Building a New Drone Service Business

Chris Courtney has served over 23 years in two military services as an aviator and paratrooper accumulating over 3,000 flight hours in highly technologically advanced airframes. Senior staff and leadership positions include; Aerial Reconnaissance Platoon Leader in South Korea, Chief of Current Aviation Operations in Afghanistan, Attack Helicopter Company Commander, Strategic Resource Manager, Aircraft Commander, Senior Instructor Pilot and Flight Standardization Officer. He is an FAA Rated Flight Instructor Rotorcraft with Instrument and Commercial Pilot Rotorcraft with Instrument. Training and education includes: Helicopter High Altitude Power Management Course, Advanced Helicopter Search & Rescue School, Naval War College Strategy & War Graduate Course, Army Officer Command, Staff & Executive Planning Course and a B.S. from the University of Connecticut in Business. During his successful career, he has earned 10 Commendation & Achievement Medals for superior leadership, judgment, performance of duties and heroics in flight having saved 37 lives.

Edward Schmalfeld is the co-owner of Dragonfly AeroSolutions, based out of Florida. He is a licensed Professional Engineer with 13+ years of experience in a wide range of Civil Engineering projects including land development, roadway design, landfills, renewable energy facilities and safety operations. Dragonfly AeroSolutions was founded 2.5 years ago to provide cost effective, time efficient and safer solutions to many of the challenges that each of these industry face. With over 60+ individuals sites continuously serviced and under contract, Edward has grown Dragonfly to be an important partner to multiple Fortune 200 companies.

Justin Moore is Owner/Chief Pilot at Airborne Aerial Photography. Justin is a native of San Antonio, Texas and has been a professional photographer since 1999 and is an Instrument Rated Private Pilot. Justin is a passionate UAS advocate who has done extensive pro bono work to demonstrate #dronesforgood. This work includes using drones to monitor great blue heron rookeries to working with field ecologists to study an isolated population of bigtooth maple trees. Airborne Aerial Photography provides drone mapping and professional aerial imagery to a variety of clients including construction companies, real estate developers and other South Texas businesses.

Andy Putch is currently a Project Manager at DroneDeploy and commercial drone operator experienced in providing mapping services for clients in real estate, survey, construction, and solar industries. He was previously a co-founder of FreeSkies, a DJI mobile applications startup designing 3D autonomous mission planning software. Before FreeSkies, he was an autonomous systems researcher with the University of Illinois Bretl Research Group exploring emerging SLAM and other GPS-denied UAS control systems. He has also worked as an aerospace and defense corporate strategy consultant with Renaissance Strategic Advisors and as a NASA Aeronautics Academy Intern at the Armstrong Flight Research Center. Andy is a private pilot, FAA Section 333 exempt commercial UAS operator, and commonly featured speaker/panelist at drone conferences and trade shows.