Recreational, Commercial, VLOS, BVLOS, LAANC, Authorizations, Remote ID, Registrations. Flying recreationally vs commercially today and in 2026? Flooded with the tons of flight and drone requirements for flying commercially or recreationally? Today's podcast is brought to you by Drone U's In-Person training. This is our five-day boot camp that includes a one-day Flight Mastery + Videography Training, followed by 4 days of Desktop and Cloud Based Mapping training. In this unique training event, w...
Jul 21, 2025
What drones can pilots choose based on their requirements and what are some of the best drones across multiple domains. Today's podcast is brought to you by Drone U's In-Person training. This is our five-day boot camp that includes a one-day Flight Mastery + Videography Training, followed by 4 days of Desktop and Cloud Based Mapping training. In this unique training event, we cover desktop and cloud based mapping techniques. Our Desktop-Based Mapping Class is designed for drone professionals loo...
Jul 12, 2025
Have new tariffs been signed and what are the implications for pilots. Today's podcast is brought to you by Drone U's Experience Training in June. Our first three Experience Training events sold out in less than a week; and it's time to take flight again! Our all-inclusive 5-day training paired with a 2-day competition will challenge you, inspire you, and prepare you. In this unique training event, limited to no more than 10 participants, you will be immersed in an experienced-based learning env...
May 20, 2025
Want to start a drone business in 2025 and get paid to fly? This episode reveals how Keson Drayton turned a career layoff into a profitable freelance drone business—using hustle, mindset, and the “Costco effect” to win clients. From picking up a Phantom 4 to building D Flight Productions into a recognizable name across Denver, Keson shares how he went from zero bookings to full-time drone pilot, without outside funding, gear obsession, or shortcuts. Whether you're learning real estate drone phot...
May 13, 2025
What should DSP know from a first responder regulations perspective. Today's podcast is brought to you by Drone U's Experience Training in June. Our first three Experience Training events sold out in less than a week; and it's time to take flight again! Our all-inclusive 5-day training paired with a 2-day competition will challenge you, inspire you, and prepare you. In this unique training event, limited to no more than 10 participants, you will be immersed in an experienced-based learning envir...
May 09, 2025
Want to build a serious drone career in construction, VDC, or mapping? This episode explores how Brian Owens transformed construction workflows using drones and BIM models—and how you can profit from it. In this episode of Elevating Drone Life, Rob talks with Brian Owens, Field Solutions Lead at The Whites Company, about how high tech drones transform construction workflows, strengthen risk management, and elevate client communication. You'll learn how drone mapping, BIM drone integration, FPV f...
May 05, 2025
As a pilot what are my options for building and developing systems for my drone. Today's podcast is brought to you by Drone U's Experience Training in June. Our first three Experience Training events sold out in less than a week; and it's time to take flight again! Our all-inclusive 5-day training paired with a 2-day competition will challenge you, inspire you, and prepare you. In this unique training event, limited to no more than 10 participants, you will be immersed in an experienced-based le...
Apr 23, 2025
Want to grow your drone business, book high-paying contracts, and get FAA-authorized for restricted airspace? This episode reveals how Jason Flakes did it—step by step. In this episode of Elevating Drone Life, Rob talks with Jason Flakes, the award-winning founder of Visual 14, about how he turned a career setback into a thriving commercial drone business. You will discover how he uses cinematic storytelling, strategic proposals, and FAA-compliant flight operations to build his six figure drone ...
Apr 18, 2025
Tips for pilots to approach RV parks for seeking drone business. Today's podcast is brought to you by Drone U's Experience Training in June. Our first three Experience Training events sold out in less than a week; and it's time to take flight again! Our all-inclusive 5-day training paired with a 2-day competition will challenge you, inspire you, and prepare you. In this unique training event, limited to no more than 10 participants, you will be immersed in an experienced-based learning environme...
Apr 11, 2025
Can pilots secure profitable drone jobs in rural areas? What skills are required? Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U in-person training, a unique in-person training event that is focused on developing a holistic drone pilot, where you will be hands-on learning environment. Launching 2 new in-person mapping bootcamps that covers all aspects of mapping projects training you on softwares, flight missions, data acquisitions, desktop or laptop based processing, flight mastery and much much ...
Apr 05, 2025
In this episode of Elevating Drone Life, we talk with Jorge Alvarez, founder of Drone Permission, about his journey from the concrete and construction industry to becoming a leader in drone services across Florida and the Caribbean. Jorge shares how he built a successful drone business by focusing on client communication, asking the right questions, and delivering high-quality work that meets the needs of construction stakeholders. He explains how drone technology is transforming the way project...
Apr 02, 2025
Welcome to Elevating Drone Life, the podcast for drone professionals !! Elevating Drone Life is a podcast for drone professionals by drone professionals. It is a podcast that takes you on a journey through the exciting and ever-evolving world of drone technology. Each episode, we'll be speaking with professionals from all walks of the drone industry, Drone U Elite Instructors and members to learn about their experiences, insights, and tips for success. We'll explore the latest trends in drone te...
Mar 19, 2025
Should we emphasize getting the latest drone for business or bootstrap? Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U in-person training, a unique in-person training event that is focused on developing a holistic drone pilot, where you will be hands-on learning environment. Launching 2 new in-person mapping bootcamps that covers all aspects of mapping projects training you on softwares, flight missions, data acquisitions, desktop or laptop based processing, flight mastery and much much more. Reac...
Mar 12, 2025
Whats a good drone for construction project timelapse? Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U Experience training, a unique training event that is focused on developing a holistic drone pilot, where you will be immersed in an experienced-based learning environment. You'll take flight daily and often, and you'll master cutting-edge drone techniques along the way. Learn from experienced pilots to get the most out of your drone. Also, build repeatable systems to scale your business. Learn mor...
Mar 06, 2025
Is it advantageous to use Blockchain technology in the mapping industry? or are we complicating matters? Today's episode is brought to you by Drone U Experience training, a unique training event that is focused on developing a holistic drone pilot, where you will be immersed in an experienced-based learning environment. You'll take flight daily and often, and you'll master cutting-edge drone techniques along the way. Learn from experienced pilots to get the most out of your drone. Also, build re...
Mar 03, 2025
How to deal with drone insurance issues? Who are the best players in the drone industry for drone insurance? On today's episode we discuss all about drone insurance including covering topics of insurance in the event of theft out of vehicle, crash, job site theft and if you should you put on home insurance Today's question is brought to you by Drone U Mapping courses which is getting updated to add new and relevant content covering software, techniques and deliverable. Our question for today's e...
Feb 18, 2025
How can business owners project 3 year revenues and maintain a steady flow of revenue? On today's episode we discuss ways to project finances and revenues for future and ways by which individuals and business owners can set up systems to effectively calculate future cash flows. We also go over how business owners can generate a steady income. Our question for today's episode is from our student, Jimmy, who is securing a SBA loan and wants to calculate the next 3 year cashflows. Jimmy is also get...
Feb 13, 2025
What options do pilots have to save their flight data? On today's episode we answer Kevin's question on how we can save and manage flight data on your drone in the event of a theft of your drone/drone system. Join Paul and Rob as we show a quick live demo of how you can save your drone data on your drone/SD card and ways to import flight data. Tune in to this quick educational podcast on how you can ensure the safety of your drone data in event of theft or data corruption on your device. 5-Day F...
Feb 08, 2025
Can 2D or 3D models make dirt work in construction more efficient? What techniques exist and how can businesses go about efficiently conducting earth work. Happy New Year from Drone U to you and your family. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Colorado Drone Chargers, specialists who offer drone charging systems that charge multiple batteries and a flight controller at the same time, offering the fastest, and most efficient drone charging solutions on the market. On today's episode we disc...
Jan 29, 2025
Using AI for developing creative content for business. Happy New Year from Drone U to you and your family. On today's episode we discuss how we can use AI for creative endeavours. When is it ok and when it isn't and how we can use AI for multiple use cases. In today's AI world where AI is able to accomplish a multitude of tasks from video and audio to text based projects, we discuss how AI can be leveraged in the development of content for drone industry specifically. We go over tools like suno....
Jan 18, 2025
Landscape of US Drone Industry: DJI Ban, equipment, tech and future of the industry. On today's episode we talk with Bobby Sakaki, UAV expert and CEO of UAS Nexus. We discuss with Bobby on the current state of the UAV industry and his insights on critical topics such as DJI Ban, US politics on the industry, latest tech and impact of supply chain and geopolitics in drone industry. Learn all about the topics and events in the industry that can impact drone pilots in today's uncertain environment. ...
Dec 26, 2024
Whats all with recent news of drone swarm? Are there people who are aware of these drones and their flight missions? Today’s episode is also brought to you by Colorado Drone Chargers, specialists who offer drone charging systems that charge multiple batteries and a flight controller at the same time, offering the fastest, and most efficient drone charging solutions on the market. On today's episode we discuss the very recent news event of drone swarm recently observed in NJ and discuss the vario...
Dec 18, 2024
Interview with Adam Bry, comments, feedback and more on the DJI Ban. On today's episode we discuss about some of the recent feedback we received from the online community about our recent interview with Skydio's Adam Bry. We discuss certain comments received about their take on Skydio and Adam Bry and elaborate on our view in the larger fight on DJI, Chinese technology and bans in the US. We discuss blanket bans and the overall need for having comprehensive knowledge prior to making decisions th...
Dec 12, 2024
Navigating the Drone Industry's Geopolitical Crossroads: Security, Innovation, and the role of Skydio in minimizing reliance on DJI. In this episode of Ask Drone U, Skydio CEO Adam Bry discusses public perception, the challenges and geopolitics of the drone industry, from national security concerns surrounding Chinese drones to Skydio’s efforts to build a strong U.S. manufacturing presence. He explores the tensions between innovation, security risks, and the future of global drone markets. Tune ...
Dec 05, 2024
Learn about some of the best Black Friday deals currently live. Happy Thanksgiving from Drone U and go-live of our Black Friday offers. On today's episode we talk about some of the awesome Black Friday deals that we have found in the market that would be great buy for drone pilots or make a great gift for the holiday season. Whether you are choosing to purchase a drone or add on valuable drone accessories, we'll go over some of the best value for money Black Friday deals that we have come across...
Nov 27, 2024
Role of drones in the construction industry, how data and analytics is used in the construction industry and managing drone projects On Today’s podcast, we have a special guest, Joshua Marriott, Director of VDC and Field Solutions at the Weitz company, talking to us about the role of drones in the drone industry. Today's podcast is brought to you by the December 6th Drone Mapping and Flight Mastery class. Out special bootcamp is a three-day boot camp plus one-day Flight Mastery Training. We will...
Nov 12, 2024
Yoshi Schechter from Alamo Airborne and discussions on drones, business, drone services and the art of being successful in multiple domains. On Today's podcast, we welcome Yoshi Schechter from Alamo Airborne. Yoshi is a Senior Business Director at Alamo Airborne with rich experience in the drone industry. No introduction can do justice to the depth and detail of Yoshi's entrepreneurship and business drive and experience. We are fortunate to have Yoshi on our podcast today, where we discuss about...
Oct 25, 2024
What are the best equipment and parameters for success in a busy construction/mapping world? Today's episode has been sponsored by Drone U's October Mapping bootcamp. This is our three-day boot camp plus one-day Flight Mastery Training. We will be introducing and flying a variety of data acquisition types followed by discussion and instruction on how to process the acquired data. From Pix4d Mapper to Pix4d React, to Drone Deploy and Optelos, students will go through a total of 7 exercises to mas...
Oct 05, 2024
DJI Ban - what can i do to help my business survive the ban ? On Today's podcast, we discuss the DJI ban and how things are evolving in the industry. Will you and your business survive this evolution of the drone industry, how you can navigate this scenario if it happens and what drones are going to be right for you ? Join us as we discuss all this and much more on this exciting and informative episode. Today's episode has been sponsored by Drone U's October Mapping bootcamp. This is our three-d...
Sep 18, 2024
The current status of the American Drone Market - who are the front runners? On Today's podcast, we discuss the current status of the American drone market, automation and drone systems. Paul and Rob also touch on the Freefly systems and why they believe it provides one of the best platforms in the industry and can meet the expectations that DJI has set in the drone industry. Register for our In-person Training events HERE Tune in today !! Get your questions answered: https://thedroneu.com/. If ...
Sep 16, 2024
