Last week I had the pleasure to attend the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas (thank you Godfrey Nolan from RIIS for the free ticket). It was my first time going to an industry event purely based on my personal interest and I had a wonderful time. It was a strong reminder that in-person connection will always trump digital community and online networking. Meeting people in person, introducing yourself, walking around a room full of company booths, listening to live presentations and building early-stage friendships are much more meaningful and lasting than attending digital webinars and spending time on LinkedIn. I also think it’s a good test of your personal interest and passion about a topic. After two full days of material you will have a pretty good idea if the subject matter ignites some form of organic interest or is a chore that you grit your teeth through. I left the conference inspired and excited about the future of the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) industry. Below are some of my parting thoughts, reflections, and perspectives from someone on the outside of the industry (hopefully not for long).

Regulation and Safety

  • In order to fly a drone commercially you must follow the FAA Part 107 rules and regulations. Part 107 is now 10 years old and the FAA is actively working on its next major expansion referred to as Part 108.
  • According to the CEO of Pilot Institute, “FAA Part 108 is expected Q1 of 2027”
  • There was lots of chatter around Part 108, but no one actually knows exactly how the language is going to be written. Therefore, it’s hard to put too much stock into the commentary until we see the published and passed regulations. In general, there seems to be resistance to Part 108 due to safety concerns and the regulations being too open.
  • Beyond visual line of sight flying (BVLOS) is under current debate and potential for expansion. It is already common practice with exceptions and waivers today but not available to everyone. Active BVLOS fliers can be the best source of information on how to write the next stage of regulations. Opening the doors to BVLOS on a wider scale could cause chaos in the airspace if not done appropriately.
  • Aviation safety culture needs to be adopted by drone pilots. Shared airspace is real and only going to get more important if rules relax or expand.

Industry Realities

  • Lidar, lidar, lidar, lidar and more lidar… I was very surprised to see so many independent booths and companies all offering lidar related services. This must be a great business with enough money to support many different local companies.
  • Tough looks for the international presence. Banned US DJI sales, 100% tariffs and emerging requirements for NDAA-compliant hardware. US made alternatives simply cannot compete on price yet, which is a barrier for adoption. People looking to upgrade their equipment are in wait and see mode and so are the manufacturers.
  • Skillset is a hiring barrier. There seems to be plenty of open work and not enough people to fill it. However, you do need to bring a Part 107 license, training, hours of flight time and other skills. Being able to fly is not enough, how can you bring other things to the table?
  • The crowd in general is older, with fewer young people than I expected.
  • Most people start as hobby fliers and build from there into more professional avenues. There is concern that hobby drones are out of stock, too expensive and less likely to end up in people’s hands. I personally have had issues finding a drone that was affordable, in stock and had the ability to program. Cheap development kits need to be available if the industry wants to help teach the next generation.

Technology and Business

  • Flying to collect data + processing the data = business value and return on investment
  • Heavy lift drones are super cool and will be exciting to see how they develop. Imagine being able to routinely carry heavy cargo from point A to B.
  • Thermal imaging is super cool and useful in unique ways.
  • There is skepticism around AI but also an understanding it will have some role to play in the future of the industry. During one of the keynote presentations there were concerns about future employees lacking skills on the data and software side. AI is a perfect tool to help people level up in these particular areas.
  • SimaAI is building really important drone hardware but does a poor job of communicating that value. If you are building a drone and want to attach an onboard computer your most common options are NVIDIA Jetson’s or Raspberry Pis. Both of these have skyrocketed in cost and are difficult to get your hands on. SimaAI has created a hardware alternative and partnered with ARK Electronics to manufacture plug-and-play packages. I hope to get my hands on one for testing eventually.

Where Drones Are Already Making an Impact

  • Disaster response is a growing area where drones are used. Being able to get video or photo imaging above and around dangerous areas will help coordinate recovery and response efforts.
  • Drones as first responders are popping up quickly. Mostly driven by police departments, fire departments and other government organizations including search and rescue.

My Next Steps

After my time at the conference, I have some clear goals and actions I will be taking. First, I need to get my FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. In addition, I plan to enroll in a variety of Pilot Institute training courses to deepen my skillset and train hands-on in the field. Along with that, it will be important to start flying on a regular basis to build confidence, practice safety and improve my operating skills.

On the engineering side of things, I will continue working through a variety of projects leveraging my Holybro S500 development drone. This week I completed my first solder experiment to power a new FPV video camera. Once the video is streaming correctly, I plan to plug in AI models that can identify and reason about what the drone can “see”. Experiments with computer vision will help process the data (video) that is being captured from the air.

This industry is growing and I am building up my skillset to join. If you have any recommendations, advice or open roles to fill, I would love to discuss further. See you all in 2027 at next year’s event :D

-Jake