Ask Drone U

Today's show is an exclusive one as we are joined by PJ Kirkpatrick, our new Director of Operations. PJ is not new to those who have been members with Drone U or have taken some of his in-person classes. PJ comes with years of experience in the drone industry, having trained individual and enterprise clients over a range of domains. In our show today PJ shares his experiences, his beliefs and what excites him about his new role at Drone U and PROPS programs. Paul, Rob and PJ also discuss specifics of the drone training industry and share their views on delivering Drone U courses, in-person training, best drones to fly and what makes an effective trainer and why training is important for success in the drone industry. Tune in to learn more about all these exciting stories and hear it first hand from PJ. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Timestamps [01:40] Learn about our Director of Operations, PJ Kirkpatrick [05:15] PJ's interesting drone experiences in the industry [9:33] PJ talks about his experience about being a Drone U trainer and PROPS training [14:06] What drives PJ and what makes a successful trainer? [16:47] PJ weighs in on where the industry is heading and what importance training holds in an in-person or virtual environment [21:40] PJ talks about the verticals and business domains that he will be focusing on as part of his role at Drone U [26:42] PJs favourite drones [31:30] PJs favourite dessert

With so many compelling priorities, what is the best way to get started in the drone business? In today's episode we discuss the optimal way for drone pilots to get started with their drone business. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U courses. Over many years on developing comprehensive training content for developing skilled pilots, Drone U has developed over 40+ courses over diverse applications and domains. Access them all through single Drone U membership. Visit our Drone U course page for more details on available courses. Today's question is from Andrew, who would like to know the best way for pilots to get started in the drone business and what are some of the factors that need to be kept in mind when starting one. Thanks for the question Andrew. Starting a business in today's inflationary environment is challenging as such and demands a thorough and disciplined approach for the business owner. Drone businesses are no different and require sufficient rigor and passion. In today's episode we talk about possible low hanging fruits in the drone industry, ways to improve skills and the value of networking to grow one's business. We also discuss in detail about 2 key aspects of growing a drone business - Quality and consistency and how these effectively help in business growth. Lastly, we round up the current drone market and talk about the latest in the industry that business owners and pilots need to keep in mind while pursuing a career in the drone industry. Tune in today to learn more about how you can get started in the drone business and build a successful drone business. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [05:20] Today's question - What is the best path to get started in my drone business? [06:41] Some low hanging fruits in a drone business [9:48] Developing skills and networking to help grow a business [13:08] Software and mechanisms to master [13:49] How to understand the nuances of different drone jobs and identify recurring jobs [16:25] Why quality and consistency can greatly help your drone business ? [17:48] Why advertising is a good bet to beat the current inflationary environment ? [18:50] DJI's new drone [24:08] Will other pilots use RemoteID? What are its implications?

Are base stations an absolute necessary? Can pilots use their drones to reference ground points for mapping missions? In today's episode we discuss the use of base stations and if pilots can make do without one as they work on mapping deliverables. Are there any benefits to doing so? Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U courses. Over many years on developing comprehensive training content for developing skilled pilots, Drone U has developed over 40+ courses over diverse applications and domains. Access them all through single Drone U membership. Visit our Drone U course page for more details on available courses. Today's question is from Scott, who would like to know if its possible for pilots to use their drone feed for referencing points from the ground for mapping deliverables and if a base station is not required. Thanks for the question Scott. Today's episode is a short one where we address the use and advantages of using formal gear for GCP as against referencing the ground from video feed/footage. We discuss some common errors that can occur from the use of drone feed for generating reference points and speak about the difference in absolute and relative accuracy. We also discuss alternatives that pilots can use in the absence of base stations and state the trade-offs from the use of these alternatives. Tune in today to learn more about improving your accuracy in mapping deliverables. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [2:17] Today's question on mapping and if there are advantages to using the GCP from a drone [4:45] Paul elaborates on areas where the measurements can be erroneous during mapping [7:00] An example to demonstrate the difference in absolute and relative accuracy [8:44] Can missions be completed without a base station? Are they an absolute necessity in mapping? What other alternatives would work?

Today's show is a special one as we are joined by Lucid Drone Technologies founder, Andrew Ashur. Andrew shares the Lucid Drone story informing us of the journey, its mission and the road ahead for the company. Paul and Bobby discuss specifics of business and the industry as a whole, talking about what are Lucid drone, how they came into existence and how the drones are revolutionizing the cleaning and maintenance industry. Andrew also shares his story on the start up story and how Lucid Drones are gearing up for new applications. Andrew also talks about business growth and scaling business discussing about networking and customer focus and how Ycombinator provided the support to the company over its initial years. Tune in to learn more about all these exciting stories and hear it first hand from Andrew Ashur. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Timestamps [O:55] Today's guest, Andrew Ashur from Lucid Technologies [1:13] What are LUCID drones and What do they do? [2:05] How Lucid drones are empowering cleaning and maintenance industry [3:33] How Lucid drones got started [5:20] Lucid drone build and drone systems [6:09] Andrew shares his experience of starting Lucid drones [7:17] What are the other applications for Lucid Drones and what next for Lucid drones? [11:04] How can Lucid drone evolve in the coming years? [16:00] Andrew shares his thoughts on Ycombinator, entrepreneurship and startups and the LUCID journey so far [22:00] How Lucid works with its team on building products and scaling technology [33:30] Andrew shares his thoughts on scaling a business, networking and keeping a strong customer focus

Can drone pilots fly over roofs in order to scout for opportunities for roofing contractors? What are the regulatory challenges? In today's episode we discuss about a unique strategy of scouting for opportunities for roofing contractors by conducting flights over roofs and identifying roofing opportunities. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U mapping events and classes. We talk about some of the new changes we have made to our mapping classes and course curriculum to stay updated with some of the recent trends in the mapping industry such as going over new products for geo-referencing, geo-tagging, GPS and more. Visit our Drone U events page for more details on classes and courses. Today's question is from Sam, who is proposing a unique proposal to fly over roofs with the objective for identifying business opportunities for roofing contractors and would like to know our insight into this proposal and understand regulatory challenges. Thanks for the question Sam. In this episode we start off by discussing the ways by which drone pilots can build strong connections with the roofing contractors and how buildings such connections can help in growing a drone business. We also discuss specifics of privacy and regulations where we look into ways by which Drone pilots can present relevant data and information without being too intrusive. We also discuss ways by which drone pilots can present data to ensure roofing companies are greatly interested in growing their business. Tune in today to understand how you can make the best of this unique proposal. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [1:47] Today's question on flying over roofs to scout for opportunities for roofing contractors [7:14] Connecting with roofing companies and contractors to build initial client contact [9:47] How to present data to a potential client without being intrusive [17:01] Drone U's roof inspection class on going over presenting data and deliverables [17:37] Presenting imagery and tools to help with delivery of images and reports

Can pilots fly in NOAA protected areas? Does NOAA have the ability to regulate airspace? In today's episode we discuss about NOAA protected areas and the rules and regulations in airspace around protected areas. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U mapping events and classes. We talk about some of the new changes we have made to our mapping classes and course curriculum to stay updated with some of the recent trends in the mapping industry such as going over new products for geo-referencing, geo-tagging, GPS and more. Visit our Drone U events page for more details on classes and courses. Today's question is from Keith, who has come across a NOAA protected area, and would like to know if he can fly his drone and what would be the challenges in flying in a NOAA protected area. Thanks for the question Keith. In this short episode we discuss if the NOAA has the regulatory authority to control airspace and if the FAA recognizes NOAA rules. We also discuss ways by which pilots can seek approval for conducting flights in NOAA protected areas. Lastly, we discuss some implications of flying in an NOAA area and how pilots can remain aware of rules and regulations when flying in NOAA areas. Tune in today to get all the details about flying in NOAA protected areas. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [00:55] Know more about the PROPS program [2:18] Can pilots fly in a NOAA protected area? [4:14] Does the FAA recognize the NOAA rule and how can the rules be interpreted ? [5:34] Strategies to get permissions to fly in NOAA areas and is the airspace being regulated [8:05] What risks are involved in flying in a NOAA area ?

What are the best ways a pilot can sell their services? How can a pilot make best use of the drones they have? In today's episode we discuss some best strategies for drone pilots to sell their services and how they can make best use of the drones they possess. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U mapping events and classes. We talk about some of the new changes we have made to our mapping classes and course curriculum to stay updated with some of the recent trends in the mapping industry such as going over new products for geo-referencing, geo-tagging, GPS and more. Visit our Drone U events page for more details on classes and courses. Today's question is from Justin, who wants to know what best practices can he use to sell his services. Justin explains his current process and wants to know robust ways for making sales. He also wants to know how best to make use of his current fleet of drones to improve his business offerings. Thank you Justin for the question, We have strongly believed in a few key set of parameters that have largely helped drone pilots in effectively selling their services to prospective clients and today we discuss in detail about them. Specifically, we discuss if Justin is using samples of his service offerings to clients and how best to provide to clients to stand out of the large group of drone pilots. We discuss some of the best talking points that pilots must bring out in their pitch that greatly helps attract clients and gets pilots the business. Lastly we also discuss about having robust systems and understanding the macro view of business to have effective networking in the industry which has largely shown to be a great way of getting more business. Tune in today to get all the secret sauce and ingredients for success for a drone business. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [2:00] Today's question from Justin on how to sell services to prospective clients and if older drones are still beneficial in getting drone business [5:48] Providing samples of your work to help sell your services [7:35] Bringing out the right talking points about helping a prospective client while selling services [9:04] Having a robust follow through mechanism [12:40] Understanding the macro view of business and suggestions on improving your network in the industry

As a mapper should you opt for cloud solutions which seem easier to work with as against desktop solutions? Are there inherent benefits to desktop tools? In today's episode we review and discuss the common solutions available in drone mapping and if pilots should opt for cloud solutions as against desktop solutions. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U mapping events and classes. We talk about some of the new changes we have made to our mapping classes and course curriculum to stay updated with some of the recent trends in the mapping industry such as going over new products for geo-referencing, geo-tagging, GPS and more. Visit our Drone U events page for more details on classes and courses. Today's question from Jamie is whether he should be using cloud solutions for mapping processing as against desktop solutions, as cloud solutions allow for faster post processing of mapping deliverables. We delve into details of mapping post processing and explain the difference in delivering mapping solutions to private clients as against publishing for the general public. We explain the difference in deliverables while providing final solutions to clients with mapping solutions and the general public that focus more on visualization. We speak in detail about the benefits of using desktop solutions for drone mappers as these tools assist the pilot in understanding the calculations behind mapping processing and how these can teach the pilot to be better prepared for handing client questions and improve overall deliverable quality in future flights. A short discussion is also included on how to handle conversations with clients with a background in understanding mapping deliverables as against clients new to the mapping world. Tune in today to get all the details on ensuring you are confident of understanding excellent mapping deliverables and on the use of desktop vs cloud solutions. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [5:22] Is it hard to be a mapper? Learn how Drone U delivers content for becoming a great mapper by understanding the context, variables and systems. [19:09] Today's question from Jamie on whether to work with cloud mapping solutions as against desktop tools which require additional resources [20:45] Delivering for clients vs delivering for the public [23:25] How desktop applications help pilots understand the process of mapping [25:14] Do geo-referencing and mapping models influence choice of selection of mapping solutions? [30:40] Understanding tools available with clients for choosing mapping solutions [35:46] Learning methodology, deliverables and how you can assess the quality of education

Judge uphelds remote id in RaceDayQuad vs FAA ruling. What implications does this have for pilots and the industry? In today's episode we talk about the outcome of the RaceDayQuad vs FAA on Remote ID as judge upheld remote id. We go over the implications of the ruling and what this means to pilots and the industry at large. RaceDayQuads sued the FAA in April early 2021 and filed the arguments on August 4, 2021. After subsequent replies and arguments, The Department of Justice (DOJ) and RaceDayQuads argued in court in front of a judge and a ruling was made by the judge based on the arguments. To know more about history of the case and relevant details listen to our earlier podcast on the topic. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U mapping events and classes. We talk about some of the new changes we have made to our mapping classes and course curriculum to stay updated with some of the recent trends in the mapping industry such as going over new products for geo-referencing, geo-tagging, GPS and more. Visit our Drone U events page for more details on classes and courses. In today's episode we discuss all the implications of the ruling and how it can potentially impact the pilot and the industry and how we can proceed further in light of the ruling mandating the continued remote id policy. We discuss about compliance and security, the availability of pilot information publicly and if its easy for the average citizen to gather pilot data from drones flying in the area. Tune in today to get all the updates from the ruling and to understand its implications. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [0:42] Learn all about Drone U's updated mapping class [1:30] Latest update from RaceDayQuad vs FAA case on remote id [3:14] Updates and excerpts from case ruling as remote id continues on [4:51] how does compliance relate to manufacturers and pilots alike [6:52] Implications of pilots information available to the general public [9:55] Is it easy for the average citizen to get pilot information from a drone flying in the area [12:15] Can privacy and safety/security coexist together? [14:45] Does the FAA have the required resource to enforce remote id

What options do pilots have if they intend to fly in clear airspace near a designated DJI red zone? Today's question is from John, who is working on a project to conduct flight missions around a prison that is no longer functional yet is classified as a red zone by DJI. John would like to know if Pilots have options to fly in such clear airspace and what they would need to know prior to flying. Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U mapping events and classes. We talk about some of the new changes we have made to our mapping classes and course curriculum to stay updated with some of the recent trends in the mapping industry such as going over new products for geo-referencing, geo-tagging, GPS and more. Visit our Drone U events page for more details on classes and courses. We start off today's show by discussing 3 options that pilots have to effectively fly over red zone while also discussing the approximate times it would take to seek permission. Our option 1 is to apply to FAA to void a red zone and the steps required to seek clearance while flying over such areas. Drone U members have exclusive access to our step-by-step instruction video on applying to the FAA to void a red zone. Option 2 is to apply for a QEP (Qualified Entities Program). The Qualified Entities Program (QEP) allows Government and Public Safety entities to have their DJI drone's altitude and geo-fencing limitations unlocked and as a certified Part 107 pilot you could seek clearance under the program for conducting flights in red zones. Option 3 is to visit drone-hacks website and navigate through the process of negating geofencing abilities on your drone. Drone-hacks can assist pilots with differing firmware to ensure removal of geofencing abilities. We also discuss an additional option of using drones other than DJI that do not possess geofencing abilities and would allow flights irrespective of DJI's red zone. In summary we discuss the quick and easy steps available for pilots along with the timeline for each option that pilots can pursue to seek permission / unlock the DJI red zone. That's it for this quick podcast episode. Tune in for more great shows to come. Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get Your Biggest and Most Common Drone Certificate Questions Answered by Downloading this FREE Part 107 PDF Make sure to get yourself the all-new Drone U landing pad! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If you enjoy the show, the #1 thing you can do to help us out is to subscribe to it on iTunes. Can we ask you to do that for us real quick? While you’re there, leave us a 5-star review, if you’re inclined to do so. Thanks! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-drone-u/id967352832. Become a Drone U Member. Access to over 30 courses, great resources, and our incredible community. Follow Us Site – https://thedroneu.com/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/droneu Instagram – https://instagram.com/thedroneu/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/thedroneu YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/droneu Timestamps: [1:26] Learn all about Drone U's mapping classes with new content and additional exercises at a new location [2:18] Today's question from John on flying over no-fly zone [4:30] Flying with authorised permissions in a redone [5:01] Applying to void a red-zone [6:45] As a part 107 and apply QEP [7:39] visit drone-hacks website and navigate ability to negate no fly zones [9:45] additional option - flying drones without geofencing issues