The DroneOn Show

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike, Kevin and Jay catch up at the start of drone deer recovery season. Ohio’s weather has already made it a busy opening, and they talk through early recoveries, missed calls, and why hunters usually only contact one pilot before moving on. Kevin shares how AI agents have started handling real work inside the business, then the conversation turns to the FAA inspection video some viewers called fake, the letter that showed up about 30 days later, and the long-running enforcement case tied to heavy lift. They also walk through what an attorney told them counts as hunting, and fresh pilot locator numbers: more than 300 leads in seven days and over 1,000 in the last 30, with Ohio in front and strong activity in states that say you cannot do it.

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with Chris at Shelter Harbor Golf Club to talk through how spray drones fit a high-end course. The connection started when the superintendent saw one of Mike’s early thermal deer recovery videos, then later watched golf course spray content and decided to try it. Chris walks through using thermal for deer counts and irrigation leaks, then using the spray drone on steep native areas, hills, and ponds that used to take a week of hand spraying. They cover the shift from a John Deere GPS sprayer and backpack work, early-morning applications before members arrive, robot mowers already on the property, and why this course is keeping the drone operation small and focused instead of building a full spray team.

nuWay video: https://youtu.be/BQg2IKEFADM

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits back down with Henry Hochstetler, who has gone from construction work to a full-time spray and thermal drone lifestyle. Henry talks through his season with the T100 after coming from a T40, including cover-crop seeding into standing corn and beans, how accurate the spreading system actually was. He put up about 15,650 spray acres this year between Indiana and Ohio, mostly by himself. They get into the family side of being gone for weeks at a time, teaching younger guys to fly, a power-line crash that the T100 walked away from, and why grit matters more than farming experience if you want to last in this work.

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike, Jay and Kevin recap their trip through the Las Vegas drone expo and what they actually saw in the NDAA-compliant booths. The sales pitch was almost never “this drone is good.” It was “this drone is on the list.” A lot of what they walked past still looked unfinished, 3D-printed, unpriced, or years away from being something a spray, thermal, or mapping operator can buy and use. The conversation turns to why so much money is chasing government contracts instead of commercial work, the FCC proposal timeline, and why they keep telling people to buy the Matrice 4 and 4TD now if they’ve been on the fence. They also touch the follow-up after last week’s FAA episode, the reality of getting watched as you grow, and the Platinum trailer heading to Kansas.

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike, Jay and Kevin recaps nuWay Ag’s first on-site FAA Part 137 inspection. What was expected to feel like an OSHA-style fine hunt turned out to be professional, reasonable, and educational. The inspectors—manned aircraft pilots—spent hours on site, asked real questions, and focused on safety and recordkeeping rather than looking for problems. The conversation covers how they were selected, why the AG Track app made the paperwork side much easier, how few inspectors there are for the growing number of Part 137 operations, and why operators shouldn’t panic about an inspection if they’re running a legitimate program. They also talk FCC comment deadlines, buying drones amid uncertainty, and how the Platinum trailer held up when the inspectors walked through it.

Comment now: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs

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In this DroneOn Show owners catch-up, Mike and Kevin sit down after a busy spray season to talk shop. They recap how the service team handled repairs, improved parts availability compared to last year, and the need for more temporary help next season as thermal work ramps up. The conversation turns to the biggest issue in the industry right now—the proposed FCC rules and potential restrictions on foreign-made drones—and why they chose not to add more fear-based content. They also give an update on the Wichita storefront (praised by DJI as the best retail space they’ve seen in the US), the new climate-controlled Pilot Command Center trailer, and a class-action lawsuit involving the J100. Honest talk on the current market, American manufacturing timelines, and staying optimistic about the future of spray and thermal drones.

In this special DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with his 5-year-old daughter Viviana for her very first podcast appearance. Fresh off a workout and still in her cowgirl boots, Viviana chats about her pony Misty, what she knows about spray drones and thermal deer recovery, going on jobs with her dad, and why she loves finding deer. She shares her favorite parts of family life, her thoughts on school (she’s homeschooled), what she wants to be when she grows up, and plenty of fun, honest moments that only a 5-year-old can deliver. A light-hearted, heartwarming episode that shows the family side of the drone business.

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with two fellow spray drone applicators: Zane Carter of Neutral Drones in Iowa and Bernhard Martens from Chihuahua, Mexico. Zane shares how a layoff from Wells Fargo led him into the industry, flying T40s in his first year and covering thousands of acres before building his own operation. Bernhard recounts starting in 2021 with a single T20 funded by his farm boss, working the farm by day and custom spraying by night to hit 8,000 acres in his first season—with a drone so reliable it barely needed parts. The three discuss early crashes, power lines as the biggest threat, differences in field sizes and operations between Iowa and Mexico, the strong ongoing demand for custom work, and where the industry is headed over the next five years as more farmers consider buying their own drones while custom applicators continue to scale.

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike talks with Mehdi from Talos Drones about his path into the industry. Mehdi shares his background as a mechanical engineer with a master’s in composite materials for aerospace from West Virginia University, followed by work at a California chemical company developing pheromone applicators for orchards. There he built custom drone systems for high-viscosity products, modified early DJI MG-1 platforms, and secured USDA grants. He later used his savings to launch his own engineering and drone business around 2019, trained at DJI in China, and made his first sale to customers who drove up from Mexico. The conversation covers the realities of heavy after-sales support, staying technical as a dealer, honest feedback on T100 performance and swath widths, connectivity in tough areas, and why the spray drone industry attracts a younger crowd. Practical insights from someone who learned the technology from the inside out.

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with Jnani from Vortex Advantage Ag in Texas for a one-year update on his operation. Jnani shares how nearly all of his work remains focused on pasture and rangeland spraying rather than row crops, explaining the pricing realities versus airplanes and why his chopped-up Texas terrain with obstacles fits his approach. He walks through his full background—from Army airborne Gulf War veteran and skydiver, to college baseball pitcher, hardwood flooring company owner, personal protection/bodyguard work for high-profile clients, and owning a winery—before building Vortex into a deliberate brand. The conversation covers equipment sales without heavy inventory to stay neutral, the challenges of after-sales support, upcoming large solar projects, his move from XAG P150s to testing the massive Series Air platform, content creation struggles while spraying, and how YouTube drives most of his business. Honest talk on finding a niche, learning from past businesses, and helping others succeed.