has announced the acquisition of Droners.io and AirVid. Both platforms enable users to commission drone pilots for commercial jobs. PrecisionHawk will merge the companies under the Droners.io name and platform to form a network of more than 15,000 commercially licensed drone pilots – making it the largest of its kind.
The company will continue to connect certified drone pilots directly to customers. In addition, PrecisionHawk will use the network to service its growing base of enterprise customers in insurance, agriculture, energy, construction and government.
Since the Federal Aviation Administration began allowing corporations to use drones for commercial purposes in 2016, PrecisionHawk has fielded increasing demand for drone flight services from the business and government sectors. A network of professional drone operators will allow the company to quickly scale its team and technology to meet the growing demand for timely and consistent aerial data collection.
“Droners.io and AirVid share our mission of helping drone operators turn their passion into a profession. Combined with PrecisionHawk’s expertise in providing professional drone services to the enterprise, this merger enables us to build the best platform for drone pilots while simultaneously providing our enterprise clients with the on-demand services they require.” — Michael Chasen, PrecisionHawk CEO
By the end of 2018, PrecisionHawk expects to have fulfilled hundreds of thousands of missions. To meet this demand, the company will focus on growing its newly formed network of certified pilots nation-wide and abroad.
Dave Brown, who founded Droners.io, will manage the pilot network development team. Patrick Egan, founder of AirVid, will assist PrecisionHawk as a consultant.
“We believe that a drone pilot network is one of the fundamental building blocks of a successful drone ecosystem,” said Dave Brown. “We’re excited to continue our mission with PrecisionHawk and support the growth of the drone pilot economy.”
The announcement comes just two weeks after the PrecisionHawk closed $75 million in Series D funding. Both the funding and the pilot network merger are in service of the company’s mission to foster global adoption of commercial drone technology.
In only a few years, piloting drones has grown from a niche interest into a worldwide enterprise. As of January 10th, 2018, there were more than 122,000 people who had received their Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, authorizing them to fly drones for commercial and governmental purposes. Some pilots serve as flight staff at organizations. Others have joined a drone servicing business or started their own. For all drone pilots, the commercial opportunity continues to grow as industry leaders define new practices in drone-based aerial intelligence.
However, pilots who provide drone flight services are experiencing headwinds. Dave Brown, PrecisionHawk’s VP, Drone Network explains:
“More and more pilots are getting Part 107 certified, increasing the competition for commercial missions. As a result, payouts for some missions are decreasing. Or worse, inexperienced pilots are undercutting experienced ones (and delivering substandard results). Furthermore, while interest in drone-based aerial intelligence is growing, commercial missions aren’t yet at a volume that supports a large ecosystem of full-time pilots.”
In such an environment, it can be challenging for independent drone operators to invest in selling and marketing their services in a way that keeps them competitive and flying.
High-quality Drone Missions Accomplished
Pilots participating in PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network not only gain access to a large and growing volume of consumer and enterprise engagements, they also gain access to a support structure to accomplish those missions.
- Grow flight opportunities from a single source—From individual consumer postings to engagement emerging from the world’s leading enterprises, a large inventory of commercial opportunities are available to drone pilots. This includes opportunities from PrecisionHawk’s enterprise clientele.
- Improve portfolio quality and variety—Many of the opportunities posted to PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network involve cutting-edge applications. PrecisionHawk helps leaders in insurance, construction, energy, agriculture, and government pioneer new practices in drone-based aerial intelligence.
- Get the support to accomplish missions—Independent pilots participating in the Drone Pilot Network and using PrecisionHawk hardware and software can contact the support team. Those contracted by PrecisionHawk receive the support of the company’s Mission Success team, including training and operational assistance.
Source: Press Release