Skyward Helps Commercial Services Take Flight

Dronos​, ​Hover Solutions​, and ​Tri­City Electric​are are recent Section 333 exemption grantees who each worked with the Skyward professional services team to build safe and professional drone programs and to obtain regulatory approval from the FAA.

The benefits of adding a drone program were clear to Tri­City Electric Co. “We are now able to offer more options to our customers, all while becoming more environmentally friendly, economical, and providing safer solutions,” said Andrew Palmer, Tri­City Electric Co. UAS operator.

Working with Skyward allows companies to focus on their expertise. ​“Skyward has provided invaluable help in setting up our business to operate safely and efficiently,” said Stuart Showalter of Hover Solutions. “Not only have they helped to prepare and submit our documents, they have also offered many useful seminars on the details of running a drone business. Their work has saved us much administrative time and allowed us to focus on what we love to do: provide amazing aerial images and videos using drones.”

“​With little regulatory knowledge or experience we viewed FAA approval as our largest obstacle to overcome and ultimately the thing that would heed our business if not granted or done properly,” said Jacob Longhurst, Dronos CEO. “The Skyward professional services team handled the entire process and allowed us to concentrate on other business needs without having to worry about what we felt was one of the biggest parts to operating an UAS company legally.”

Receiving FAA approval to operate is just the first step. General operating manuals, operations handbooks, checklists, and safety procedures are all foundational elements of a legitimate aircraft program ­ and drones are no exception. “​Not every company that uses drones is run by an aviation or regulatory expert. Skyward bridges the knowledge gap between aviators and executives and helps companies simplify the complexities of building and managing drone programs,” said Jonathan Evans, Skyward CEO.

Skyward is committed to helping every company fly safely—even if they’re new to aviation. To help more companies build safe and professional foundations, Skyward recently introduced the ‘Take Flight’ package, which includes:

• Customizable versions of Skyward’s General Operating Manual and Operations Handbook
• Policies and procedures guide
• Petition letter for a 333 Exemption (USA)
• Special Flight Operation Certificate application(Canada)
• FAA and Transport Canada exemption application guides
• Welcome call, with advice on operational procedures and best practices
• Guidance on navigating the regulatory process

Using the same forms offered in the Take Flight package, dozens of Skyward customers obtained approval from regulators in the USA and Canada. More importantly, they’re now running safe professional done programs and adding value to their business’ bottom lines.

“This material is the result of three years working with drone operators, regulators, and insurance companies from around the world.” said Nick Wayne, director of business development. “We’re thrilled to be able to share these best practices with commercial drone operators who might not have the aviation background or UAS operating experience required to develop them on their own.”