Drone operator Australian UAV begins nation-wide expansion program, announces NSW office open for business.

Australian UAV announced today the opening for business of its NSW offices. The new location is helmed by Andrew Chapman, newly recruited as an investor and the company’s third Director. On its first day of operation the NSW office is already off to a flying start with an aerial survey of the Bass Point Quarry.

With over 1400 safe and successful flights for commercial and government clients, Australian UAV is one of the country’s most experienced civilian drone operators. Their client base includes survey, forestry, precision agriculture, industrial and natural resource management, as well as general aerial photography and filming.

The NSW expansion marks an important milestone for the company which began in Melbourne in early 2013 and now has offices in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. The move also sees its Board growing beyond the original founding Directors, James Rennie and Heinz de Chelard.

“We’re very excited to have Andrew join the Australian UAV team,” says Rennie. “His background in aviation, technology and digital imaging is the perfect mix to ensure great results. We’ve had a lot of demand from NSW as people start to realise the benefits of more accessible aerial maps and imagery, so we’re confident with the new office opening that we will see the business quickly expanding in the state.”

A pioneer in this new field, Chapman joins Australian UAV direct from Skymount Unmanned Systems in Canada, which he founded to develop small unmanned aircraft and explore their commercial uses while living abroad. He also served on the Board of Directors for Unmanned Systems Canada, the national body representing commercial drone operations there.

First entering the public eye in the form of sinister military strikes, the perception of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (more commonly known as ‘drones’) has been rapidly changing as the many commercial, environmental and humanitarian applications of this new technology are demonstrated. Australian UAV was an early advocate for such uses and has established a rapidly growing business servicing the local demand for more cost-effective aerial imagery and mapping.

These are exciting times for the nascent Australian drone industry with local companies such as Flirtey and Propeller Aerobotics getting attention from Silicon Valley investment firms. Google Wing has also been developing its own answer to Amazon’s drone delivery service, being tested recently in Queensland. Australia’s regulatory framework is world leading, having had commercial UAV rules in place for over a decade while the USA is still today struggling to establish effective regulations. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia (CASA) has granted more than 250 UAV Operator Certificates and this list is growing exponentially, up from just 19 in 2012.

“With our sparse population and track record for leveraging clever solutions, Australia is the perfect location for commercial drone operations to stretch their wings,” says Chapman. “The UAV industry is at a real turning point in offering efficiency gains and new capabilities across a wide range of industries. We’re very excited about the prospects for us, our clients and the Australian economy.”

And according to James Rennie, the expansion won’t stop here: “We are already on the lookout for exceptional staff to open our next offices in Queensland and Western Australia.”

About Australian UAV

Established in Victoria in early 2013, Australian UAV has been rapidly growing and now has offices across Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. The company has been founded by experienced consulting engineers with a focus on safety, professionalism and reliable high quality results. Australian UAV’s core business is based on low cost rapid turnaround aerial survey and mapping data, but the company is also well qualified for general aerial filming and special projects.

For more information on Australian UAV please see www.auav.com.au