Launching Commercial Drone Operations? Take Flight with Skyward

03/09/2016 by Nicholas Wayne, Director of Business Development

One of the reasons I love working at Skyward is that I get to help businesses launch the drone operations that will transform their industries in all kinds of innovative ways. Once they’re up and running, our cloud-based platform helps them fly safely with a validated airspace map, plan and log flights, and operate efficiently.

But there are a few hurdles businesses have to overcome first.

The First Requirement to Operating Drones Commercially? Compliance

We quickly realized that in order to help our customers launch their businesses, we needed to help them navigate the regulatory landscape. So, for the past several years, we’ve leveraged our aviation and UAS operating experience to help dozens of U.S. and Canadian companies obtain their 333 Exemptions from the FAA and Special Flight Operation Certificates from Transport Canada.

“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, CEO of Dronos, one of our clients. “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.”

Set Up a Safe, Professional UAV Operation

Approval from regulators is necessary, but it won’t guarantee a successful drone program in and of itself.

Through conversations with literally thousands of aspiring UAS operators, we recognized that most understand the importance of obtaining regulatory approval but haven’t considered what comes next: the day-to-day management of their business.

For three years we’ve been consulting with customers to help them build professional-grade program policies and operating procedures. These companies are now running safe, professional done programs and adding value to their business’ bottom lines.

With our affordably priced Skyward Take Flight package, we’re now giving every company the opportunity to benefit from the same experiences and best practices.

Take Flight 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

For those in the film industry, we’re also providing a customizable version of Skyward’s Motion Picture and Television Operating Manual, which has been included in multiple 333 exemption grants.

“Skyward has provided invaluable help in setting up our business to operate safely and efficiently,” said Stuart Sholwater of Hover Solutions, a Skyward client. “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.”

Now that Hover is up and running, they’re using the Skyward platform to manage ongoing compliance and efficient, safe flight operations.

Why Commercial Drone Operations Need Program Policies and Operating Procedures

No matter what the industry, every business depends on policies and procedures to structure day-to-day operations, ensure safe conditions for employees, maintain compliance, and ultimately to deliver the highest quality products and services to customers.

The stakes are especially high in aviation because of the inherent complexity and potential risks involved to people and property. Every flight involves dozens of tasks that must be completed during different phases: preflight planning, execution, and postflight logging — which means there’s lots of room for error.

General operating manuals and checklists standardize these processes and provide a consistent workflow and transparent operating environment for your employees, customers, and other stakeholders. They also provide evidence to insurers, regulators, and customers that you are running a safe, trustworthy operation.

General operating manual: This is your UAV program’s central guide. It provides a glossary of every function, piece of equipment, and term; explains roles, responsibilities, and safety protocols; provides policies for pilot training and equipment maintenance; and gives step-by-step instructions to create predictable, safe, standard results time after time.

Operations checklists: Just as in traditional aviation, your crew uses checklists for every step of an operation to ensure that all of the processes spelled out in the general operating manual are being carried out. Usually there are several:

• Operational checklist: used by the operations director, dispatcher, or lead pilot to schedule operations
• Flight crew checklists: used by the field crew to ensure that proper processes are carried out preflight, prior to launch, and postflight
• Equipment control checklist: used whenever you add new equipment to your fleet or aircraft are taken into the field

Learn more about Take Flight at http://skyward.io/proservices#takeflight