AboveNV, a leading Reno-based drone service company, plans to significantly expand business activities in northern Nevada based on rule changes announced by the Federal Aviation Administration for the commercial use of unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV).
Under the FAA’s long awaited rules, regulations are significantly reduced which allows for more rapid expansion of business activities in the state.
AboveNV is preparing to expand its business in aerial data collection and processing services for customers who use this data for industrial inspections, two and three-dimensional mapping, and GIS data analysis. AboveNV is initially targeting customers in the Great Basin.
“The Drone market has been hampered by confusing rules and regulations for years. Its pace of advancement has been suppressed because of the murky legal implications, Eric Severance, AboveNV’s Business Advisor, said in a statement.
“These new rules will allow companies like AboveNV to develop and operate their aircraft with less red tape and offer them the ability to expand their business and team more quickly.”
“We are bidding on flight operation contracts for state and federal agencies, research institutions, and enterprise-level partners,” Kirk Ellern, one of AboveNV’s Co-Founders, said in a statement. “It’s critical that we develop qualified flight crews to expand our footprint in Nevada, and potentially the nation, as quickly as possible.”
AboveNV collects, analyzes and displays geospatial data for industrial, environmental and scientific research partners using highly customized unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV), which they develop, operate and sell. AboveNV performs flight operations for industrial and agricultural customers and through that experience have designed cost effective patent pending autonomous systems to solve the industry’s needs.
The new rules will be implemented in 60 days.
“Rule 107 will create a new class of professional pilot, specifically for drones, who will only need to pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test. Currently we are required to have a fully licensed pilot for manned aircraft on every field crew, a visual observer, and obtain a federal ‘airworthiness’ certificate for each aircraft.” explained AboveNV’s Rob Dunbar.
“One of AboveNV’s roles is to educate the public and potential customers on the new paradigms in geoscience available to end-users. We can lower operational costs substantially compared to traditional methods. These new rules allow us to expand our offerings, operate with fewer restrictions, and hire more crewmembers for fieldwork,” Ellern said.
