The Michigan-based small business has become the first drone photography operator in the state to be granted authority from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate a small, unmanned aerial system, known as a ‘drone,’ for commercial-application aerial photography and videography. The company is owned by two other WMU alumni, Ken Beason (BS ’10, Flight Science) and Jeremy Barber (BS ’09, Flight Science).
“Small Unmanned Aerius Systems, or what most people call ‘drones,’ are a hot topic in the aviation industry right now for many reasons,” said Freye. “They have the ability to perform some of the same missions that manned aircraft currently conduct at a cheaper cost and, in some cases, more safely.”
Their clients include a diverse group of businesses including realtors, event venues, farmers, and more.
“The problem is that because the technology is advancing so rapidly, regulations are struggling to catch up,” Freye explained. “There are a lot of misconceptions and myths about what is and what isn’t legal, and being pilots we have a healthy respect for the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration, so when we thought about pursuing this commercially, we wanted to make sure we did it the right way.”
Currently, there is no structured process for obtaining a drone operator certificate. The FAA has published a proposal, but it could take years to finalize as a regulation. Freye, Beason, and Barber submitted a petition to the federal government in October, 2014 and were granted an exemption in mid-March.
“I think what sets us apart from a lot of other operators is the fact that we are all professionally trained pilots, and that we’ve leveraged what we learned at Western and in the cockpit to make sure we methodically analyze risk and approach each flight with a focus on safety and regulatory compliance,” Freye said. “There are a lot of manned-aircraft pilots out there who are skeptical about sharing the airspace with drones, but I think the fact that we fly both manned and unmanned aircraft gives us a solid understanding of the airspace system and how to avoid potential conflicts.”
Beason and Barber are currently pilots for PSA Airlines; Freye works in aviation policy. To learn more about Aerius, visit aeriusflight.com