Thanks to Scot Joiner from Halo Aviation for speaking to our group today about his new business and the legal use of drones.
Scot’s background is aviation and more recently, helping local troubled youth to learn skills that aid them in creating a productive and happy life. One of his former students now works for Scot.
Scot expressed distaste in how much negative publicity drones are receiving because amateur hobbyists fly them in to dangerous or restricted areas, giving the entire industry a bad name. But according to Scot, over 70,000 jobs will be created in this industry in coming years and as he put it, “It’s not going away”.
The FAA, however, does have strict guidelines and amateur drone operators can be hit with heavy fines if they try to “sell” their services without being certified by the FAA as Scot has been. Scot is, in fact, one of only 8 UAV (drone) operators to have been certified in the state of Oregon.
Scot says there are several industries that will benefit from professional/commercial drones such as real estate and agriculture. Scot is most excited about the applications to wineries where thermal imaging units can help vineyards determine the validity of a crop.
For more information about Halo Aviation, visit their website.