What brand Drone UAV UAS are Commercial flyers choosing in the US?

     Looking at the commercial market for the US, there are some interesting trends in the choice of drones, uavs and uas. I am talking about the commercial companies who have received FAA approval for their 333 exemption petition. This gives them authorization to conduct their business with restrictions, such as ceiling, proximity to airports, population density and who can physically fly the drone, to name a few.
     In the fixed wing category, there is one standout manufacturer, SenseFly. Their ebee currently has over 30% stated usage by US Commercial Drone Flyers (USCDFs). This must be stated on their 333 petition for exemption. In my mind, these are the serious operators (not for hobby) that want to run a legitimate drone business in the US.
     Back to the numbers: so in Fixed Wing (FW), Sensefly is dominating with 32%, and followed at #2 by Altavian's Nova and #3 RiteWing's kits. Honorable mention goes to PrecisionHawk, Trimble Navigation and Aerovironment products.
     In the MultiRotor (MR) group, it is very clear cut and not likely to change anytime soon. DJI has a stranglehold on the market with over 60% MR share. The ratio of MR vs. FW is more than 4:1. Stay tuned for future posts concerning what business these USCDFs are choosing as their model. That has a lot to do with the choice of FW vs. MR.
     OK, back to the numbers for MR. After DJI at #1, the rest of the MR manufacturers are picking up the scraps. At #2, #3 and #4 is Aeryon Labs, DraganFlyer and Tarot. We are talking around 4% of market each, I did say MR scraps didn't I? Some honorable mentions are 3D Robotics, Ascending Technologies and SkyCatch. I am anxious to see how the 3DR's new drone, Solo, performs. If the promo on their site doesn't gather interest, I don't know what would. We'll see how the numbers turn out as more USCDFs come on board.

Applied Aeronautics LLC has announced its Albatross UAV platform and a line of supporting products. With a 10-foot wingspan and an entirely electric propulsion system, the Albatross can fly over two hours and cover 100 miles. It cruises at 38-45 mph and reaches a speed of 90 mph.

The aircraft was built to adapt to a number of applications, no matter the climate or terrain: e.g., completing long-distance surveys of land, inspecting property or assisting firefighters (with the addition of a thermal camera).

By configuring the airframe with one of the company’s kits or ready-to-fly models, the Albatross can take off, fly and land autonomously via predefined flight paths.

Albatross airframes start at $650, DIY kits start at $1,300 and ready-to-fly (RTF) models start at $2,200.

In conjunction with the launch of the Albatross UAV, Applied Aeronautics has launched a dual-screen, daylight-readable ground station – a computer that allows the user to control the Albatross and watch video in real time. Applied is also offering handheld tablet ground stations, flat mapping gimbals and high-definition video links in this line of products.

The Albatross UAV and supporting products are available for purchase on Kickstarter through April 13.

Thanks to our friends at UAV Vision: http://www.uasvision.com/2015/04/08/applied-aeronautics-announces-albatross-uav-platform/#more-36271

Is anyone making money in the UAV UAS Drone industry?

 With the exception of Military Contractors and a few manufacturers, is anyone making money in the UAS Industry? I am especially interested in the smaller companies providing services such as photography, imaging and the like. With over 1,000 listings (and growing daily) on our website, IUASBizDirect.com, I will be taking an in depth look at the health of this exciting new industry over the next few weeks. Watch for interviews and postings on this blog.
If your company wants to play according to FAA rules, you must currently petition them for a Section 333 exemption. There have been over 900 petitions, with 99 approvals at the time of this post. The approvals are trickling in, taking around 5 months, and I am not aware of how many have been rejected.