last-mile delivery to defense missions, emergency response, and infrastructure repair the company’s fully-customizable drone solutions deliver cutting-edge performance, patented stability and superior lifting capability. Powered by an expert team with military, engineering, and scientific backgrounds, the company enjoys a strategic partnership with Plug Power and is a partner and supplier of the Israel Ministry of Defense. In February, HevenDrones launched its first hydrogen-powered drone for commercial use, the H2D55. With 5-times greater energy efficiency than traditional lithium battery-powered drones, the H2D55 is capable of flying for 100 minutes with a payload capacity of 7 kilograms. The launch of HevenDrones’ hydrogen product line addresses the challenge of flight endurance and payload capacity associated with lithium battery-powered drones as well as the long term environmental impact linked to lithium mining. Without the need to frequently replace batteries, hydrogen fuel cells will also lower long term ownership costs for organizations implementing drone technology at scale. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ben talks about HevenDrones, the company’s innovative hydrogen drones and the promise and future hydrogen propulsion systems.

Can autonomous drones be deployed in urban areas? Reese Mozer is President of Ondas Holdings and CEO and Co-Founder of American Robotics.  Ondas Holdings is a leading provider of private wireless data and commercial drone solutions.  The Wireless data solutions are provided via Ondas Networks.  The commercial drone solutions are provided through American Robotics and newly acquired Airobotics.  Together, American Robotics and Airobotics design, develop, and market autonomous commercial drone solutions worldwide.  Their  Scout System and Optimus System are highly automated, AI-powered drone systems capable of continuous, remote operation.  American Robotics has also led with regulatory successes, becoming the first company approved by the FAA to operate automated drones without humans on site.  Right after being acquired by Ondas Holdings, Airobotics announced a $3.5M purchase order and joint venture with SkyGo, a UAE-based company that has a commercial license to provide unmanned aerial transport of goods and services across the city of Abu Dhabi.  With this partnership in place, the companies will move forward in launching a first-of-its-kind deployment of Urban Drone Infrastructure throughout Abu Dhabi.  The project will serve as the autonomous UAS model for the rest of the world, especially in major cities.  Reese is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and technologist, with over 12 years of experience in the drone, robotics, and private equity sectors. He also serves as a Board member of the Commercial Drone Alliance.  Reese has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Business Insider, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Venture Beat, and CNBC, among other national publications. He holds a Master’s in Robotic Systems Development from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Reese talks about American Robotics & Airobotics autonomous drone solutions, the Urban Drone Infrastructure project for Abu Dhabi and what we can expect to see in the way of global adoption of autonomous drone solutions.

If you could design a drone specifically for public safety agencies, what would it look like? Blake Resnick is CEO and Founder of BRINC.  BRINC designs, manufactures and sells sUAS systems to public safety departments worldwide. The company’s flagship product, the LEMUR, employs innovative solutions designed specifically for public safety and emergency situations.  Using lidar technology, the drone flies indoors with precision and unprecedented agility, and its two-way communication system allows first responders to hear and see through the drone. But this only scratches the surface of the drone’s capabilities. Blake has the innate ability to define a problem, imagine a new approach and create a technology-based solution.   He started taking college courses at the age of 14, and then attended Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering. Before launching BRINC, Blake worked at McLaren Automotive, Tesla Motors, and DJI. He’s a member of the Thiel Fellowship’s class of 2020. Under Blake’s leadership, in just 2 ½ years, BRINC has become a leader of public safety UAS solutions worldwide. He is currently working on an sUAS mesh system designed to respond to gunshot detections and 911 calls within seconds. When not enveloped in product development, he actively engages in recruiting, strategy development, internal communication, and fundraising.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Blake talks about BRINC drones, in particular it’s revolutionary LEMUR drone and he provides insights into how the company has become successful in supporting the mission of hundreds of public safety organizations around the world.

Are Drone Highways Gaining Momentum? Brenk Skorup is Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center.  The Mercatus Center is a research center at George Mason University that advances knowledge about how markets solve problems and help us lead happier, healthier, and richer lives. For more than 40 years, research at Mercatus has strived to realize a world where markets operate at their full potential to increase abundance, civility, and well-being.  The growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles has spurred a new UAS framework called "highways in the sky."  Drone highways in the sky are essentially designated air corridors that are reserved for the exclusive use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The idea is that these corridors would allow drones to fly autonomously, without the need for direct human supervision, while avoiding other aircraft and structures in the national airspace.  One of the key benefits of drone highways in the sky is that they could significantly increase the efficiency and safety of drone operations. By providing a clear and well-defined path for drones to follow, drone highways could reduce the risk of collisions and enable drones to fly faster and more efficiently, potentially opening up new opportunities for commercial drone use.  But the concept is still in the early stages of development, and there are many different ideas and approaches being explored by researchers, regulators and industry stakeholders.  Brent has published several research papers on the topic of drone highways in the sky.   His research has covered the economic, regulatory, and legal opportunities and constraints relating to drone highways.  In 2019 and 2022, he published a survey that assessed the regulatory environment for drones in all 50 U.S. states and evaluated each state’s readiness to support the growth and deve lopment of the drone industry.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Brent talks about drone highways in the sky, their benefits and the challenges local, state and federal policy makers may have in advancing the UAS industry while responding to varied stakeholder interests.

Are Agricultural Drones Coming To A Farm Near You? Arthur Erickson is CEO of Hylio.  Hylio develops and offers innovative drone systems that automate precision agriculture treatments. Using Hylio’s technology, farmers or producers can apply crop treatments directly to problem areas, targeting pests and deficiencies with more accuracy and efficacy.  This allows farms to increase yields.  And it has propelled Hylio to one of the top manufactures of precision agriculture drones. Arthur’s interest in UAS began when he was studying aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. While there, he worked with a research team to deploy drones for disaster prediction, response and transportation optimization. Recognizing the enormous potential of UAS technology, Arthur, along with classmates Mike Oda and Nikhil Dixit decided to form Hylio in 2015. While initially a drone delivery company based in Costa Rica in 2017, the team saw greater opportunities in the precision agriculture industry.  Today, Arthur leverages his technical and management experience to lead Hylio as it applies it revolutionary drone technology to the global ag-sector. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Arthur talks about Hylio, how the company evolved into a leading precision agriculture drone manufacturer and how UAS technology benefits farm organizations of all sizes.

Does the drone industry offer a career path for individuals from marginalized communities? Sedgrid Lewis of Atlanta, Georgia is Founder of The Hidden Pilot Project.  The mission of The Hidden Pilot Project is to teach and train black returning citizens and citizens under the supervision of the criminal justice system how to become licensed drone pilots.  Through The Hidden Pilot Project, individuals are provided with hands-on training to enter the unmanned systems industry.  Sedgrid Lewis holds an MA in Criminology from the University of West Georgia.  He has worked in the criminal justice field for the past 20 years developing evidenced based social programs for juvenile courts and state agencies across the United States.  He is also the owner of Blackhawk Aerial LLC.  As a part 107 commercial drone pilot, he has flown for several national construction firms providing progression aerial photos.  Sedgrid has dedicated himself to helping others experience the benefits of unmanned technology.  He provides drone technology workshops for at-risk youth across the state of Georgia.  He is also a certified instructor and coach for US Drone Soccer, which is becoming a fast growing sport at the high school and college level.  And, as the son of a third generation farmer, Sedgrid partners with black farmers across the south to provide technical training and farm drone technology demonstrations.  Sedgrid promotes precision agriculture in order to sustain black farms and increase profit margins. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Sedgrid introduces us to The Hidden Pilot Project, drone soccer and how both are helping people from marginalized communities enter the aviation field.

How can lawmakers ensure their jurisdictions are ready to reap the benefits of the drone industry? Scott Shtofman is Senior Manager of Grassroots Advocacy & Chapter Engagement for the Association of Uncrewed Vehicles Systems International.  AUVSI is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed systems and robotics. It represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. In December, AUVSI launched their largest-ever advocacy campaign to educate state and local lawmakers on industry-supported policy solutions to integrate commercial drone operations into the national air space  .  Called Drone Prepared, the multi-state initiative is designed to help lawmakers ensure that their state or locality is ready for the benefits the future of uncrewed and autonomous flight.  Scott is a licensed attorney, certificated Part 107 Remote Pilot and owner and pilot for Quad Axis LLC.  He is a well-known policy expert on sUAS, having specialized in policy and operations consulting.  Scott’s role with Drone Prepared is to manage the advocacy efforts with state and local entities. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Scott talks about Drone Prepared, potential legislative opportunities, and how local and state lawmakers can position their states and localities to receive benefits of the growing UAS industry.

How Will Drones Support NASA’s Mission To Mars? Giuseppe Santangelo is CEO and Founder of Skypersonic.   Skypersonic is a leader in the use of drones for industrial inspections and first response emergency situations.  Their flagship product is the Skycopter: a drone with a tiltable video camera that is designed to work in extreme conditions and ultra-tight spaces. Skypersonic also invented the first-ever worldwide civil real-time remote piloting system that allows piloting in first-person view any drone, not just the Skycopter, located anywhere via the internet.  Skypersonic is a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, a provider of drone-based products, services, and solutions for the enterprise, military, and consumer markets.  Other companies within the Red Cat Holdings include Teal Drones, Fat Shark and Rotor Riot. In 2022, Skypersonic delivered to NASA the hardware and software for a rover and drone system that the crew members of NASA’s Simulated Mars Missions will use to remotely explore Martian-like terrain around Earth – all from their 1,700-square-foot simulated Martian habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  In the Simulated Mars Missions, crew members will spend one year living and working in a habitat at Johnson Space Center that has been designed and built to simulate life on the Red Planet. The Skypersonic drones and rover will be taken to an area on Earth that is similar to Martian terrain – such as a desert or mountainous region – where they will be controlled remotely by crew members in Houston. The exercise is designed to test the ability of astronauts on Mars to remotely explore the planet with drones and rovers.  Giuseppe is a mechanical engineer and has spent nearly all of his professional career in the aerospace industry.  He is a part-time professor at Wayne State University and collaborates at Lawrence Technology University as adjunct professor for the UAV Artificial Intelligence and Space System Engineering courses. He has been researcher and contract professor at the University of Catania of Italy in the Industrial Engineering Department. Giuseppe has been responsible for the development of projects on behalf of the European Space Agency at Thales Alenia Space in Turin. He participated in the engineering design and development of several equipment for the International Space Station with NASA. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Giuseppe talks about Skypersonic, its innovative Skycopter, the Simulated Mars Mission and the role that the company will play in the providing drones that will one day fly on Mars.

What’s it take to build the most efficient and reliable UAS propulsion system? Jon Broome is CEO and co-founder of Vertiq, a manufacturer of ultra compact, high performance servo motors for drone propulsion. Combining a unique hardware design and proprietary motor calibration and control software, Vertiq optimizes motor performance and controllability.   As a result, Vertiq’s products significantly increase the effectiveness of commercial and defense drones. UAS vehicles using Vertiq technology fly 10% longer, maneuver and stabilize 4x faster, experience 75% fewer critical failures, and have access to unique propeller positioning capabilities. Jon started the Vertiq with his co-founder Matt Piccoli in 2017, and since then, they’ve been working to bring industrial-grade motors and motor controllers to the drone market. Jon graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Middlebury College in 2016. During his time at Middlebury, Jon founded his first company, which made high protein snacks for gym-goers and athletes at the college.  Jon wished to continue his entrepreneurial career after graduation, and he quickly found his next venture when he attended his cousin (and future Co-Founder) Matt Piccoli’s PhD thesis defense, which focused on building unique aerial vehicles using advanced motor control techniques. Matt wanted to start a propulsion company based on his research and needed a co-founder to handle the non-engineering side of the business. Jon assumed the role of CEO and now, he is responsible for all of Vertiq’s business development efforts, investor relations, and company strategy, among many other duties. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Jon talks about Vertiq, it’s revolutionary propulsion systems and how such systems are changing the drone industry. 

What does Europe’s U-Space Protocol for Uncrewed Systems mean for BVLOS Operations? For that question, we head to Washington, DC to speak with Amit Ganjoo, CEO and Founder of ANRA Technologies.  ANRA Technologies is Award Winning Drone Operations and UAS Traffic Management Platform provider.  The company’s SmartSkies™ platform is used by multiple commercial and government entities for running and managing commercial drone operations. Amit has over 20 years of aviation, telecom and wireless experience in both the federal and the commercial space. He is an engineer, a licensed pilot, following a lifelong passion in aviation and builds experimental aircrafts. Amit’s engagement with drone programs for the U.S. Department of Defense motivated him to establish ANRA so he could address the growing need for unmanned systems to be safely integrated into existing air systems. ANRA launched their UTM platform in 2015 and has been collaborating and working alongside stakeholders and clients ever since. ANRA was selected as an Airspace Partner for NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign and is the technology provider for the Future of Flight Initiative in the United Kingdom. As part of his pursuit to efficiently integrate drones into the airspace, Amit is a board member of the Global UTM Association that supports the accelerated and transparent implementation of globally interoperable UTM systems. He is also a member of FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee working group for UTM and co-chaired the working group that developed ASTM Standard Specification F3548 for UAS Traffic Management UAS Service Supplier Interoperability. Until December 2016, he acted as the co-chair for FCC’s Technical Advisory Council for 5G and IoT, which included ground and airborne autonomous vehicles. He was the Director of Engineering and Principal Architect at Ericsson, providing telecom solutions to commercial customers and Federal Government, where he was the recipient of the Athena Award. He was also the Founder and CEO of a Mobile Marketing company from which he had a successful exit in 2009. Amit is an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Engineering and volunteers at a local Maker Space in the D.C. area. He holds a master’s degree in Computer Science and Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Engineering from Punjab Engineering College. On January 26, 2023 Europe will implement a new uncrewed air space regulatopry framework, called the U-Space Framework.  U-space is a set of specific services and procedures designed to ensure safe and efficient access to airspace for a large number of drones, and which are based on high levels of digitalization and automation. The purpose of U-space is to achieve automated UAS management and integration, allowing for a large series of operations, many of them even simultaneous, and all of this in harmonious coexistence with the current ATM system. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Amit provides an overview of the U-space framework, the impact it will have on BVLOS flights and the potential lessons and applications here in North America.

What are the current trends in UAS parachute recovery systems? For that question, we head to Monte Sereno, California to speak with Gene Engelgau, CEO and Founder of Fruity Chutes.  Fruity Chutes manufactures premium quality parachutes for aerospace, corporate, institutional, university and consumer customers. Since 2007, Fruity Chutes parachutes have established a reputable history for dependable performance in unmanned applications In addition to producing parachute recovery systems, the company provides drone manufacturers with free technical support for full recovery system integration.  It also assists manufacturers with obtaining certifications and waivers relating to FAA and ASTM standards as well as other national and international regulations. Since founding Fruity Chutes in 2007, the company has established itself as the leading provider to the UAS industry of a broad range of parachute recovery products optimized for light weight at a high strength capacity.  Fruity Chutes is the first UAS recovery company to have a customer using their parachutes obtain an Operations Over People Waiver, an Operations over Moving Vehicles Waiver, and FAA Type Certification.  Gene has been part of the Silicon Valley tech industry since the late 70s.  He has founded several tech start-ups both in the early Internet e-commerce space as well as the hobby radio control industries.  He has experience in electronics hardware design, embedded systems, enterprise software, and web systems design and databases. Gene has always had a passion for aeromodelling. He’s flown RC aircraft and rockets for 40 years.  In the mid-80s, Gene helped found CSys Labs Inc., a company that designed and manufactured one of the first all computer controlled RC airplane controllers and was sold under the Airtronics/Sanwa brand. Gene has two daughters that hold key roles in the company. Janice Engelgau is the Lead Communications Specialist of Fruity Chutes with nearly a decade of experience working in the UAS industry. Developing methods to better educate the industry on parachute recovery has been the main pillar of her work with Fruity Chutes. Her goal is to help as many UAS professionals as possible understand the profound benefits of parachute recovery and successfully implement recovery into their systems. Jayne Engelgau is the Head of Content and Web Development at Fruity Chutes. She integrates her inquisitive mind for drone applications with her experience in visual design, written media, and web development. She is committed to educating the UAS industry on the vital roles of safety technologies, parachute recovery system implementation, standardization, as well as pre-, post-, and in-flight PRS protocol. Upholding a lifelong belief that educational knowledge should be accessible, she popularizes and enlivens topics of UAS recovery in bright, “fruity” colors across a variety of communicative modes. In Episode 171 recorded in 2018, I interviewed Gene and Jan as they introduced us to Fruity Chutes. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Gene, Jan and Jayne discuss about how changes in the drone industry in the past 3 years affect the design and use of parachute recovery systems

What’s the market like for UAS in Latin America? Juan Plaza is CEO of Plaza Aerospace, a consulting company specializing in crewed and uncrewed aviation, Latin American Business Development and GIS consulting.  The company helps organizations reach their goals faster by selecting the right platforms and implementing the best deployment practices.  Prior to forming Plaza Aerospace in 2015, Juan spent more than 26 years as a Sales Director for companies such as Autodesk and Trimble Navigation, nearly all time in Latin America where he developed a network of software and hardware distributors willing and eager to represent new products in their respective countries. Juan oversaw the implementation of some of the largest Geographic Information Systems deployments in the world and developed a reputation as a Project Manager with a fierce focus on finishing on time and within budget. Juan received a degree in Geodesy in 1984 and a MBA in International Finance in 2004. He’s a commercial pilot flying Citation jets for photogrammetry applications in the Americas, and holds a Part 107 certificate In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Juan talks about Plaza Aerospace, the market for UAS in Latin America and he provides insights into how companies and entrepreneurs can successfully establish a new business Latin American countries.

How does one go about building an integrated drone logistics company? Eric Peck is Co-founder and CEO of Swoop Aero.  Swoop Aero is an Australian drone-powered logistics com pany founded in 2017 to transform how the world moves, by making access to the skies seamless.  Their mission is to provide the world’s leading technology platform for sustainable and scalable drone logistics.  The company has extensive experience in this area.  It has spearheaded disaster relief and medical supply delivery worldwide, delivering over one million items in over 18,000 flights so far, working with companies including UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, UPS and more.   Swoop Aero’s platform is built for logistics at scale and integrates all modes of transport. It is the safe and responsive FAA Certification-ready solution that enables two-way deliveries across multiple destinations, organizations, and providers, using their industry-leading BVLOS expertise. At Swoop Aero, Eric leads the overall business strategy and the relationships with the company’s global partners. A former Air Force Pilot, Eric led missions in the Middle East as a qualified C130J Hercules Captain. After almost a decade as a pilot, Eric completed an MBA and joined Deloitte to help leading organizations solve their most complex problems. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Eric talks about Swoop Aero’s drone powered logistics platform and how the company has become the world leader in drone delivery.  

What is the Domestic Counter UAS National Action Plan and how can public safety organizations prepare for it? Charles Werner is Director of DroneResponders,  a non-profit organization created to unite aerial first responders, emergency managers, and search and rescue specialists in maximizing drone operations for public safety.  The organization is approaching 7,000 members worldwide, most of whom are using drones in a variety of public safety applications.  It has become the leading resource for public safety use of drone technology. Charles is the retired Charlottesville fire chief and 46 year public safety veteran. After retirement, Charles worked with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for 2 years as senior advisor/acting deputy state coordinator. He served in numerous leadership roles at the local, state, national levels on public safety initiatives. He is a FAA certificated Remote Pilot, an author with more than 150 internationally published articles and serves as a contributor to numerous other public safety publications. Charles has received numerous commendations, three Virginia Governor’s Awards of Excellence, recognized as the National Career Fire Chief Award in 2008 and Homeland Security Today’s Person of the Year in 2018. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Charles talks about a new White House initiative on Counter UAS. This initiative will impact all public safety organizations in the US, and he offers suggestions on how to work with and prepare for the National Action Plan.  He also provides an update on what DroneResponders is doing to promote public safety use of drones.

Is there a way to make drones lighter, stronger and more scalable without sacrificing safety and integrity? Jeremy Smith is the Business Development Manager at Alpine Advanced Materials, a leader in the design and manufacture of custom-engineered parts and products for the world’s most demanding aerospace, defense and space applications. The company commercializes high-performance materials originally developed and qualified by top defense contractors, including its flagship HX5® military aviation-grade nanocomposite.  Engineered to replace machined aluminum, HX5 is half the weight and has been both tested and proven against the harshest environments in the world. HX5 is currently in use on jet fighters, high-speed helicopters, amphibious transport vehicles, rockets, and satellites.  It is highly adaptable without sacrificing strength or performance. Its customization and manufacturability here in the U.S. combined with its high tolerance and dimensional stability make it an ideal alternative to the cost and production challenges associated with aluminum.  That makes HX5 ideal for use in the unmanned aerial industry.  At Alpine Advanced Materials, Jeremy works in the OEM and UAV markets. Previously, He served as a Sales Engineer for Franklin Products, which specializes in aircraft seating comfort and covers. He spent the past several years focused on aviation ergonomics working with airliners and interior OEMs to optimize customer in-flight comfort.  Over his career, Jeremy has specialized in the custom material markets for aviation, holding active roles in the design, sales, production and management of metal parts and their functional systems. He has served aviation, defense, energy and heavy manufacturing industries. In this episode of the Drone Radio show, Jeremy talks about Alpine Advanced Materials, its aviation grade nano-composite and how it can help make stronger, lighter and more scalable drones.

Where will future advanced aerial mobility vehicles take off and land? Damian Kysely is Head of EMEA at Skyports.  Skyports designs, builds, owns, and operates networks of vertiports.  The advent of electric vertical take off and landing aircraft opens the potential of urban air transport. Vertiports are the dedicated ground infrastructure that help realize this future. This is where Skyports excels.  The Company is the world’s leading vertiport provider and operator, enabling safe and efficient urban air transport in major markets around the globe. At Skyports, Damian is responsible for developing and implementing global infrastructure strategy by working with real estate partners, city authorities, regulators and passenger vehicle manufacturers. Prior to joining Skyports, Damian co-founded and ran Skyscape Technologies, a UK government-backed data analytics start-up identifying disused rooftop potential. He is also a Founding Partner at The Aviary Project, a collaborative platform and community for the Aerial Mobility industry. After his studies, Damian joined a transport technology consultancy in London and managed an early stage start-up accelerator programme in Manchester. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Damian talks about Skyports, vertiports, and current vertiports projects in Singapore, Florida and Europe.

What’s the best way to bring harmony to your managed drone program?  Ed Boucas is the Founder and CEO of Votix, an American robotics company pioneering an enterprise software platform for orchestration, operation and automation of drones and robots. The platform addresses and solves drone program challenges such as productivity, safety and governance.  VOTIX is a powerful and complete cloud-based software-as-a-service solution designed to support all drone manufacturers automating drone-based workflows. The solution is flexible and easy to use, reduces process time, optimizes resources and minimizes risk for a wide range of applications.  Ed is a technology entrepreneur and investor, with more than 20 years experience in creating and leading innovative companies.  He started his entrepreneurial career as the Founder & CEO of Cipher in 2000, a global leader in the cybersecurity industry with operations in 15 countries.   Ed led two rounds of multimillion-dollar private equity investments and as the majority shareholder sold the company to Prosegur, a 5 Billion dollar European publicly traded company and leader in the private security industry.  Ed is also the Founder & Chairman of Blockbit, a next-generation cloud and network security technology company with over 3,000 active corporate clients, over 1 million users and with presence in 10 countries.   In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Ed talks about Votix, the concept of drone orchestration and how Votix is helping companies more effortlessy manage, stream and fly their drones.  

What’s the secret of longevity in the drone industry? Cameron Chell is CEO and President of Draganfly, a leader in the professional drone industry for more than 22 years.  The company is the creator of quality, cutting-edge drone solutions, software and AI systems that revolutionize the way organizations can do business and service their stakeholders. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for the past two decades, Draganfly serves the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections, security, mapping and surveying markets. The company is driven by passion, ingenuity, and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money, and lives. Cameron has been a technology entrepreneur for more than 30 years and has spent his career growing a diverse collection of high-potential ideas into revolutionary companies that have changed the way we experience the world.  He takes a hands-on leadership role in projects, infusing innovation and adoption with the operational principles of clarity, alignment, and measurement into the culture of every team he works with. I had the pleasure of meeting Cameron at this year’s Commercial UAV Expo, where the company unveiled three new cutting-edge North American-made technologies.  Following the event, I spoke had a zoom call with Cameron to record this podcast. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Cameron talks about Draganfly, the new additions to the Draganfly product line, the company’s efforts to support Ukraine in its war effort and he offers several perspectives on the current state and direction of the drone industry and how Draganfly has remained leader in the industry for so long.

What’s the Latest Coming Out of the Commercial Drone Industry?  Lisa Ellman is Executive Director of the Commercial Drone Alliance, an independent non-profit organization led by key members of the commercial drone industry.  The Alliance advocates for the commercial use of drones by reducing barriers to enable the technology. It creates value for commercial enterprise end users to facilitate adoption of drone technology, and educates on the benefits of UAS for various end user communities.   Lisa is widely recognized as one of the “world’s foremost authorities” on drone policy and law. She was featured in Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" series for her efforts to develop policy governing drone use in the United States. In addition to her role with the Commercial Drone Alliance, Lisa is also a Partner at Hogan Lovells and Chair of the firm’s global Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Practice Group, a “one-stop shop” for all legal and policy issues related to commercial drones.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Lisa talks about the Commercial Drone Alliance, a recent White House Summit on Advanced Air Mobility, the status of the FAA BVLOS ARC report and the Commercial UAV Expo, which is going on as we speak in Las Vegas. 

What’s Better Than Two Men on A High Scaffold? Andrew Ashur is Founder and CEO of Lucid Drone Technologies, a North Carolina based company that builds industrial spraying drones for labor intensive tasks.  The company’s goal is simple – provide customers with a safer, faster and smarter alternative to traditional spraying methods while reducing costs and adding top-line revenue. Lucid began in 2018 with the vision of retrofitting existing off-the-shelf drones to handle exterior soft-washing. After a significant investment of time and money, the founders learned that the drone they needed was unavailable in the marketplace. The right product and support required to be successful had to be designed and built from the ground up.  That’s where Lucid excels. Andrew manages the overall operations of Lucid, including product development, strategic partnerships, and investor relations. He is a prolific learner with a demonstrated track record for extreme productivity. Andrew graduated with a double major from Davidson College in just three years, while founding Lucid. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Andrew talks about Lucid Drone Technologies, it’s revolutionary C1 Cleaning Drone and how it is disrupting the industrial cleaning industry by providing a solution that is much faster and safer than traditional cleaning methods.

Can Drones Move Mountains? Well maybe not on their own, but they can make easier for earthwork companies to do their job.  Richard Hordern-Gibbings is Director of Partnerships at Propeller.  Propeller is a global leader in 3D mapping and data analytics solutions.  The Australian company was founded in 2014 by Rory San Miguel & Francis Vierboom and creates tools and software for construction companies, mines, quarries, and landfills to collect, process, and visualize accurate survey data. Some of the world’s leading heavy civil and resources operations trust Propeller to answer critical questions about their site’s progress, productivity, work quality, and safety.  At Propellor, Richard works with a variety of drone partners worldwide.  He’s been with the company for more than 8 years and has many insights into the use of drones in the heavy construction industry. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Richard talks about Propellor, the use of drones in the earthworks industry and how Propellor is leading efforts to help these companies find greater efficiencies and ROI. 

Can Drones Really Foster Economic Development? Tom Swoyer is President of the Grand Sky Development Company.  Grand Sky is the first and only fully operational commercial UAS research and development park in the United States. Strategically located on the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, Grand Sky is the hub of activities in the nation’s leading state for UAS flight testing, training and development. Since 2015, Grand Sky has been the site of continuous UAS industry advancements and milestones.  Not only that, the investments in UAS at Grand Sky are now producing dividends in terms of new private development, jobs and tax revenues.  In addition to being President of Grand Sky, Tom is also the Founder.  He developed the master plan fpr the design, construction, and operation of the infrastructure and facilities for Grand Sky.  He has also worked alongside a litany of key stakeholders and partners including the Air Force, the State of North Dakota, Congressional Delegations and Grand Forks County in making Grand Sky a success. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Tom talks about Grand Sky, its UAS mission and vision and how the investments that have been made are yielding jobs, development and increasing the tax base.  Thus proving UAS can provide community wide benefits.  

How Do We Lead-the-Ship Through the Fast-Changing UAV Landscape? Ian Foley is CEO of Pacific Triangle, a drone service provider delivering integrated platforms and end-to-end solutions for commercial applications in geospatial, oil and gas, mining and electrical utility industries. Ian has demonstrated the ability to form resilient and high-performing teams and to empower workforce intelligence across many projects. Throughout his UAS career, Ian has worked on projects for 3 major Californian and one Texas utility company, and has performed bridge inspections in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Saskatchewan, Canada.  He has completed cell tower inspections in California, staffed helicopter LiDAR, and has upcoming underwater ROV work. Part 107 certified, Ian has worked his way up the ladder in the UAS industry starting as Visual Observer, then Pilot in Command, Team Leader, and Project Manager, before starting his own business with Pacific Triangle in Carlsbad, CA.  Ian’s experience in the field is an invaluable in directing the efforts of Pacific Triangle.  He is a graduate of the Veterans Institute for Procurement START and INTERNATIONAL programs in Potomac, MD arguably the top training programs for C-level executives of Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ian talks about Pacific Triangle, the drone service provider industry and the challenges and opportunities of starting and leading a new company.  He also provides some insights into his panel presentation at this year’s Commercial UAV Expo on September 6-8, where he’ll be speaking on how to lead-the-ship through the fast-changing UAV landscape.  

What’s on tap for this year’s Commercial UAV Expo? Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director of the Commercial UAV News, a leading source of news, insight and analysis for the commercial drone market.  The Commercial UAV News focuses on the use of drone technology in the heavy commercial sectors, such as surveying & mapping, civil infrastructure, power & utilities, mining, construction, emergency response and precision agriculture.  At the Commercial UAV News, Jeremiah has spent over a decade cultivating communities of all different types, both in-person and online. He has created articles, videos, newsletters, ebooks and much more for these communities as a contributor and editor. He has also shaped and defined various conference programs. Today, Jeremiah is focused on defining what it means to take the engagement that happens in both the physical and digital worlds to the next level. Each year, the Commercial UAV News presents the Commercial UAV News, a leading international trade show and conference focusing on the integration and operation of commercial UAS.  The Expo showcases the world’s leading commercial UAS technology from vendors from around the globe.  After two years apart, more than 130 exhibitors and 1,955 drone professionals reconvened in person in 2021 to learn, connect, and drive the industry forward.     This year’s Commercial UAV Expo will be held on September 6-8 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Jeremiah shares details on this year’s Commercial UAV Expo and his thoughts on the commercial drone industry.

How are drones used to monitor oil and gas transmission lines? Didi Horn is Founder and CEO of SkyX.  SkyX is revolutionizing the way aerial data is accumulated, analyzed and actioned. By integrating Artificial Intelligence with purpose-built aerial systems, SkyX delivers actionable data so enterprise organizations can mitigate risks, assess situations faster and make intelligent and informed decisions.  The company’s services and technology is redefining long-range asset monitoring. Didi has more than 15 years experience in aviation n, aerospace, and drones. He served with the Air Force for nearly a decade as both a captain and drone pilot.   In 2015, Didi established SkyX, which started with three employees with an idea to reshape oil and gas asset management and safety operations.  It is estimated that the United States has 3 million miles of operating hazardous liquid, gas distribution, and gathering and transmission pipelines.   In 2019, there were 614 reported pipeline incidents in the United States, resulting in about $259 million in damages.  Under Didi’s leadership, SkyX provides long range aerial asset monitoring that prevents potentially dangerous pipeline issues such leaks, sinkholes, vegetation encroachment, and theft.  Thus saving lives and better protecting the environment from spills. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Didi talks about SkyX, its long-range asset monitoring service and how its providing value and safety to oil and gas companies.

What’s New at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site?  Trevor Woods is Executive Director of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site. The Northern Plains UAS Test Site was founded by the North Dakota Department of Commerce in 2013 as one of 7 FAA-designated UAS Test Sites. Its mission is to collaborate with FAA and industry partners to develop equipment, systems, rules, and procedures to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System without negatively impacting existing general or commercial aviation.  Trevor started his career in aviation at the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Aviation Management, but he’s been flying since he was a teenager, spending his high school years working on obtaining a private pilot’s license. He went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree while working at University of North Dakota, doing flight training, which merged into UAS testing, research, and waiver and regulatory submissions to the FAA.  Trevor has been with Northern Plains UAS Test Site since its inception, most recently as director of safety, working extensively with the FAA. He was instrumental to North Dakota being selected as one of ten participants in the UAS Integration Pilot Program, now the BEYOND program.  He participates in the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team and served as the Lead on the FAA’s BVLOS ARC Working Group 2.1. Trevor also played a pivotal role in the inception of Vantis, North Dakota’s beyond visual line of sight initiative. In January 2022, Trevor was named Executive Director.  He was the natural choice to take over as executive director and lead the test site into the next stage of making the impossible possible.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Trevor talks about the Northern Plains UAS Test Site and gives us an update on Vantis and other initiatives where they’re leading in UAS operations and integration. 

How Are Drones Affecting The Food Delivery Industry? James Shea is founder and publisher of the Food Delivery News.  The Food Delivery News is a multi-media business publication that covers the intersection of food, technology, supply chain and delivery. It covers the changing world of food and how it travels from the farm to the kitchen and finally to a consumer’s table.  The Food Delivery News is a division of Media Lab Studios, a content studio that works with small and large businesses, helping them tell their stories through a variety of media.  James has over 20 years of experience in the media business and writes about the intersection of food and technology. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, James talks about the Food Delivery News, what restaurants are looking for in food delivery, and how drones are filling that growing need.   

When you’re craving dinner and in a hurry, who do you call? Yariv Bash is the CEO and Co-founder of Flytrex, an on-demand drone delivery company . Flytrex provides a direct-to-consumer autonomous drone delivery service that lets retailers and quick-service restaurants cater to a wider customer base with faster, safer and more economical on-demand deliveries than ever before. Flytrex is currently working with several restaurant chains and retail giant Walmart to deliver food and goods to customers’ front and backyards. Prior to Flytrex, Yariv was Founder and CEO of SpaceIL, a $100M Israeli non-profit organization that launched Beresheet, the first private interplanetary robotic mission to the Moon in 2019. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Yariv talks about Flytrex, its innovative hot food drone delivery service and how drones are transforming the home food delivery industry.

Can a drone prevent the loss of life from volcanos? David Adjiashvili is Co-Founder and Vice President of Products at Drone Harmony.  Drone Harmony is a software as a service company that automates mission planning in the most challenging vertical inspection scenarios.  Their software enables cost-effective deployment of drone technology in industries where existing technologies are unable to deliver. And it enables pilots with minimal training to collect high quality, reproducible data. As a Swiss company, Drone Harmony understands that the safety of your data is essential and even deploys their system on your premises. The company was founded in 2016 by a team of problem solvers with a passion for drones, software and automation. In addition to being one of those founders and Chief Scientist, he is also senior scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. His field of expertise is Algorithm Design and Mathematical Optimization, and he has been responsible for algorithmic development of the Drone Harmony Mission Planner. David received his Bachelors degree in computer science from the Tel Aviv University and his Master’s in applied mathematics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the ETH Zurich in 2012 specializing on algorithm design for planning and optimization problems. He has since been employed in the Mathematics Department at ETH and worked on various research and industrial projects in the field of optimization. In 2021 Drone Harmony assisted DERYL Group KK and the Kyoto University in generating an up-to-date high-resolution 3D model of Japan’s Sakurajima volcano.  Sakurajima is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.  It is located in the south of Japan, with approximately 600,000 people living within 4 kilometers. Scientists are predicting a major eruption within the next 30 years.  The project team used Drone Harmony to develop the 3-D model and run various simulations for disaster prevention and response, with the goal of developing evacuation and mitigation plans for all potential disaster scenarios. Mapping a terrain is typically a straightforward process, but the Project Team quickly learned that a large geographic area, much of which is inaccessible, hostile and changing poses several challenges. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, David talks about Drone Harmony, the company’s 3-D mapping services and how that technology can be used to accurately map  and model large vertical geographic areas.

How do you simplify material-failure detection?  If you ask today’s guest, he would say teach a computer to do it. Jonathan Ehrlich is COO of T2D2, a software-as-a-service company that that uses artificial intelligence to identify and assess damage and deterioration to buildings and structures. T2D2 applies data from more than 50 years of building inspection and forensic investigation work. The data is now available to property and portfolio owners and managers as well as municipalities to identify deterioration early and throughout the life of an asset. T2D2 makes it easier, quicker and less expensive to inspect structures by identifying damage and defects before they become major issues.  Their software automatically detects visible damage in concrete, steel and masonry structures. T2D2 was established within Thornton Tomasetti, a global design and engineering firm with more than 50 years experience in structural design.  Initially part of the Core Studio incubator, T2D2 was commercialized as a separate entity through the firm’s accelerator program. Before becoming COO of T2D2, Jonathan served as the Director of Strategy, Corporate Development and Partnerships at ButterflyMX, a leader in real estate software technology. Prior, he specialized in the financing and development of mega infrastructure and real estate projects. He served as the Director of Budget and Risk Management for the $3.9B Mario M. Cuomo Bridge to replace the Tappan Zee. Prior to that he served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the New York State Thruway Authority where he was responsible for Board oversight of the $1.5B multi-year capital program and pavement condition rating system. He holds a BA from Tufts University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Johnathan talks about T2D2, the company’s AI inspection services and how that technology is simplifying the façade and infrastructure inspections.   

Can An Old Technology Make Industrial Drones Safer and More Effective?  Zach Adams is Co-Founder and Chief Engineer for Pitch Aeronautics, manufacturer of a unique drone for up-close, touch-based, and robotic tasks. Among the most dangerous jobs in the United States is climbing infrastructure to perform inspections and maintenance as well as performing power line maintenance.  While today’s drones are good at taking video, they are not well suited to get close or actually interact with the surface of an object. Consequently, technicians are sent up on ropes, ladders, scaffolding, cranes, and sometimes even hanging from helicopters to perform this work.   Pitch Aeronautics’ Astria Drone is specifically optimized for touch based tasks. It has a unique configuration that can hold a 10 pound payload on a long horizontal arm to keep it away from the rotors and allow it to interact with a building, bridge, tower, wind turbine and powerline.  It’s flown to the area using a first-person-view camera and goggles. Astria then overlays key flight and job information on the goggles so the operator can conduct the mission. .  Astria positions the payload near the target by using a cyclorotor for lateral control. Cyclorotors are unique propellers that can near instantaneously push the drone forward, backward, left, or right. This allows Astria to compensate for wind gusts and fly more precisely. It can create and change thrust 5-10x faster than traditional drones. Cyclorotors have been used on tugboats and ferries for nearly a century for the same reason.   Zach is recognized as a leading authority on cyclorotor technology. He is the named inventor on multiple cyclorotor patents and has published extensively on the topic. He holds a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Zach talks about Pitch Aeronautics, its innovative Astria drone and how the company’s patented cyclorotor technology is making dangerous jobs safer.      

Can Drones Provide Actional Insight into How Wildfires Spread? Dr. Mrinal Kumar is an associate professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering, where he founded the Laboratory for Autonomy in Data-Driven and Complex Systems. Under Mrinal’s direction, Researchers are using autonomous drones to help prevent and mitigate wildfires.  As witnessed by the ongoing blazes across the U.S., wildfires are difficult to predict and fight. Flames can travel up to 14 mph in dry grass and spread in unexpected directions. The Lab received a $1.4 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an aerial robotic system.  The “Integration of Autonomous UAS in Wildland Fire Management” project develops real-time situational awareness using drones to monitor the intensity and spread of wildfires. The results should help firefighting experts understand how topographic, atmospheric and forest fuel factors in temperate hardwood forests influence fire intensity and rate of spread through real-time data activation in fire behavior models. Mrinal’s team will shadow the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ prescribed burn team into the southern state forests of Ohio, led by Greg Guess at the Division of Forestry. Prescribed burns are typically conducted late in the fall or early spring when the fuel and weather conditions are conducive to a controlled burn. The drones will undergo rigorous testing and validation, leading up to fully autonomous mission design and deployment in these prescribed burns and eventually wildfires. Mrinal received a Ph.D. in 2009 from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor’s degree in 2004 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, both in aerospace engineering. During 2010-16, he served as an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at University of Florida. In 2016, Dr. Kumar's group moved to The Ohio State University. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Dr. Kumar talks about National Science Foundation grand and the university’s research into drones and wildfires.

Do Drones Have A Place in the Health Industry? Dr. Manish Kumar directs the Cooperative Distributed Systems Laboratory and co-directs the UAV MASTER Lab at the University of Cincinnati. His research interests include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, robotics, decision-making and control in complex systems, multi-sensor data fusion, swarm systems, and multiple robot coordination and control. Manish and other university Researchers have innovated a way to integrate basic telehealth services into a drone, potentially expanding the bounds of what previous innovators ever envisioned with these two technologies individually.  The research team collaborated to develop a semi-autonomous prototype that can be dispatched right to people’s homes. The drones are big enough to carry medicine or medical supplies but small enough to maneuver the tight confines of a home using navigational algorithms developed by UC engineers.” A novel aspect is that the drone will also integrate “cameras and a display screen so patients can talk to health care professionals from the comfort of their home,” in addition to carrying “a waterproof box the size of a small first-aid kit to deliver medical supplies or collect self-administered lab tests.” Manish is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He has served as the Chair of the Robotics Technical Committee of the ASME’s Dynamic Systems and Control Division, and as an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurements and Control. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show Podcast, Manish talks about the University of Cincinnati’s research into drones and the innovative use of drones for telehealth.

Is a perpetual flying drone possible? Fatema Hamdani is Co-Founder/CEO of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, a San Francisco based leader in ultra long endurance unmanned aerial systems. Founded in 2016, the company has created its flagship product, the K1000ULE, a zero emissions drone flying longer than any other electric aircraft in its category.  Having recently broken the world record for an electric drone in its size and weight category, the K1000ULE can travel longer distances, stay in flight longer and at higher altitudes, making them ideal for jobs that are risky for humans, such as disaster relief efforts, search and recovery, military intelligence and reconnaissance, wildlife anti-poaching operations, and even human trafficking prevention.   Fatema’s experience spans across the aerospace, financial services, life science, telecom, travel, and retail domains. Under her leadership, the company is reinventing ultra-long endurance UAS using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and biomimicry to create drones that can stay aloft almost infinitely.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Fatema talks about Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, the K1000ULE and the company’s plans for the future. 

If we had 10 minutes to spend with Auterion’s CEO, what would we learn? From the floor of the AUVSI Xponential drone conference in Orlando, Florida, I speak with Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion.  Auterion is the premier end-to-end operating system for commercial drones, based on open-standards, flexibility and choice.  As many know, in 2008 Lorenz created and released the PX4 autonomous drone autopilot to the open source community. He is also the creator of Pixhawk, MAVLink and QGroundControl, today’s most commonly used flight control hardware and autopilot software.  Today, Auterion is the leader in open source operating systems. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Lorenz talks about the Auterion ecosystem and the opportunities in the drone industry. 

What do investors look for in the UAS Industry?  Vadim Tarasov is founding partner of Advanced Autonomous Solutions Fund, a fund investing in unmanned solutions globally.  The fund believes that automation will play a key role in transformation of the largest industries in the next 2-5 years and only a handful of companies will serve as a backbone for such automation.  One of those companies is UAVOS, which specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of unmanned vehicles and autopilot systems, as well as components such as servo drives, pan-tilt platforms, rescue/emergency landing systems.   In addition to being a partner at Advanced Autonomous Solutions Fund, Vadim is also Chairman of the Board at UAVOS.  He has more than 15 years experience as a board member, investor and executive leader with highly disruptive technology companies.    In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Vadim talks about Advanced Autonomous Solutions Fund, UAVOS and he provides an investor’s perspective into the UAV market and the future of autonomous operations. 

Do Autonomous Drones pose ethical questions? Jenn Player is Director of Regulatory Affairs at Skydio, the leading American drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. The company leverages breakthrough AI to create the world’s most intelligent flying machines for use by consumers, enterprises, and government customers. Founded in 2014, Skydio is made up of leading experts in AI, robotics, cameras, and electric vehicles from top companies, research labs, and universities from around the world. Skydio designs, assembles, and supports its products in the U.S. to offer the highest standards of supply chain and manufacturing security.  At Skydio, Jenn collaborates with customers, regulators, and standards development organizations to unlock safe and effective autonomous and docked drone operations.  Before joining Skydio, Jenn spearheaded an industry-leading regulatory program under the FAA’s Pathfinder Program, capturing a number of breakthrough BVLOS approvals. She has also played a key role supporting other leading industry programs in infrastructure inspection and package delivery.  Autonomous drones offer great promise, but there are also considerations.  In many cases it boils down to how innovative decision-making and learning capability should be vested to an autonomous vehicle and for what purpose?  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Jenn talks about Skydio and the need to consider ethical implications of using autonomous unmanned systems.  

How Does Drone Technology Deliver Value? For that question, we head to Virgina Beach to talk with Tom Walker, founder and CEO of DroneUp.  DroneUp is the leading complete drone services provider, transforming businesses and government organizations with drone technology solutions. A short-list of DroneUp’s diverse suite of products includes flight services, data analysis, training and drone delivery Recognized as a UAS industry pioneer with patented mobile app technology and a commitment to research and development, DroneUp fuels invention and application across private and public sectors. With its people, services, and innovative solutions, the company delivers on operational challenges with efficiency, reliability, and safety.   Tom is a former military officer, and is a recognized pioneer in military and government digital reform. He managed the extensive programming and web enablement of computer systems to support both U.S. and International Special Forces.  He has also served as an advisor to the White House on innovative technologies and their impact on the emerging workforce. The data from his research, combined with his military search and rescue experience, led to the creation of DroneUp.  Since starting DroneUp in 2016, the company has continued to innovate and expand it’s portfolio of drone service operations, to where today it is a complete drone services provider. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Tom talks about DroneUp’s drone delivery service for Walmart and how companies can add value through UAS innovation.  We’ll also talk about Xponential 2022 scheduled for April 25-28, where Tom will be delivering a keynote address.  

What’s involved in performing validation and testing of BVLOS and Safety protocols? For that question, we turn to Andy Thurling, Chief Technology Officer of the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance.  NUAIR, as its commonly known, is a New York-based nonprofit with a mission to safely integrate uncrewed aircraft systems into the national airspace, enabling scalable, economically viable commercial drone operations.  NUAIR manages operations of the FAA-designated New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport, Rome, NY on behalf of Oneida County and is responsible for the advancement of New York’s 50-mile UAS Corridor between Rome and Syracuse, NY. Andy leads technical research on current and future UAS technologies.  He also evaluates potential paths to implementation, industry standards for approval by regulators, and test techniques to verify compliance. Prior to NUAIR, Andy was Director of Product Safety and Mission Assurance at AeroVironment where he led airworthiness, certification, and airspace access strategic efforts. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Andy talks about NUAIR, the current efforts in testing BVLOS protecols, and validation of safety standards for UAS systems.  We also talk about this year’s Xponential 2022 conference in Orlando and why we should all attend.

What is the best way to get your message out? Dawn Zoldi is a retired Colonel from the United States Air Force.  She is also a licensed attorney and the founder and CEO of P3 Tech Consulting.  P3 Tech Consulting connects people who have a passion for advanced tech platforms with the plans, programs, policies and information they need to succeed. Prior to starting P3 Tech Consulting, Dawn spent nearly 25 years of active duty as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a military attorney, where she performed a myriad of duties at various command echelons in the continental U.S. and deployed forward. Dawn holds a number of distinctions.  She is an internationally recognized expert on unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility law and policy, listed in the eVTOL Insights 2022 Powerbook, one of the Top Women in Aerospace and Aviation to Follow on LinkedIn 2021 and a recipient of the Woman to Watch in UAS Leadership Award 2019. Her endeavors in the drone law, regulatory and policy arena include roles as a consultant for multiple aerospace companies, aerospace and defense contributor to Forbes.com, legal columnist for Inside Unmanned Systems and Inside GNSS magazines, guest contributor to several other publications, host the popular weekly Dawn of Drones podcast and conference planner. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Dawn talks about P3 Tech Consulting and the importance of connecting with others through various ways to get your message out.  We also talk about this year’s Xponential 2022 conference in Orlando and why we should all attend.

How is Texas Advancing Urban Air Mobility? Michael Hill is CEO and Founder of Cumulus Technologies, a drone technology company based in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area.  Michael is one of the top subject matter experts in the areas of Advanced Air Mobility and their integration on the land, in the air and at sea. He is a Part 107 Pilot with over 1,980 hours of flight time, a consultant helping companies use Drones and Ai to create safer, more efficient working environments and has helped NASA and the FAA develop Unmanned Traffic Management protocols for our National Airspace. In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed SB 763 – which established a new committee charged with identifying potential changes in state regulations  needed to facilitate the development of Urban Air Mobility operations and infrastructure in Texas.  The committee must report its finding and recommendations Texas Transportation Commission and legislature by Sept. 1, 2022. Michael is a member of the Texas Urban Air Mobility Advisory Committee and has been working with other committee members, industry leaders and the Texas legislature in implementing SB 763. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about SB 763 and the Urban Air Mobility Advisory Committee, the efforts by the State of Texas and the North Central Texas Council of Governments to promote urban air mobility, and how Texas is positioning itself to be a leader in advance air mobility systems. 

How is it possible to stop a rogue drone when there are crowds of people nearby? Jeffrey Starr is Chief Marketing Officer at D-Fend Solutions.  D-Fend Solutions is a technology company that supports the growth of safe and secure drone adoption with innovative solutions that defend against rogue drone threats.  The company’s  EnforceAir system has protected some of the world’s most important leaders, gatherings and organizations from the threat of rogue drones, including the G7 Summit and championship sporting events with tens of thousands of fans in attendance.  This non-jamming, non-kinetic solution has been selected as a best-in-class radio frequency (RF), cyber-takeover system.  In September 2021, a rogue drone appeared over a large public Mass led by Pope Francis in Slovakia.  The threat was neutralized by EnforceAir without any disruption. Jeffry brings a track record of generating revenue and building market leadership through visionary business strategies.  Prior to joining D-Fend Solutions, Jeffrey served as CMO and in executive roles at AlgoSec, Cellebrite, Verisk 3E, Magic Software Enterprises and Amdocs. Jeffrey also served as General Partner at Mission Ventures VC fund and as an Analyst at Booz Allen. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jeffrey talks about D-Fend Solutions, the company’s innovative EnforceAir drone detection and mitigation system and how it successfully and safely neutralized a drone threat to Pope Francis in 2021. 

What does real time autonomous UAS operations look like? Barry Alexander is Founder and CEO of Aquiline Drones, a drone manufacturing and full service UAS company based in Hartford Connecticut.  Aquiline offers full-service, UAV solutions with equipment, personnel and cloud infrastructure for a multitude of use cases. They have redefined the entire unmanned aerial vehicle landscape by developing a unified, real-time cloud with autonomous flight capabilities, edge computing and AI enabled data insights.  This includes drone manufacturing, air carrier service, autonomous UAS services, insurance, training and UAS cloud computing services. Driven by the Aquiline Cloud, a dedicated hybrid-cloud services platform, their solutions provide increased applicability across industries and environments.  Barry brings over 25 years’ experience as an aviator and licensed aircraft technician for both airplanes and helicopters.  He has spent most of his career working as an Airline Captain for various airlines, with over 22,000 hours of logged flight time, with his last assignment flying Boeing 747 aircraft globally - mainly in support of US military operations. Barry possesses key expertise in several areas of flight operations and management working as a Flight Instructor, Chief Pilot, Director of Operations and has led other successful and non-aviation ventures in the areas of health information systems, electronic payment systems and digital media.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Barry talks about Aquiline Drones, its full service Drone stack solution and their efforts to achieve true autonomy. 

What does the mailbox of the future look like? Dan O’Toole  is a serial entrepreneur and business leader who is among the first in the United States to secure patents for a smart mailbox designed to securely accept packages delivered by drone.  With those patents he founded and is the CEO of DroneDek.  The phone, the automobile, air travel and all of the other conveniences of our day-to-day lives have been updated, but mailboxes have not been disrupted since 1858 when they were first introduced.  Drone delivery will increase efficiency, lower costs, raise convenience and speed, but that only solves half of the equation. To complete the final mile solution there must be a safe, secure, weatherproof receptacle, that is capable of housing items and notifying customers of their delivery. That’s where DroneDekcomes in.  DroneDek brings the mailbox into the 21st-century and completes the last mile solution through its smart mailbox, app-driven solution and marketplace. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Dan talks about DroneDek, it’s revolutionary mailbox for drone deliveries and how the technology is about to radically change our lives for the better.

Can a drone help build a better solar roof?  Sinuhe Montoya is CEO and founder of Drone Quote, a web-based solar roofing company.  Drone Quote works with drone pilots throughout the country to provide easy and precise estimates of solar roof installation projects.  After the solar installation is complete, the pilots conduct a final inspection flight to verify the quality of the work performed.  The company’s unique approach is driving solar adoption and it illustrates just one more innovative way that drones are providing real value.   In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Sinuhe talks about Drone Quote, the use of drones to promote solar and how he built a successful drone based business.  

Is there a way to protect whole cities from drone incursions?  Aaditya Devarakonda (AD) is CEO of Dedrone, a world leader in protecting organizations from malicious drones by securing the airspace using advanced hardware and software technology.   Today’s security requires a layered approach that keeps up with the evolution of drone technology. Dedrone’s sensors, software and communication technology detects, classifies, and protects against drone threats, including localizing the drone. Their passive and active countermeasures can be triggered, tailoring the defense mechanism to the severity of the threat.  The company works with smart city customers as well as those across public safety, critical infrastructure, governments, correctional facilities, and enterprises to protect against unwanted drones.  As CEO of Dedrone, AD oversees the company's global growth and continues to build on its reputation as the market leader in smart airspace security.  He brings a deep understanding of regulatory environment, industry dynamics and AI/Machine Learning technology to his role at Dedrone. His career includes working with companies leading the frontier technology world of IoT, 5G, semiconductors and next-gen security platforms. Prior to Dedrone, AD served as a senior member of the Technology Investment Banking Group at Centerview Partners. He has also held strategic finance and investment roles at Credit Suisse and Procter & Gamble.   In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, AD talks about Dedrone’s detection solutions, an innovative partnership with Swisscom Broadcast to protect their clients from drone incursions and how this technology could, in the future, as a shield to protect cities. 

Where can you go to get the latest on UAS autonomous operations?  On February 22nd, all you have to do is to turn on your computer and tune into NestGen, the first, all on-line summit on drone automation presented by Flytbase.   The 2022 NestGen will bring together leaders in the UAS automation sector to share experiences and technologies. In recent years, modular and autonomous drone-in-a-box systems have displayed a highly disruptive potential in increasing the quality and efficiency of aerial data, acquisition and management. However, as they are still a nascent and niche technology, there has been little emphasis on growing and supporting those that are involved in creating such systems. Navigating the rich and diverse ecosystem of the drone automation market is a daunting, but necessary, task. For all drone based businesses to encourage global collaboration in forging a platform for these businesses, Flytbase created the NextGen Summit. In this edition of the drone radio show, Achal Negi, Head of Business Development for Flytbase, talks about NestGen, what attendees will learn and how you can be a part of this monumental event. 

What's the latest in drone-in-a-box solutions? Achal Negi is head of business development for Flytbase and Curt Lary is lead engineer and CEO for Hextronics.  Flytbase is a Silicon Valley company that has build the world's first internet-of-drones platform to automate and scale drone operations.  Hextronics is an engineering and manufacturing company that designs and produces scalable autonomous drone hardware solutions in a cost-effective manner.  Both companies are leaders in their respective verticals, and they formed a partnershjip to produce a powerful low-cost autonomous drone-in-a-box solution.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Achal and Curt talk about Flytbase and Hextronics, their drone-in-a-box product and software, and the future of autonomous drone operations.

How Can We Protect Against Drone Swarms and Other Next Generation Threats? For that question, we head to Colorado to speak with Ken Geyer CEO and co-founder of Liteye Systems, Inc and Keven Gambold, CEO and co-founder of Unmanned Experts.  Liteye Systems is a world leader and technology solutions manufacturer and integrator of military and commercial Counter UAS systems.  Unmanned Experts is a world-leading provider of Subject Matter Expertise in the fields of autonomous robotics, swarms, UTM, and mass data.  The companies recently formed a partnership to address drone swarms. Ken is an entrepreneur who launched eight companies, including co-founding and starting Liteye back in January 2000. From virtual reality hardware & software to the new frontier of counter unmanned systems, his focus has been on developing, and advancing products that provide end-users with the tools to achieve their goals.   Keven completed 21 years of active duty service with the Royal Air Force as a front-line combat pilot. He has more than 1500 hours in Tornado GR4 fast-jets as well as over 1500 hours of unmanned combat missions.  He completed his tours as the senior Standards Evaluator and the project officer for both Multi-Aircraft Control and Advanced UAV Cockpit programs.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Ken and Keven talk about their respective companies, the current state of UAS threats and the evolving threats posed by UAS Swarm technology.

How can using 3D model technology improve workflows of drone manufactures?  Patricia Hume is CEO of Canvas GFX, a company that develops visual communication and collaboration solutions.  Canvas GFX is trusted by leading brands from verticals in aerospace and defense, automotive, commercial and domestic appliance, energy, and education. The company’s solutions bridge the divide between technical and graphics applications, empowering everyone to communicate and understand complex information with absolute clarity.   Pat’s career in software and high tech spans four decades.  At Canvas GFX, she is responsible for creating and executing the company’s strategic vision. With a wealth of cross-functional experience and deep operational expertise across large companies and microcaps, she specializes in driving sustained growth and high-impact turnarounds.  Prior to joining Canvas, Patricia was chief operations officer at iPass, Inc., where she led global customer-facing activities until the company’s acquisition in February 2019. She has also served as chief revenue officer at Convio, senior vice president of Global Indirect Channels at SAP AG, group vice president of Avaya’s SMB Division, and CEO and president of VerticalNet Markets. She held numerous senior management positions during her 18-year service with IBM and Lotus.   In 2021, Canvas was selected by Zipline to optimize a range of visual documentation workflows.  Launched in 2016 to deliver critical medical supplies, Zipline designs, manufactures and operates the world’s largest automated on-demand delivery service, which to date has made more than 200,000 commercial deliveries and has delivered millions of units of blood, vaccines and other critical medical products.  Using the Canvas Envision platform, Zipline employees will have the ability to create rich, dynamic visual assets leveraging real 3D CAD data.   In this edition o f the Drone Radio Show, Patricia talks about Canvas GFX, the partnership with Zipline to create interactive 3D product models and the benefits of using new technologies to streamline workflows and communicate ideas.   

What was 2021 like for the Drone Industry? The best way to answer this question is to hear from some of those who helped shaped the industry in 2021.  I’ve compiled a string of audio clips from my guests that provides an great image of the past year. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, we’ll hear from industry notables like Brandon Torres, Nick Flom, Brent Skorup, Amit Ganjoo, Phil Larsen, Romeo Duracher, Steven Flynn, Desmond Wheatley, Matt Dunlevy and others as they share their insights into their company and on the drone industry. 

What does it mean to achieve the highest level of aerial Autonomy? Nader Elm is CEO and Founder of Exyn Technologies.  Exyn Technologies pioneers autonomous robot systems for complex, GPS-denied environments.  The company’s full-stack solution enables flexible deployment of single or multi-robots that can intelligently navigate and dynamically adapt to complex environments in real time.  Earlier this year, the company announced that it had achieved what it considers the highest level of aerial autonomy reached within the UAS industry. Exyn drones are immune to GPS signal loss, meaning all spatial and mapping computations are done onboard.  They can fly anywhere without a remote operator.  This is a major step up from previous levels of autonomy, in which a human is required to potentially assume control, something that has prevented drones from entering spaces without ranging signals, such as underground mining locations. Nader has spent his professional career in fast-growing technology domains, progressively moving from engineering roles to leadership of startups and strategic growth initiatives in large enterprises.  He joined as CEO of EXYN Technologies at the company’s formation in 2014. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Nader talks about EXYN Technologies, it’s Level 4 autonomous drones, and how the company’s technology is successfully mapping dangerous and isolated underground locations in the mining industry, saving time and providing added safety benefits.

What is Evolving in the Global UAS Traffic Management Sector? Amit Ganjoo is CEO and Founder of Anra Technologies, an Award Winning Drone Operations company based in Washington DC.  The company’s award winning Platform is called  SmartSkies™ is used by multiple commercial and government entities for running and managing commercial drone operations. Amit is a serial entrepreneur and has over 20 years of aviation, telecom and wireless experience in both the federal and the commercial space. He is an engineer, a licensed pilot  following a lifelong passion in aviation and he builds experimental aircrafts. Until December 2016, Amit acted as the co-chair for the FCC’s Technical Advisory Council for 5G and Internet of Things, which included ground and airborne autonomous vehicles. He was the Director of Engineering at and Principal Architect at Ericsson, providing telecom solutions to commercial customers and Federal Government, where he was the recipient of the Athena Award. He was also the Founder and CEO of a Mobile Marketing company from which he had a successful exit in 2009. Amit is an adjunct professor at the George Mason University and shares his passion for engineering by teaching in the School of Engineering and volunteers at a local Maker Space in the D.C. area. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Amit talks about Anra Technologies, its enterprise drone solutions, drone delivery, urban air mobility and the role the company plays in delivering unmanned traffic management systems to enterprise organizations. 

How is NOAA using drones? Commander Paul Hemmick is Chief of NOAA’s UAS Division at the Aircraft Operations Center.  Commander Hemmick received his NOAA Commission in 2004, serving in multiple operational and staff level assignments throughout his 16-year career.  He’s piloted large ships, flown planes and is now heading NOAA’s UAS operations.  In this role, he oversees safety, policy, and fleet oversight spanning a wide range of UAS missions.  With the recent formation of NOAA’s UAS Operations Center, he is involved with implementing emerging UAS technologies to force multiply data collection and scientific observations across the Agency. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Paul talks about NOAA’s mission, the use of uncrewed systems to study hurricanes and the role of NOAA’s UAS Division in spearheading value-added research using drones.

How are companies responding to UAS threats worldwide? Lucas Le Bell is CEO and Co-Founder of Cerbair, a counter company protects sensitive sites and events from dangerous drone activity.  Michael Monnik is a cyber security consultant and founder of DroneSec a drone-security service that provides organizations with life-saving alerts and data on drone threats to their assets.   Drone Sec and Cerbair have signed a partnership through which CERBAIR will provide its customers with weekly information in French, English, and Arabic on developing threats identified by DroneSec. The DroneSec team comprises analysts including former hackers, military drone pilots and fighter pilots; the company audits, trains and informs its clients on the risks posed by drones to sensitive infrastructure.  The partnership also benefits from ad hoc data sources from “Notify”, the UAV Threat Intelligence database of more than 3,000 incidents classified by severity.  It is an example of how companies are working together to adapt to evolving drone threats worldwide  In this edition of the drone radio show, Lucas and Mike talk about their respective companies, the nature of today’s drone threats and their partnership to deliver an enhanced level of counter UAS threat intelligence. 

What are AgEagle’s plans to serve the Drone Industry? Brandon Torres Declet is CEO of AgEagle, a leading provider of full-stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals.   The company designs and delivers best-in-class drones, sensors, and software that solve significant problems.  Prior to being named Chief Executive Officer of AgEagle, Brandon co-founded and was CEO at Measure, an aerial intelligence company that builds software to automate drone operations workflows. In April 2021, Measure was acquired by AgEagle, and Brandon was named Chief Operating Officer of the Company and was elected to the Board of Directors. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brandon talks about AgEagle, current customer needs and overall trends in the drone industry. 

Is India the next hot spot for unmanned business? Ankit Mehta is Co-founder & CEO of ideaForge, India’s largest manufacturer of drones for defense, homeland security and industrial applications. Founded in 2007, the company has a consistent market share of over 90% in the Security & Surveillance segment. It is also the first company to indigenously develop and manufacture Vertical Take-off and Landing UAVs in India. IdeaForge is the pioneer in the UAV industry in India and has multiple IPs to its credit, including the then world’s lightest autopilot in 2009.  The company has deployed over 1000 systems and has trained more than 1400 pilots in defense, public safety and security.  The company is continually innovating and experimenting to transform its aerial platforms, to offer greater performance, higher reliability and autonomy. At ideaForge, Ankit is leading the charge to deliver cutting-edge technology that is Made-in-India and second to none.  One of those innovations is the IdeaForge SWITCH UAV, a first of its kind VTOL and fixed wing hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. SWITCH features advanced flight time, higher safety and simple operation with additional fail-safe redundancies.  It is used for long duration operations, long endurance surveillance and security, inspection and photogrammetry. It is so good, the Indian Army selected the Switch above all others earlier this year to strengthen its unmanned presence. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Ankit talks about IdeaForge, the Switch UAV and how the company became India’s leading drone manufacturer.

How can small drone companies use their experience to tap into larger businesses opportunities? Rolf Schlub is founder of TerraCam, a drone services company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. TerraCam was founded in 2012 to satisfy the growing trend of remote sensing in industries such as mining, land surveying, construction, urban development, security and agriculture. The company is one of the first operators of commercial drones in Africa.  It started delivering drone services directly to customers, but today, TerraCam specializes in the integration of professional drone solutions for clients wanting to establish their own in-house drone capabilities. After the integration, clients can independently conduct on demand aerial surveys, aerial photography, blast filming, mine maps and much more. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Rolf talks about TerraCam and how it successfully transitioned from a direct service provider to an integrator.

Can small UAS businesses thrive in this changing industry? Today’s guest has proven they can.  Matt Dunlevy is founder of SkySkopes, an unmanned aircraft systems flight operations company based in Grand Forks, North Dakota.   SkySkopes is a professional service provider with a highly qualified operations and geospatial team. They operate a wide variety of advanced sensors and aircraft for transmission and distribution line inspections, oil and gas applications, and many other innovative use cases that focus on adding value. Matt founded SkySkopes in 2014 and secured the first FAA permission to fly UAS for business in North Dakota.  Since then, he has success sfully navigated the company’s growth through the changes and evolution of the drone industry.  A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Matt has taught numerous UAS courses at the University of North Dakota such as UAS Business, UAS Engineering, and UAS Ethics. Matt was also one of my guests on the first year of the Drone Radio Show podcast.  At that time, the company was only about 1 year old and just starting to find its way in the energy sector. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Matt returns to talks about Sky Scopes, how the company has grown over the past 7 years and the lessons learned in creating a drone-based energy services company.

Can a drone help to speed up the flight check of landing systems at airports? For that question, we head to Chelaybinsk, Russia to talk with Vitaly Munirov,  CEO of Cursir, a Russian based company that produces innovative drone-based solutions for flight inspection of navigation and landing systems at airports. The company uses UAVs to calibrate, check and configure navigation aids at Russian airports resulting in huge cost savings to air traffic management organizations.    Cursir was founded in 2015 as a spin-off project of Russian landing and navigation systems manufacturer RTS Union.  Vitaly has 14 years of experience in the aviation industry.  Prior to leading Cursir, Vitaly spent several years as the chief of the research and development department. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Vitaly talks about Cursir, its innovative flight inspection system and how it will transform air management operations.  Joining Vitaly will be Lena Nimchenko and Aleksandr Shushkov, both part of the Cursir team.

Can a Drone Become a Lineman’s Best Friend?   Michael Beiro is founder and CEO of Linebird, a Richmond, VA startup created in 2018 with a mission to make live-line work safer and more accessible with the power of unmanned systems. Linebird developed a patent-pending method for taking contact measurements of live transmission infrastructure using drones carrying modified linemen tools.  Their solution drastically improves the safety and cost factors of utility inspection and maintenance, allowing existing manned utility crews to focus on higher value and lower risk operations.  Michael holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He’s been working on Linebird for over 3 years and is a proud member of Richmond, VA’s startup ecosystem. As CEO, Michael leads research, development, and commercialization along with fundraising, IP strategy, and customer discovery efforts.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about Linebird, its innovative method for using drones to measure live wire electric currents, and how the technology can dramatically improve safety and ROI.

Where Can American Drone Companies Go To innovate? Preston Huntington is the Client Relations Manager at Xelevate Solutions, the mid-atlantic regions premier UAS Center of Excellence located in Leesburg, VA. With on-location labs, and varied operational areas, Xelevate offers innovators and operators a safe location to mature unmanned products, policies, and procedures in any industry. Prior to Xelevate, Preston served as a Program Analyst at the United States Marshal’s Procurement HQ team working side-by-side with law enforcement contractors. His career has also seen him serve in various roles in the higher education industry eventually becoming the Director of Admissions at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government & Public Service in Washington D.C.  Preston has a Masters in International Relations and a Bachelors in History from Norwich. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Preston introduces us to the Xelevate UAS Center of Excellence, and shares how the center can help strengthen American position and presence in the drone industry.

How can LIDAR provide value to organizations? Lukas Fraser is a LiDAR Specialist at the Geospatial Group of NV5. NV5 is a provider of engineering and consulting services to public and private sector clients. With offices nationwide and abroad, NV5 helps clients plan, design, build, test, certify, and operate projects that improve the communities where we live and work. At NV5, Lukas creates engineering-grade 3D mapping products  from LiDAR imagery.  He specializes in the collection and analysis of topographic and topo-bathymetric LiDAR data . He turns raw datasets into useful information such as AutoCAD drawings and surfaces, GIS databases, or online interactive web maps.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Lukas talks about the process to collect LiDAR and image data with UAVs, how that data is analyzed, and then how products are created that provide value to clients

Can a drone listen for missing people? Macarena Varela is a researcher at Fraunhofer FKIE, a German research organization with 72 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science.  With 29,000 employees, mostly comprised of scientists and engineers, it is the biggest organization for applied research and development services in Europe. Macarena has been with Fraunhofer since 2007.  She studied Electrical Engineering at Laval University in Canada and she has a Masters and a PhD in Computer Science at University of Bonn.  Her recent project involves a system that can fly over disaster areas and help pinpoint the sounds of people who are screaming for help. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Macarena talks about the institute’s Crow Nest Array and the use drones equipped with microphones to ring missing people in distress.  Joining Macarena is Kai Nuernberger who since 2013 has been on the Board of Management at Fraunhofer leading strategy and business development.  Kai Studied Linguistics at University of Berlin, University of Marburg, and University College Wales.  He has a PhD in English Literature at University of Marburg,

Can drones be used to count birds? Maddie Hayes is a Remote Sensing Analyst at the Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab. The Lab promotes interdisciplinary research using unmanned aircraft systems and other small robotic platforms.  Maddie’s research focuses on the applications of artificial intelligence and GIS to analyze drone imagery.  She is currently using deep learning frameworks and remote sensing theory for seabird population assessments and water quality analysis.  Maddie graduated from the University of Vermont in 2019 with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences and Geospatial Technologies. Before joining the Lab, Maddie worked at the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab, where she researched the use of drone imagery and object-based image analysis for aquatic invasive species classification.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Maddie talks about using drones to automate counts of huge seabird colonies in the Falkland Islands.

Can Blockchain Play a Role in Securing Drone Data? Jeff Thompson is CEO and founder of Red Cat and Henry Ines is Chief Operating Office at GoChain.  Red Cat is the leading provider of distributed data storage, analytics and services for the growing recreational and commercial drone industry. They’ve created the industry’s first black box flight recorder that pilots, regulators, and insurance companies can rely on for secure flight data. GoChain is a leading provider of scalable, low-cost blockchain solutions. They have partnered with some of the largest data networks in the world, including AWS, IBM and Microsoft and serve clients ranging from innovative, high impact startupst to Fortune 200 companies. Jeff and Henry have long history of success in their respective fields. Jeff is a serial tech entrepreneur, primarily in the telecom space, where he created and led companies from startup to successfully exits and IPOs. Henry has more than 20 years experience as a Venture Capitalist, global executive, advisor and as an entrepreneur.  Last year, Red Cat announced a partnership GoChain to integrate its blockchain black box and distributed storage system onto the GoChain platform, which will enable Red Cat to immediately and easily deliver its technology to customers with speed and scale. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jeff and Henry talk about Red Cat and GoChain, how blockchain technology secures drone data, and how this technology could answer the critical question surrounding privacy and security of drone data.

What’s the best way to scale enterprise drone operations? Yariv Geller is CEO and co-founder of vHive, a software solution company that helps enterprises digitize their field assets and operations using autonomous drone hives. Its end-to-end solution produces 2D and 3D Digital Twins of assets.  It then uses AI to produce analytics and operational insights. Yariv brings years of expertise in developing markets for innovative products, technology strategy and execution. He was previously CMO of Comverse, a large IT corporation in the telecom industry. Before that, Yuriv managed marketing and business development of Polychromix, a technology startup in the domain of advanced material sensing. He holds degrees in Physics and Business Administration from Tel-Aviv University and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Yuriv talks about vHive, the company’s autonomous multi-drone solution and how it can help scale enterprise drone operations. 

What’s happening in the Drone Industry today? Michael Blades is Vice President of Aerospace, Defense and Security Americas Region for Frost of Sullivan   Frost and Sullivan provides a comprehensive range of research services and state-of-the-art analytical tools to enable decision-makers to use marketing information in more innovative and meaningful ways.  Michael is an experienced military aviator with expertise in world-wide aerospace operations. He is an expert in researching and analyzing the military, civil, and commercial unmanned systems ecosystems as well as markets related to defense training and simulation programs and technologies. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about some of the current trends in the drone industry.  This is the second of two interviews with Michael on the drone industry. Today we cover drone delivery, urban air mobility, key trends to look for and a couple of surprises in the drone industry.

What’s happening in the Drone Industry today? Michael Blades is Vice President of Aerospace, Defense and Security Americas Region for Frost of Sullivan   Frost and Sullivan provides a comprehensive range of research services and state-of-the-art analytical tools to enable decision-makers to use marketing information in more innovative and meaningful ways.  Michael is an experienced military aviator with expertise in world-wide aerospace operations. He is an expert in researching and analyzing the military, civil, and commercial unmanned systems ecosystems as well as markets related to defense training and simulation programs and technologies. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about some of the current trends in the drone industry.  This is the first of two interviews with Michael on the drone industry. Today we cover autonomy and AI, precision measurement drones, American drone manufacturing and data integration. 

What’s the Outlook for American Drone Manufacturers? Tom Nickell is an entrepreneur who for 25 years has turned ideas into success for Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and start-ups in manufacturing, chemicals, software and web tech, and now Unmanned Aircraft Systems.  He is also the CEO of Mobile Recon Systems, a leading American designer and manufacture of drones to serve the fast expanding 5 to 500 pound payload market.  Tom joined the founders of Mobile Recon in 2018, excited by their innovative designs that set new bars for payload capacity and functional flexibility.  Tom has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an Masters of Arts from the University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, and a Bachelor’s from Principia College.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Tom talks about Mobile Recon Systems, their new heavy lift payload drones and the opportunities for American drone manufactures.   

How will we maintain accountability for package delivery when BVLOS operations begin? Steven Flynn is Founder and CEO of SkyTango, a global drone services company located in Dublin, Ireland.  Steve is an Emmy Award winning Filmmaker, Director of Photography, Editor and a drone pilot since 2013.  In 2019, he led Ireland’s first BVLOS Diabetes Drone delivery of Insulin to AN island community.  He recently finished a 9-month stint at Wingcopter, working as a Senior Business Developer.  He has also led teams to achieve new milestones in the Beyond Visual Line of Sight arena. His experience with BVLOS drone delivery led to looking at how best to manage and track packages to ensure an accurate, smooth and safe delivery to the customer.  According to Steven, improving accountability in the workflow is key to protecting and growing the commerce of the drone industry. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Steven talks about SkyTango, the drone delivery business and how maintaining accountability in the package delivery workflow is paramount to the long term profitability of  BVLOS drone delivery.  

Can an Open-Source Ecosystem Provide Enhanced Drone Solutions? Romeo Durscher is Vice President of Public Safety at Auterion,  the premier end-to-end operating systems for commercial drones, based on open-standards, flexibility and choices.  In 2011, co-founder Lorenz Meier created PX4, the world’s most widely used open-source flight controller for drones and other unmanned vehicles. Today, it is the core of Auterion’s operating systems.  In September 2020, a Forbes.com article called Auterion the company that could transform the U.S. Drone Industry. Born and raised in Switzerland, Romeo came to Auterion after 6 years at DJI, where he built the public safety vertical and has become one of the most trusted global leaders and evangelists in small Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration and deployments. Prior to joining the drone industry, he spent 13 years at NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. At Auterion, Romeo advises first responders and humanitarian organizations on proper drone use and data integration, collaborating with R&D teams on hardware and software solutions, and expanding the drone ecosystem to enhance fully integrated end-to-end solutions and workflows. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Romeo talks about Auterion’s products and services, his transition to a fully-open source ecosystem and how that ecosystem enables and supports enhancedcustomer solutions.

Can Drones Keep Power Companies Safe From Wildfires? Chris Beaufait serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Sharper Shape -- the market leader in delivering transformative inspection solutions for the utility industry. Chris is a proven business leader with extensive global experience and joined Sharper Shape from his role as Chief Operating Officer of Sarcos Robotics. He led Sarcos’ commercialization and development efforts for powered exoskeletons and teleoperated inspection robots.  Before joining Sarcos, Chris led the Asia Pacific & China business as a Group SVP and President for Vestas, the world’s leading wind power and services company. For 16 years before Vestas, he worked for the General Electric Company in a variety of leadership positions.  Before GE, Chris served for 11 years in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Officer and certified nuclear engineer. He also holds multiple Six Sigma certifications.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Chris talks about Sharper Shape, its utility inspection services and how those services are help utility companies reduce risk of wildfires.

Can drones save the mining industry money?  William Prior is a technology evangelist at Skycatch, a drone data and analytics firm.  The company provides aerial data capture automation, processing, visualization, and analysis tools. Complete with onboarding, training and support. Many of the world's largest companies use Skycatch across all of their work sites.  Mining companies use Skycatch to precisely measure how much dirt they’re moving.  By reducing the amount of time to capture and process the data, Skycatch clients have realized over $6M in savings for 1 year. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, William talks about Skycatch, its focus on serving the mining industry and the benefits of using drones, autonomy and machine learning in mining operations. 

Ever wonder if you could be a drone racing pilot? Today’s guest did just that and her story will inspire you.  Susan Smith is an FPV drone racing pilot from San Diego.  She is a member of the Safety Third Racing Club and the team pilot for NewBeeDrone, a company that is dedicated to supporting newcomers to the FPV drone racing world.  Susan picked up drone a few years ago, and after a few months of crashing and thrashing, she found her groove and today she is one of the top female drone racing pilots in the world. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Susan shares her story of becoming the best at what she does racing drones.

Are big commercial entities ready for drone delivery? Anthony Vittone is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of DroneUp.  DroneUp provides end-to-end aerial data collection services for large, autonomous missions; leveraging their patented Mission Match platform. DroneUp matches missions with small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) pilots. They locate, qualify, and deploy single pilot or multi-pilot crews according to their client’s requirements. The company is committed to providing a comprehensive network of pilots while maintaining a steadfast commitment to safety and responsible operations.  Recently, the company completed a series of drone delivery flights for Walmart and Coca-Cola, in what may be the start of drone delivery adoption by major retailers. In addition to being Executive VP and COO, Anthony is also an accomplished lawyer and business executive.  At DroneUp, he oversees business operations and finance, legal, HR and contract fulfillment. He has extensive experience in working with and developing businesses in a variety of disciplines.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Anthony gives us an update od DroneUps efforts in drone delivery. 

How have power companies used drones during Covid-19? For that question, we head to Nice, France to speak with Kevin O’Donovan, founder of the boutique technology consultant company, A Bit of This & That ...  The company is focused on the intersection of technology and the Energy Industry, delivering innovative technology consultations, sales advisory, speaker & B2B Influencer services.  Being a bit of a storyteller, Kevin has been evangelizing how new technologies can transform the way we do things throughout his career. Kevin has a proven track record of 'bridging the gap' between the capabilities a new technology can bring and the practicalities of bringing that technology to market.  He has held senior leadership Technical Sales & Sales Management roles at Compaq, HP and most recently at Intel, where he was Intel’s Worldwide Sales Director for the Energy Industry.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Kevin talks about power companies have used drones during the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain operations and more importantly keep the lights for all of us.

What are the current trends in academia related to drones? Christian Janke is Assistant Professor in the College of Aeronautics at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  Embry Riddle Aeronautical University is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace programs, with its main campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona.  It also has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations. In addition to being Assistant Professor, Chris is also Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications program.  Following his assignments as a helicopter pilot in the German Armed Forces, he moved into research where he coordinated national and international research projects in the aerospace field. He is a trainer for Human Factors & Crew Resource Management, Instructor for Safety Management and Risk Assessment in Aviation and Auditor for Quality Management.  He has ten years of first-hand market experience advising industrial clients in the fields of aviation, electromobility and security technology. He supports startups in the founding phase and is a member of the Dronemasters Academy platform, which teaches STEM topics to children and young people using small drones and robots.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Christian talks about the use of small drones in education, the safe integration of uavs into the airspace, the potentials of Urban Air Mobility, and the prevention of drone misuse.  

How many tries does it take to bring down a rogue drone?  Sharone Aloni is vice-president of research and development of Smart Shooter, a world-class designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems.  The company’s SMASH Fire Control system significantly increases the accuracy and lethality of small arms and provides end-users with a "One Shot – One Hit" capability across multiple mission areas. Thus, creating a significant advantage for the infantry soldier and ultimately revolutionizing the world of small arms and optics.  The SMASH Fire Control System was originally designed for use against ground units, but recently, the Dutch Army tested it in a live-fire counter-drone trial.  The test took place in the Austrian High Mountains, as part of the Dutch Defense Department examination of different ways to combat small unmanned systems.  Tested at a range of up to 200 meters, in harsh weather conditions, fog, and blowing snow, the SMASH Fire Control Systems proved to be highly effective in shooting down drones. It made no difference whether the drones were stationary in the air or moving.  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Sharone introduces us to Smart Shooter, the SMASH Fire Control System and how its become one of the easiest and most reliable counter drone solutions for the military. 

Are you ready for the Boston Drone Film Festival? Jovan Tanasijevic and Jamie Wiener are with the Boston Drone Film Festival.  Jovan is founder of the festival and director at Above Summit, a production studio specializing in drone cinematography.  Jamie is the Festival Director.   The Boston Drone Film Festival celebrates the creative pursuit of international drone cinematographic and drone photographers from around the world.  Serving as a platform for talented drone content creators, the Boston Drone Film Festival hopes to inspire a new generation to push the limits of what’s creatively possible with the technology.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jovan and Jamie talk about the history of the Boston Drone Film Festival, this year’s schedule and how we can attend and participate in the virtual event. 

What Are Terra Drone's Plans for Inspections & UTM? Teppei Seki is Chief Operating Officer at Terra Drone, a leading commercial drone services company with headquarters in Japan and presence in more than 20 countries. Terra Drones provides innovative drone solutions like aerial surveys, infrastructure inspection, thermal mapping, UAV data processing for a wide variety of industries.  Teppei joined Terra Drone in 2016, after 10 years with parent company, Terra Motors, Japan’s leading electric vehicle manufactures.   Terra Drone’s world wide operations are huge, much more than I could cover in a single podcast.  So in this edition of the Drone Radio Show, we focus on Terra Drone’s recently announced plan to provide automated inspection and air mobility solutions to INPEX, a leading energy company in Asia.  We compare Asia and European markets and we touch on Terra Drone’s UTM solutions.

How difficult is it to stop a rogue drone? Charles-Hubert Dufour is Commercial Director of CERBAIR, a French company that produces a complete anti-drone solution.  The company’s advanced radiofrequency technology is the foundation of their anti-drone systems, giving users the power to successfully detect, characterize and neutralize drone intrusions in real time. Charles is trained as an engineer, and has more than 12 years in the wireless communications, defense and security industries.  In 2019, Cerbair introduced its redesigned of their anti-drone solution, called Chimera.  The kit is unique in that it allows for a single operator in the field to detect and neutralize nefarious Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.  It’s also much more compact and 10% lighter than previous models. I caught up with Charles, via phone, at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.  IDEX is the only international defense exhibition and conference in the Middle East and North Africa region demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defense. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Charles introduces to the Chimera anti-drone kit and shares insights into the drone-defense industry.

How can small U.S. drone manufactures compete on the world stage? George Matus is CEO and founder of Teal Drones, a U.S. manufacturer of specialty drones for the commercial and military sector.  Based in Salt Lake City, Teal is focused on pioneering new uses for drone systems beyond the “flying camera” applications so often seen in use today. The development of complex air control, data processing and mapping technologies housed in rugged, high-performance drones allows Teal to transform how the military, public safety organizations and commercial enterprises operate. George started Teal Drones in 2014 when he was only a sophomore in high school.  Today, Teal is making headlines with it’s signature product, the Golden Eagle drone, a secure, intelligent, rugged and high-performance drone system produced to exacting U.S. defense industry standards. The company found a financial partner in Decathlon Capital earlier this year, a revenue-based financing firm, which provides a funding model that ties a company’s loan payments directly to the amount of revenue they make. The funding agreement comes as the innovative unmanned aerial systems company expands its product line and grows partnerships with the U.S. military and commercial enterprises for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and public safety applications."  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, George introduces us to Teal Drones, the Golden Eagle Drone and shares how a young high school student is now competing globally in the drone industry. 

What Do Dragonflies Have to do With Drones? Researchers at the Imperial London College recently published a study that revealed that dragonflies use an inbuilt righting mechanism when they are thrown off balance. The findings add to current knowledge of how insects fly and keep stable in the air. They could also help to inspire new designs in small and micro-unmanned vehicles. The article reminded me of an interview I did a few years ago with Alex Caccia, CEO of Animal Dynamics, a company based in Oxford, England that was working on a miniature drone modeled off a dragonfly. I did a little research and found that tiny micro drones, produced by Animal Dynamics and Flir, are finding their way into military and certain commercial applications.  I dusted off the interview with Alex, made a few updates and what we have today is discussion of how dragonflies can influence drone design and how micro drones are becoming a reality. Alex Caccia is a serial entrepreneur, with start-ups in hardware, software and sports equipment. And as I mentioned, he is also the CEO of Animal Dynamics, a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University.  The company designs super-efficient systems inspired by the deep study of evolutionary biomechanics and based on the movements of high-performance animals. The project that we’re discussing today is the Skeeter Drone, a micro drone with flapping wings based on a dragonfly. 

What do you get when you cross the built environment with geospatial technologies? For that question we head to Portland, Maine to speak with Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director and Lee Corkhill, Group Events Director for Diversified Communications. Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities, and digital and print publications.  The company connects, educates, and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including technology, food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, and business management. In February 2022, Diversified Communications will present Geo Week, a new brand name of previously stand-alone events like AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference.  The move reflects the increased integration between the built environment, advanced airborne/terrestrial technologies, and commercial 3D technologies.  UAV technology which continues to provide a tool to these segments is sure to featured during Geo Week, illustrating the growth of the technology in advancing the work by geospatial professionals. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Lee and Jeremiah talk about Geo Week, the geospatial industry and how drones are gaining increasing popularity in the geospatial segment.

Can Drone help in averting a TV Frequency Famine? Phil Larsen is Vice President of the QForce, the Airborne Division of Q communications.  QComm is a professional engineering company that assists TV Stations in converting analog to digital operations, ensuring compliance with transmission regulations governing signal strength and reach.  This is all part of the FCC “Repack” program.  Qforce uses unmanned aerial vehicle technologies to provide efficient, accurate and cost-effective measurement solutions.  As the demand and opportunities for free digital tv services increase, the need for TV broadcasting stations to maintain FCC compliance will grow. Phil is one of the leading subject matter experts in vertical inpections by way of UAV in an RF environment.  His career includes more than a decade of experience designing solutions and advising the telecommunications industry on the benefits of using UAVs. He previously worked for the DoD, NSA, CIA, Navy and other government agencies globally, and brings with him an exceptional background and understanding of the safe, accurate and overall benefits of UAS technology to the digital broadcast industry. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Phil talks introduces to the Airborne Division of Qcomm, why measuring TV broadcast fields is important, and how drones can help TV stations and tower owners maintain FCC compliance efficiently and safely.

Who’s ready to bet on the Drone Racing League? In early January, the Drone Racing League (DRL) announced a deal with DraftKings to make the sports technology and entertainment company an Official Sports Betting Partner of DRL.  With that deal, DRL drone races became the first aerial sporting event upon which fans can wager. Mobile sports betting on DRL drone races is now legal in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and West Virginia with regulatory approvals pending in additional states. This partnership promises to elevate the popularity of DRL’s drone racing to higher levels. 2020 DRL SIM Cup Champion Christian "Amari" Van Sloun is my guest today.  Amari is 25 years old from Ames, Iowa.  He joined the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship season as a rookie and has continued to dominate all season.  He earned his spot in the league by winning DRL's largest ever open DRL SIM Tryouts, beating out thousands of pilot hopefuls and winning 10 out of 10 total heats in the Finals. He then went on to win DRL's first pro fantasy, virtual drone racing competition, the 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup, donating his prize earnings for Covid-19 relief efforts.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Amari talks about the Drone Racing League, the Draft Kings sports betting partnership and he provides insights into DRLs final two races of the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season scheduled for January 26 and January 30. 

Can clean energy power our drones? Desmond Wheatley is CEO of BEAM Global, a CleanTech leader that produces innovative, sustainable technology for electric vehicle charging, outdoor media, and energy security.  It does this without the construction, disruption, risks and costs of grid-tied solutions.  Desmond joined BEAM as a consultant in 2010 when it was Envision Solar, and has served as the Company’s CEO since 2011 and as Chairman of the Board since 2016. He has two decades of senior international management experience in technology systems integration, energy management, communications and renewable energy.  Desmond has founded, funded and operated four profitable start-up companies and was previously engaged in M&A activities. In 2020, Beam announced the development of the UAV Arc, the first solar-powered, drone recharging network, which provides en route charging for unmanned aerial vehicles.  The ability to recharge on a network of UAV ARC™ products deployed on rooftops, undeveloped regions or at sea should dramatically increase the potential range and utility of UAVs. Each UAV ARC™ unit generates and stores all its power from renewable sources so drones will receive clean renewable electricity with no cost-per-unit of energy. The units are completely independent from the power grid, allowing them to provide charging during grid outages and in remote locations. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Desmond talks about Beam Global, its patented CleanTech Solutions and how the UAV ARC is poised to support the drone delivery industry.

Should States and Cities get more involved in managing low altitude airspace? Brent Skorup is senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.  The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is the world’s premier university source for market-oriented ideas—bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. The Center advances knowledge about how markets work to improve people’s lives by training graduate students, conducting research, and applying economics to offer solutions to society’s most pressing problems.  In addition to his role as senior research fellow, Brent is also a member of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Task Force. He has authored several articles for National Affairs, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and others. He’s appeared on TV and radio for news outlets like C-SPAN, NPR, CBS News, ABC News and CNBC Asia.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brent talks about the current federal-centric model governing traditional aviation as it relates to unmanned traffic management. To avoid gridlock with states and the risk of civil suits from landowners, Brent believes the federal government should recognize state and local government authority over drone airspace.

Is a Jet Powered Drone the Future of Medical Supply Delivery? Alexander Taits is CEO & Founder of Fusion Flight, a manufacturer of the Jet Quad, the world's smallest and most powerful jet-powered drone with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. It is like an unmanned, scaled-down version of the Harrier-Jump Jet.  With its high speed capability, the company aims to be the leader of autonomous UAV medical delivery.  Alex begun his career in Mechanical Engineering performing structural analysis for rocket engine and nuclear reactor components. He holds a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from USC and is self-taught in the areas of Control Systems, Software, and Electrical Engineering. Over the years, he has worked in a diverse set of industries including military jet propulsion, semiconductors, robotics and micro-satellites.   In this edition of the drone radio show, Alex talks about Fusion Flight, the company’s Jet Quad and how the jet powered drone will revolutionize the medical delivery industry. 

Are we close to seeing drone highways in the skies? Nicholas Flom is Executive Director for the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site.  The North Plans UAS Test Site was designated by the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct critical research into the certification and operational requirements necessary to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace system.  Recently, the Northern Plains Test Site unveiled Vantis, a platform set to become the nation’s first statewide network for drones. Think of it as a highway in the sky for UAS.  Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Nick was the Director of Safety responsible for chairing the Independent Safety Review Board for the Test Site, implementing their Safety Management System and ensuring that safety is the test site's highest priority. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Nick talks about the Northern Plains Test Site, the Vantis UAS system and how it will safely open the skies to unmanned vehicles. 

What Happens when the GPS goes Out? Sanjiv Singh is CEO of Near Earth Autonomy, a Pittsburg based company that is creating a future where autonomous flight is commonplace and safe.  Near Earth’s technology allows aircraft to autonomously take-off, fly, and land safely, with or without GPS. Their solutions enable aerial mobility and inspection applications for partners in the commercial and defense sectors. Sanjiv leads the technical and business strategy for the company. He brings 25 years of experience in autonomous ground and air vehicles operating in extreme environments. Key area of his expertise are in perception and planning for air and ground vehicles. In addition, he specializes in the coordination of human and robotic teams. Sanjiv obtained his PhD in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in 1995 and has since been on the faculty at the Robotics Institute. Sanjiv is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Field Robotics.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Sanjiv talks about Near Earth Autonomy, the company’s ground breaking technology and the future of robotic flight.

Can Machine Learning Advance Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations? Iris Automation is a safety avionics technology company pioneering Detect-and-Avoid systems and aviation policy services that enable customers to build scalable Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations for commercial drones.  The cutting edge software solution uses machine learning and computer vision to continually fine tune its capabilities on a low size, weight, and power hardware module that integrates easily onboard Unmanned Aircraft Systems allowing them to fly safely at long distances and without human intervention. Jon Damush is CEO of Iris Automation. Jon has over 30 years of extensive aviation technology experience and executive leadership, building upon his technical background in engineering, software development and systems integration. Most recently he led new business ventures at Boeing NeXT. Before that he was Chief Growth Officer at Insitu, Inc., a Boeing subsidiary, developing novel aircraft and UAS innovation including detect-and-avoid. He was also a Boeing executive liaison and board observer to SkyGrid, LLC, a joint venture between Boeing and SparkCognition.  James Howard is a mechatronics engineer, roboticist and entrepreneur. James worked at Boeing and Insitu Pacific on computer vision research for drones such as the Scaneagle. At Spire Global, he helped build and launch their first four commercial satellites, seeing first hand the insides of a successful, highly technical aerospace startup. Additionally, in his first year of university he co-founded AniRevo Events as Director of Sales and has helped it grow successfully to a 14,000+ attendee annual event that is expanding globally.  In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jon and James talk about Iris Automation, the company’s innovative Casia detect and avoid technology, and how machine learning can help make the skies safer for UAS operations.

Can a coaxial drone deliver exceptional service and performance?  Peter Fuchs is CEO and co-founder of Ascent AeroSystems.  Ascent AeroSystems designs and manufactures unique "coaxial" drones that are more portable and durable than conventional multi-rotors. The rugged cylinder-shaped vehicles scale to any size and are ideal for industrial, public safety and military markets where mission-critical operations in tough environments are the norm.   A life-long enthusiast of anything related to aviation, Peter began his career as a professional pilot, and since leaving the flightdeck his experience includes roles in finance, operations, management consulting, mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Peter talks about Ascent AeroSystems, the company’s new Spirit Arrow coaxial drone, and how it offers an alternative to mission critical UAS applications. 

Can a drone save lives by delivering organs for transplant? Anthony “Tony” Pucciarella and Ryan Henderson are with MissionGO, a leader in next-generation transportation logistics and communications.  Earlier this year, the MissionGO team completed an historic drone test flight, carrying a human kidney and corneas across Las Vegas via UAS. The demonstration fights showcased the real potential that drones could have in supporting life saving medical procedures involved organ transplants. Tony is a pilot and veteran in the aviation and aircraft industries and is the President of MissionGO.  He is certified as an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) and is rated in aircraft ranging from the iconic B-25 to the fastest business jets flying today. Ryan is a certified manned and remote pilot and currently MissionGo’s Lead Pilot.  Both individuals have significant expertise with transportation logistics.  Tony has an established background in manned and unmanned aviation, engineering, aircraft systems integration, operational testing, and business.  And Ryan has extensive knowledge in flight control systems, command and control links, and radio relay. He is a subject matter expert on airworthiness analysis and has participated in global operational deployments including disaster stricken and harsh environments. In addition to being President of MissionGo, Tony is also the Founder and CEO of AlarisPro. AlarisPro is a UAS fleet management company enabling enterprise UAS operators and fleet managers greater visibility, monitoring and management capabilities.

Where do Commercial UAS Operators Go for UAV Service and Repair? 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 200 independently owned and operated repair stations in more than 40 countries.  The network provides maintenance, repair, operations and support services for commercial UAS.  Before joining Robotic Skies, Andy gained experience in the integration of UAS into the national air space. First, as a subject matter expert on air traffic for Evans Incorporated, a contractor to the FAA, then as a member of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization team that worked on the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability  or LAANC for Part 107 operations. He holds a private pilot license, remote pilot license, and aircraft dispatcher license. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Andy gives us an update on the company’s UAS maintenance and repair service, provides insights into some interesting partnerships and an outlook on the UAS service sector.

What’s a heavy lift drone and how can it help transport cargo or support industrial applications? For that question we head to northern California to speak with Joshua Resnick, co-founder and CEO of Parallel Flight Technologies, an industrial grade drone company with a mission to deliver unmanned systems to save lives, property and the environment.  Based La Selva Beach, California, the startup company has developed patent-pending drone technology that will allow drones to carry heavy payloads for over two hours, making it ideal for use in fighting wildfires, search and rescue, healthcare and other mission-critical logistics applications. As CEO of Parallel Flight Technologies, Joshua leverages his years of composite RC airplane and helicopter experience, his background in hybrid and electric power train, as well as his love of new technologies.   Prior to founding Parallel Flight, he led system architecture and electrical engineering for the Tesla Semi Truck program. He previously led state-funded research for the State of Alaska developing hybrid electric commercial fishing boats. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Joshua talks about Parallel Flight Technologies’ Heavy Lift Drone and how it's set to revolutionize the public safety, healthcare and industrial applications.

Is it possible to stop a rogue drone in its tracks? Timothy Bean is CEO of Fortem Technologies, a world leader in AI-enabled airspace security and safety. Most notably, the company excels in real-time intrusion detection. Through an advanced, end to end system of distributed radar, AI at the Edge, deep sensor integration, and autonomous drone capture, Fortem monitors and defends the world’s venues, infrastructures, cities, and regions. The same system is accelerating the safety of the world’s airspace for urban air mobility. Tim has more than 25 years of global executive experience successfully building businesses and technology startups in Silicon Valley.  He currently oversees the strategy for Fortem Technologies, and handles everything from product creation, through sales, to customer support. Before founding Fortem Technologies in 2016, Tim provided strategic oversight for all programs and services with global reseller partners in Japan and throughout the world.  He has a vast array of knowledge in sales and engineering, with specific expertise in cyber-defense and mission-critical infrastructure applications. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Tim talks about Fortem Technologies and its suite of products and services designed to make the skies safer from rogue drones.  He also discusses the current challenges in delivering such services and the outlook for the future.