To find out what inspires their interest in UAS and attracts the Advisory Board Members to support Drone World Expo, we scheduled a series of exclusive interviews. Our tenth interviewee is -Jonathan Evans, CEO, Skyward.
Jonathan is a professional pilot with 17 years of aviation experience and over 3,000 hours of flight time. He possesses an airline transport pilot (ATP) license, and commercial and flight instructor ratings in airplanes and helicopters. In his career as a UH60 Blackhawk pilot, Jonathan flew for the Army’s aviation unit charged with flying presidential cabinet members, congressmen and top Pentagon officials.
Jonathan is a three-time start-up founder, technologist, and product architect. He joins the UAV industry with a passion for innovation and a deep knowledge of regulations.
Jonathan, you must have had a lot of fun flying helicopters what tempted you to get involved with unmanned aircraft…? Operating a quadcopter must seem a little tame in comparison…?
Spending 18 years as a professional pilot certainly gave me countless adventures, and I still enjoy flying airplanes out of my local club when I can. Influencing the next era of aviation is by far the most interesting part of the journey so far. Working with this team of experts to articulate a new transportation network is the greatest honor of my aviation career.
It’s funny that you say a quadcopter must seem a little “tame” in comparison to my beloved helicopter. It’s actually much more tame in many ways, and it’s a technology that I can see gracefully integrating with our urban environments in ways we’ve been imagining since The Jetsons first aired. I spent a career flying complex and heavy machinery, landing and taking off from city rooftops, and carrying hundreds of gallons of jet fuel over many of the world’s cities. And even the most advanced helicopters I flew were operating on almost entirely analog systems, both the aircraft and the air traffic infrastructure. We’ve arrived at the dawn of digital aviation, and these tame little quadcopters are the first emissaries of a future aerial robotics network. The technology is far more elegant and sophisticated than anything I ever flew from the cockpit; a gyrostabilized vessel precisely oriented on a digital grid in space, and the cockpit is rapidly becoming any portal to the Internet. The entire aviation system is evolving to become safer, more efficient, and truly democratized. And trust me, these things fly a lot better than I do!
David Famolari (left) of Verizon Ventures and Jonathan Evans conduct a pre-flight check and analyze airspace using the Skyward drone airspace map before flying at a local Portland park for drone hobbyists.
How did the idea to create Skyward come about…?
The inspiration to start Skyward actually came to me while I was on duty as a Life Flight medevac pilot in Eugene, Oregon. I was inspired by this new technology that combined two of my passions: aviation and computer science. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the hardware and some strong players like DJI and 3DR entering the market at that time. I knew my experience in the low airspace as a professional helicopter pilot could inform and build a product that would help commercial operators navigate the new rules of the sky and manage their drone business.
Tell us about Skyward – is it a software company or a consultancy…?
Skyward is the first information management solution designed for commercial drone operators. We provide software and support for drone operators who want to run a professional business. Our cloudbased software integrates a drone airspace map with flight planning tools and a digital system of record, supported by a team of experts. Since launching we’ve had users sign up from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, South Africa, and the Caribbean. Commercial drone operators can sign up for a free trial of Skyward at app.skyward.io. In addition to software, we offer professional services to help companies assess their regulatory, insurance and operational needs. We prepare and submit documentation for regulatory approvals, create custom operational procedures and checklists, and develop operating and training manuals. We ensure that our clients have all the materials needed to stand up a safe, compliant, professional, and insurable drone business.
How do you rate the FAA’s approach to integrating UAS operations into the NAS …? Are they being too cautious ?
We work very closely with the FAA and understand the complexities of integrating a new type of technology into the current manned aviation system. I’ve lived by the system of rules and infrastructure the FAA provides us as a public good for my entire career, and as an instructor I’ve been honored to pass down this heritage of aviation safety. Skyward is building the foundation of the global aerial robotics network that has already begun to integrate into the NAS,. Regulators and insurers across the world need to know the who, what, when, where, and how for flight operations. Current technology in manned aviation exists to answer those questions. Skyward is answering these questions for drones.
It seems like there’s a new UAS event every month. Why did you choose to support Drone World Expo ?
It is important for Skyward to attend events where we can both network with drone industry partners as well as spend time with commercial operators. Drone World Expo is bringing together some of the leaders in the drone industry and creating innovative programming for end users.
We’re excited to be offering demos of our drone information management software in booth #425, presenting a tech talk on Tuesday, November 17 at 2:45pm, and leading a panel on drone insurance and operations best practices on Wednesday November 18 at 3:30pm.
Keep up with Skyward on Twitter @SkywardIO and try our software at app.skyward.io
[UAS Vision is an Official Media Partner for Drone World Expo – Ed.]