“Trust your gut.” by Alpinax

Alpinax is a team of engineers, pilots, creators, and innovators whose passion lies at the intersection of technology and aviation. These guys grew up around model aircraft and were flying unmanned aircraft years before ‘drones’ were popular. Their mission is to use innovative techniques to deliver cutting edge solutions. Juha Turalba (23), Director of Engineering, joined the company in 2016 when his hobby opened up new doors.

Alpinax was already up and running, starting in 2014. Nassim, our CEO, was working full-time with a couple of part-time camera operators and field producers to produce drone cinematography.

At that time, I was studying mechanical engineering at Boston University and I already had a passion for aviation and drones. I was fairly active, posting pictures and videos on social media.

One day I noticed a company account, Alpinax, had liked a video I took of myself skiing on Instagram. I was curious and after checking out the work they were doing on their website was even more intrigued. So, I used their form that is typically used to request services to contact the company and let them know I was interested in their work, not being sure what would come of it.

Just like that, I was driving to Worcester for an in-person meeting with Nassim. We instantly clicked. It didn’t take us long to figure out we had extremely similar backgrounds and interests. We met in a unique way — using Instagram — but that first conversation was what really laid the groundwork for a successful partnership. We talked about the future of the company, how our skill sets would fit together, and set the tone for the company to move forward.

My passion was about to turn professional.

As remote control hobbyists, we were always tweaking and testing new aircraft. As engineers, we love small aircraft because they allow us to build and test new and sometimes wild flying concepts that would be too expensive or risky to try on a larger scale. The unpredictability of building, testing, and tuning new aircraft is what made the hobby so rewarding.

But we wanted to take our passion to the next level. We asked ourselves how we could build a company around doing what we love and use our thousands of flight hours to keep the lights on.

So we began, first as a small professional cinematography company that specialized in large drones and gimbal-stabilized cameras — the product of a passion for cinematography and a fascination with small aircraft. Most of our work consisted of advertising and production projects. As the team grew, we realized that the applications of drones reached far beyond photography. Advances in drone technology turned them into powerful geotechnical tools and opened up a new world of possibilities.

Thankfully, we come from highly technical backgrounds and we applied the same technical approach to the way we operated, setting up detailed flight procedures that are recognized by the FAA. This analytic approach to safety means we are permitted to operate drones under otherwise illegal situations, like within the airspace of Boston Logan International Airport.

When people think of drones, they typically think of them being used for epic selfies and perfect landscape photos. We do that too, but now we focus most of our work on geotechnical tools to produce extremely accurate imagery that is used in inspection, surveying, mining, and construction. An example of this is the recent model we completed to aid the restoration project of Bancroft Tower in Worcester.

The restoration team can use our models to seamlessly identify the work that needs to be done without having to scale walls and do any direct measurements themselves. The 3D models allow teams to select any point of interest for detailed inspection from the comfort of the office. In a matter of minutes, our flight teams can accomplish what used to take surveyors and inspectors weeks or even months. Before a flight, our professional operators take GPS and control measurements, precisely plan flight paths, and review safety procedures to ensure our centimeter accuracy.

The technology is advancing very quickly but the link in the chain, no matter the type of work, is the professional approach you need to take. Yes, we are passionate about our work and doing what we love but none of that matters if you cannot deliver professional results your customers can trust.

Yes, I joined this company through Instagram, but the story is so much more than that. People say not to waste your time on social media but it is not wasting your time if you use it correctly. No matter your industry, there is a platform for you to share your passions, connect with others, and network, but these platforms should never be a substitute for actual face-to-face interactions. Those interactions are where you build trust and the professionalism necessary to build a successful company.

It’s crazy to think a skiing video got me to where I am now. Trust your gut. You never know where it may take you.

A huge thank you to Juha Turalba and everyone at Alpinax for sharing their story with us.