My Drone Man - Interview with Ryne Cooper

Ryne Cooper has over 10 years experience flying UAS, and even more experience when it comes to video production. Ryne has competed on the national level in television production competition after placing first in IL two consecutive years in a row. It's only natural that he has combined the two in such a way to help bring people together. Ryne is passionate about drones and their limitless possibilities. If you have a unique idea on how drones can help improve anything then Ryne is your guy. We have conducted an interview with him.


What makes you think drones are limitless in their possibilities? How do you think drones can help businesses?

Drones are such a new technology that we have yet to discover all the uses that they can serve from furthering business to saving the planet. Drones have recently been used to collect whale snot for research in order to help save whale populations that are dying off. Ya, that use is kind of gross, but it's much more effective and safer than other methods. Basically, you can attach anything to a drone and take it places much easier than we would have ever been able to otherwise. Another way we are using drones is by saving lives of people that become lost in the woods with the use of a thermal imaging camera. The uses are really endless, I think that we will end of seeing a whole lot more uses for drones in the years to come as people start creating new ways to do things that will be safer and more effective. Drones are already starting to change the way that people do business. For example, MLS statistics show that the simple use of a drone to capture aerial photographs of a home that’s for sale will increase the speed at which the home is sold by 68% on average! Drones can have this same effect on any industry of business. It gives people a new perspective, demands attention, and evokes an emotional connection within consumers. Drones make easy work of tasks that once took hours to complete and were dangerous.


Which business should leverage on these?

One of the industries that could benefit the most from the use of drone technology if farming. Traditional methods of surveying crops and walking fields can be time-consuming and can result in the loss of entire fields. With using drones you can survey thousands of acres per day with a multispectral camera to identify any variations in the crop for disease and take immediate action to ensure they survive. Drones can be used the same way in construction site management and infrastructure inspections. It makes the work go much smoother and faster. Aerial photography and videography can also be a huge benefit to any size business that just wants to attract more attention for marketing purposes as well.


Why is it important to hire a licensed drone pilot?

There are several reasons why hiring a licensed drone pilot is an absolute must. The first one is the liability. If you hire someone who is not licensed and insured you could be putting your business at great risk. Imagine if something were to go wrong and some got hurt, or there was property damage. Do you think they are going to sue an individual or go after the company that has assets and insurance? Its simple, they will go after the company. The second reason is that they FAA just confirmed that if you are someone who causes an illegal drone flight (hires someone) that you are liable for an $11,000 fine! That fine is per flight as well and can be retroactive. So if you were to hire an unlicensed drone pilot and they get in trouble doing some other job the FAA can look at the flight logs that are stored internally in the drone software and come back and fine you for every flight you hired the unlicensed pilot for.

What sets you and your company apart from other drone companies?

One of the things that set us apart from other companies offering similar service is our passion. Our passion for doing right by our clients, community, and the laws that govern us. We are incredibly passionate about helping a business achieve their goals and providing the best quality product at a fair price. We have spent countless hours researching laws and regulations. We limit all liability on our clients' parts, and always stay current with all regulations. We are of an elite few that have exemptions that allow us to fly where and when others simply can't. We always take the time to understand our individual client needs and goals for their projects. This is imperative because no two projects are the same, and it would be a disservice if you made a recommendation without truly understanding your clients' needs.


Which is an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

There are so many accomplishments that we are proud of that it makes it really hard to pick just one. If I had to pick just one I would have to say that it’s the one that allowed us to start serving our clients. We were asked to be one of the first people to take the Part 107 exam when the new drone regulations went into effect in August of 2016. This is our proudest accomplishment because without this we wouldn’t have any of our other accomplishments.

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