Austraian Operator Begins Nation-Wide Expansion

Private drone operating firm, Australian UAV, announced this week the opening for business of its New South Wales offices. With over 1400 safe and successful flights for commercial and government clients, Australian UAV is fast establishing itself as one of the country’s most experienced civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators. Its existing client base includes survey, forestry, precision agriculture, industrial and natural resource management, as well as general aerial photography and filming.

The expansion marks an important milestone for the company which began in Melbourne in early 2013 and now has offices in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. The new office is led by Andrew Chapman who was newly recruited as an investor and the company’s third director. To begin operations the NSW office started with an aerial survey of the Bass Point Quarry. The move also sees its board growing beyond the original founding directors, James Rennie and Heinz de Chelard.

“We’re very excited to have Andrew join the Australian UAV team,” says Rennie. “His background in aviation, technology and digital imaging is the perfect mix to ensure great results. We’ve had a lot of demand from NSW as people start to realise the benefits of more accessible aerial maps and imagery, so we’re confident with the new office opening that we will see the business quickly expanding in the state.”

A pioneer in this new field, Chapman joins Australian UAV direct from Skymount Unmanned Systems in Canada, which he founded to develop small unmanned aircraft and explore their commercial uses while living abroad. He also served on the Board of Directors for Unmanned Systems Canada, the national body representing commercial drone operations there.

“With our sparse population and track record for leveraging clever solutions, Australia is the perfect location for commercial drone operations to stretch their wings,” says Chapman. “The UAV industry is at a real turning point in offering efficiency gains and new capabilities across a wide range of industries. We’re very excited about the prospects for us, our clients and the Australian economy.”

And according to James Rennie, the expansion won’t stop here: “We are already on the lookout for exceptional staff to open our next offices in Queensland and Western Australia.”

Source: Spatial Source