Congressman Kevin McCarthy Visits Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) manufacturer Monarch, Inc for a tour and talk on drones in industry

Congressman Kevin McCarthy paid a visit late yesterday afternoon to Monarch, Inc., a manufacturer of commercial unmanned aerial systems for the surveying needs of energy, agriculture, and other industries, to discuss the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in this field.

The visit is the latest stop in Congressman McCarthy’s mission to engage with the latest innovations in the technology sector, and to meet the businesses that are shaping the future of industry.

The Congressman’s views were summed up succinctly in his 2012 tweet – ‘we need to simplify the lives of our local small business owners and entrepreneurs and let them innovate, create, and hire’. His commitment to this aim was evident in his informed conversation with the Monarch team on the rapid pace of change in industry and legislation around unmanned aerial vehicles, and the particular challenges faced by emerging businesses as they negotiate their way in a completely new field.

The visit included an introduction to Monarch’s team of engineers and technicians, followed by a tour of the company’s facilities and a short video of the latest Monarch drone system in flight.

Of particular interest to Congressman McCarthy was the evidence for the Monarch system’s usefulness in helping to identify crop health and water allocations in agricultural areas. The California drought recently brought to fore the importance of proper resource management, and the Congressman was enthusiastic about the possibility that drone use could directly enhance crop production, and hence global economy.