Recent reports state that the drone industry in Latin America and South America grew at a pace of 6.2% in 2021. According to uncrewed aviation expert Juan Plaza, that growth rate could rise as high as 10% in the coming years. In this podcast, Plaza explains how innovative business leaders, government agencies, and receptive consumers are driving the expansion of uncrewed operations in the region. Less crowded skies, a favorable regulatory environment, and success stories from drone companies operating in agriculture, package delivery, inspections, and more are also contributing to the growth. Plaza, who will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Commercial UAV Expo, offers his insights and predictions in this lively discussion.

Improving drone safety will not only increase public acceptance of uncrewed technology, it will increase ROI for commercial drone operations and move the industry forward. In this podcast, Josh Olds, CEO & President, Unmanned Safety Institute, discusses the risks associated with commercial UAV programs and the importance of safety training and certification for drone operators. Based on his experience as the head of the world’s leading UAS training and certification organization, Olds explains how standardization, regulations, and a commitment to secure operations will make UAVs safer—and more profitable—for all stakeholders.

Robotic devices, including uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), can play a crucial role in disaster response operations. In this podcast, Dr. Murphy, a professor Computer Science & Engineering at Texas A&M University and a pioneer in the field of disaster robotics, discusses the history on uncrewed aerial systems in disaster response, the barriers to adoption, government regulations, the importance of wireless communications in robotic disaster operations, and her hopes for the future. In addition, she talks about the importance of training for disaster response professionals using UAVs, and she explains the training she offers through the organization Women in Drones.

The Avy Drone Response Network is new solution that can instantly deploy autonomous drones to carry out urgent and lifesaving missions. The network combines docking stations with Avy’s new Aera autonomous drones to support medical deliveries or emergency services during critical incidents. The new-generation drone has improved payload capacity and range, capable of carrying up to 6.6 pounds (3 kg) of medical goods over a distance of 62 miles (100 km). Moreover, the VTOL aircraft can operate around the year in rain and winds up to 28 mph (45 kph). In an interview with Commercial UAV News, Avy’s CEO, Patrique Pi Zaman, discusses the components and capabilities of Drone Response Network, as well as the challenges of creating an autonomous drone network.

The recently announced FLYY program is a comprehensive online learning and resource portal for drone pilots. While the education that defines the program is geared toward anyone who’s interested in getting their Basic or Advanced RPAS Certificate to legally operate a drone in Canada, the comprehensive learning platform with multiple course offerings provides insights that are relevant to anyone building or operating an enterprise drone programs. To better understand why this sort of drone training should be the foundation upon which enterprise programs should be built, we talked with Kate Klassen, who is the architect of the FLYY program and also an instructor. She detailed her background in aviation, what makes FLYY the most comprehensive suite of courses she’s ever put together and how she makes training engaging to both stakeholders and operators. Stay tuned to the end of the podcast for a 10% discount code on FLYY courses.

Our free report, titled Transitioning Commercial Drone Applications into the Millitary Defense Market: What You Need to Know details what commercial drone solution providers need to know about how the defense market sector operates but also highlights what it can mean to enter a new market. What kind of a mindset is necessary for this sort of market transition? How should stakeholders look to rely on experts when doing so? We connected with Ed Hennessey, CEO of PMG-Results and the author of this report, to discuss these specifics, how connections between the commercial and defense sides of drone technology have evolved, and much more.

Pacific Triangle is a drone service provider in San Diego, California delivering integrated platforms and end-to-end solutions for commercial applications in geospatial, oil and gas, mining and electrical utility industries. We wanted to learn more about how they used drones for bridge inspections in Georgia, so we connected with Ian to explore the efficiencies they enabled for the project, how value was measured by stakeholders, what opportunities this application will open up for others and much more.

In a very special episode of the podcast, Danielle Gagne sits down with Carla Lauter, Conference Chair of Geo Week, to discuss the opportunities and possibilities that innovations like drones, lidar and more have opened up in various sectors. The two explore how they approach covering the value these tools create for both Commercial UAV News and Geo Week News, how their careers have been shaped by the conversations they’ve had with experts on every side of the technology, and an announcement about the future of the podcast.

An interview with Luke Fox, Founder of WhiteFox 

When incidents with drones capture national, or even international, attention it can pull the entire drone industry back. These incidents impact public trust in the capabilities and value of drone technology. How can we flip the script and reframe this conversation to focus on the ways we can ensure airspace safety today? Commercial UAV News sat down with Luke Fox, Founder of WhiteFox, to discuss what we can and should be doing as an industry to increase security and trust, how we can build better airspace aware today, and why it is vital to the future of our industry.

Commercial UAV News has often talked about providing solutions for real-world problems, rather than having a solution in need of a problem. But how do companies put that solution first and what does that look like? We spoke with Naya Choi, Director of Product Marketing at Qii.AI, who specializes in end user experiences and end user interfaces, about why putting human-centric design at the center of product development is integral to avoiding the pitfalls that leads to creating a product nobody needs.