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Do You Know Drones?

Do You Know Drones?

Written by: Jason San Souci
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Welcome to the 'Do You Know Drones?' podcast. Dive deep with us as we chat with insiders and explore today's drone buzz.2026 Jason San Souci
Episodes
  • Why Drone Startups Fail to Build Simple Tools Surveyors Actually Use with Scott Harrigan

    Why Drone Startups Fail to Build Simple Tools Surveyors Actually Use with Scott Harrigan
    Oct 9 2025
    Unlock millions in ROI from your enterprise drone program.Our FREE Enterprise Drone Program Maturity Assessment benchmarks your program against best practices and reveals the strategic initiatives needed to scale.Get your free assessment now! 👉 https://bit.ly/droneprogram-maturity-assessment—————————————In this episode of the Do You Know Drones podcast, host Jason San Souci interviews Scott Harrigan, the owner of Harris Aerial, live from the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conversation focuses on a key mistake the drone industry is making: building drones for "drone nerds" rather than for the end-users they are meant to serve. Scott, with his background as a mechanical engineer at a civil firm, explains that drones are just one of many tools in a workflow, like mapping or surveying. He argues that companies often fail by trying to build a single drone for multiple, disparate applications, such as for both firefighters and surveyors, when the needs for each are completely different. The industry needs to focus on creating simpler, more precise tools that fit into an existing workflow instead of forcing a workflow to change for the drone.🔑 Key Takeaways:The drone industry's main mistake is building drones for other "drone nerds" instead of making them user-friendly tools for specific professionals like surveyors.The conversation emphasizes that a drone should be viewed as a tool, or a "hammer," within a larger workflow, not the central component of a program.Companies that try to make one drone for many different use cases (e.g., both fire/police and surveying) are failing because the requirements for each are contradictory.The industry is still "chasing a lot of shiny things" rather than focusing on strategic, practical solutions.⌛ Timestamps:[00:00:00] - Introduction to the podcast and the host, Jason San Souci, at the Commercial UAV Expo.[00:01:03] - Introduction of the guest, Scott Harrigan, owner of Harris Aerial.[00:02:12] - Scott answers the question about what the drone industry is getting wrong, stating that they build drones for "drone nerds".[00:02:45] - Scott explains that a drone is just one of many tools in a workflow.[00:03:27] - The conversation touches on how it's no longer enough to just say "we do X with drones" to attract investors; practical questions about cost and functionality are now more important.[00:04:15] - Jason reinforces Scott's point with a house-building analogy, where the drone is just a "hammer".Follow the Guest Scott Harrigan:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottharriganmapping/Follow the Host Jason San Souci:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsansouci/🔗 More from Do You Know Drones:👉 Website: https://www.droneopsusa.com 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afe-advisor-llc/ 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dykdrones/# 👉 X(Twitter): https://x.com/DronesDyk 👉 Email: dykdrones@gmail.comFollow the Podcast: 👉 Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-you-know-drones/id1479307112👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DoYouKnowDrones#drones #CommercialUAVExpo #ScottHarrigan #HarrisAerial #UAS #dronetechnology #businessstrategy #dronenerds #dronesasools
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    7 mins
  • The FAA Part 108 for Drone Founders to Fix Scaling Mistakes and Build Real Growth with Nate Ernst

    The FAA Part 108 for Drone Founders to Fix Scaling Mistakes and Build Real Growth with Nate Ernst
    Oct 8 2025
    Unlock millions in ROI from your enterprise drone program.Our FREE Enterprise Drone Program Maturity Assessment benchmarks your program against best practices and reveals the strategic initiatives needed to scale.Get your free assessment now! 👉 https://bit.ly/droneprogram-maturity-assessment—————————————In this episode of the Do You Know Drones podcast, host Jason San Souci interviews Nate Ernst, the founder and CEO of The Tachyon Group, live from the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conversation addresses a critical issue the drone industry has faced for over 15 years: scaling based on a false narrative about regulatory progress. Ernst points out that companies built their brands on the incorrect assumption that regulations like Part 108 would arrive within six months, leading to consolidation and bankruptcies. With Part 108 finally here, the industry has a "second chance to get it right" by providing comments to the FAA to help shape the final rule and enable correct scaling.🔑 Key Takeaways:The interview is a live micro-episode recorded from the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.The primary mistake the drone industry made was scaling based on the false narrative that beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) regulations would be approved in six months.This led to many companies building their brands and seeking large investments on a promise that didn't materialize, resulting in significant industry attrition and bankruptcies.With the proposed Part 108 rule for BVLOS now official, the industry has a second chance to "fix" past mistakes by providing comments to the FAA.The host and guest emphasize that everyone in the industry should provide personalized comments to the FAA to help shape the "Holy Grail of Part 108".⌛ Timestamps:[00:00:00] - Introduction to the podcast and the host, Jason San Souci, at the Commercial UAV Expo.[00:01:12] - Introduction of the guest, Nate Ernst, founder and CEO of The Tachyon Group.[00:01:54] - Jason asks Nate the one question: what the drone industry is getting wrong.[00:02:12] - Nate explains the mistake of scaling on a false narrative about future regulations.[00:03:30] - Nate describes the consequences of this mistake, including bankruptcies and consolidation, and highlights the opportunity to get it right with Part 108.[00:05:36] - Nate calls this "the industry's second chance to get it right".[00:05:51] - Nate stresses the importance of commenting on Part 108.[00:06:40] - Jason advises listeners to personalize their comments and tell their own story.Follow the Guest Nate Ernst:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanernst/Follow the Host Jason San Souci:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsansouci/🔗 More from Do You Know Drones:👉 Website: https://www.droneopsusa.com/ 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afe-advisor-llc/ 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dykdrones/# 👉 X(Twitter): https://x.com/DronesDyk 👉 Email: dykdrones@gmail.comFollow the Podcast: 👉 Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-you-know-drones/id1479307112 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DoYouKnowDrones#drones #CommercialUAVExpo #NateErnst #TheTachyonGroup #UAS #Part108 #FAARegulations #droneindustry
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    7 mins
  • The FAA drone rules for scaling with one operator, many drones, and unity in comments, Liz Forro

    The FAA drone rules for scaling with one operator, many drones, and unity in comments, Liz Forro
    Sep 16 2025
    Unlock millions in ROI from your enterprise drone program.Our FREE Enterprise Drone Program Maturity Assessment benchmarks your program against best practices and reveals the strategic initiatives needed to scale.Get your free assessment now! 👉 https://bit.ly/droneprogram-maturity-assessment-------------------------------In this episode of the Do You Know Drones podcast, host Jason San Souci interviews Liz Forro, the policy director of the Commercial Drone Alliance, at the Kelly Hills Unmanned Ag Field Day in Seneca, Kansas. Forro shares that this is her first time at the event, which she finds impressive due to its collaborative model involving industry, academia, and various levels of government. The conversation focuses on the challenges and opportunities for the drone industry in the regulatory space, particularly concerning the FAA's recent policy proposals. Forro explains the need for a scalable framework, specifically for one operator managing multiple drones, and encourages the drone community to provide detailed, constructive feedback to the FAA. The discussion concludes with Forro's three-point formula for effective commenting on proposed rules: standing, impact, and solution.🔑 Key Takeaways:The Kelly Hills Unmanned Ag Field Day is an example of successful collaboration among industry, academia, and government.The FAA is seeking industry input on key policy gaps, such as enabling one operator to control multiple drones safely at scale.The recent policy proposal from the FAA is a significant step up from Part 107 waivers and will require the industry to "level up" its safety standards.Effective commenting on policy proposals requires demonstrating how the rule impacts you, providing data to support your claims, and offering specific solutions.Community action and consensus on solutions can help the FAA navigate the policymaking process more efficiently.⌛ Timestamps:[00:00:00] - Liz Forro discusses the importance of collaboration among different groups in the drone industry.[00:02:17] - Liz explains the regulatory challenges and opportunities, focusing on gaps in FAA policy.[00:04:37] - Jason San Souci and Liz Forro discuss the difficulty of creating universal standards for an industry that touches nearly every other industry.[00:10:25] - Liz Forro details her three-point formula for writing effective comments on FAA proposals: standing, impact, and solution.[00:13:12] - The conversation highlights the importance of the drone community standing together to provide consistent feedback to regulators.Follow the Guest Lizz Forro:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-forro-05422639/Follow the Host Jason San Souci:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsansouci/🔗 More from Do You Know Drones:👉 Website: https://www.droneopsusa.com/ 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afe-advisor-llc/ 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dykdrones/# 👉 X(Twitter): https://x.com/DronesDyk 👉 Email: dykdrones@gmail.comFollow the Podcast:👉 Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-you-know-drones/id1479307112 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkEdTOmNXn0R7EN9sP3dKxw/#drones #Kansas #agtech #unmannedsystems #agrifieldday #dronetechnology #innovation #lizForro #JasonSanSouci #agriculture
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    16 mins
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