Aero Drone corporation to create software for drone management
Aero Drone Corporation (A/D) today announced plans to create a suite of software for drone management –enabling companies to manage fleets of drones safely, reliably, securely, and profitably. Ensuring compliance with policies and regulations, the software will automatically capture, store, and analyze flight and maintenance data. Thereby eliminating duplicate data entry, and automating maintenance and reporting activities.
Aero Drone’s software direction is being led by Russell Hargrave, who joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer in May of 2017. Mr. Hargrave brings over 25 years of Information Technology management and development experience to A/D, having previously served as IT Director for Intel Corporation and the Oregon Health Authority.
Mr. Hargrave’s arrival as President and CEO allows Aero Drone’s founder, Irl “Mike” Davis, the opportunity to focus on Aero Drone’s original business areas encompassing drone flight services, consulting, and the Aero Drone Academy, which includes over nine miles of flight testing grounds in Class G airspace. Mr. Davis has over 35 years of experience with business startups related to aviation, manufacturing, and international logistics. Leveraging his experience and knowledge of best practices as a commercial aviation entrepreneur, Mr. Davis created a commercial drone services business spanning industrial inspections to cinematography.
“I’m thrilled to have Russell Hargrave lead Aero Drone as our new President and CEO. Rus’ background in IT and data centric vision for Aero Drone deepens our reach and participation in the frontier drone market,” Mr. Davis said. “Our ability to develop software and data solutions in response to our first-hand experience flying drone missions and training FAA Certified UAS pilots allows Aero Drone to provide real solutions for drone professionals in the field today, and prepares our company for a future where fully autonomous flight is standard.”
Mr. Hargrave stated, “My decision to join the Aero Drone was crystalized when I saw the huge gap between the current level of automation and data services available in the market, compared with what is possible with information technology today. As an example, today’s pilots must manually enter most of the data required to fly. As a drone pilot, I want to view my flight data, not enter it. Our advantage compared with other software makers producing products to solve real-world drone management problems, is that we are actively competing in the drone flight service industry. This means our developers don’t need to guess what capabilities are needed and what the requirements are; we have our own experts in the field, systematically driving our software development plans and testing the results on a continual basis.”
Aero Drone Corporation operates out of three locations, with the training Academy and offices in Tygh Valley, software development based in Hillsboro, and business operations based in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon’s “drone hot spot.” Aero Drone’s vision is to be the market leader for data rich drone services, fleet management software, and data products.
