I am here to make a difference

Finding your niche and speaking to people the right way

My highest recommendation of Candice Fox and FIT Science

Summer Transformations at Fit Science LLC These clients stayed consistent even though they were on summer vacation. 6/6/18 - 9/7/18 Sandra Lost 7.9 lbs. overall, 14.4 lbs. in body fat and almost 10 inches. 6/29/18 - 7/10/18 Helen Lost almost 30 lbs. in body fat and gained 24 lbs. in muscle. 6/18/18 - 7/25/18 Joshua Lost 15 lbs. overall, 20 lbs. in body fat and lost over 4 inches overall. Here at Fit Science, We Offer a Variety of Programs To Assist You On Your Weight Loss Journey. From Personal Training To Yoga, We Will Be There For You Every Step Of The Way.

Breaking habits

Going through a phase of Global Secular Reshuffling

Hidalgo County has the answer to Obamacare

Necessity is the mother of innovation

Not only did Donald Trump win the 2016 Presidential Election but Hidalgo County’s Proposition 1 Healthcare District was defeated. The Republican Party in Hidalgo has a lot to be excited about but not so much. They don't see to see the clear path ahead of them. Even though the Republicans didn’t win in the Rio Grande Valley the fact that they defeat Proposition 1 is a victory that they can claim all on their own. It is a stepping off point. There is an alternative solution that is custom made for the dilemma that the hospitals have where they can’t refuse treatment which they most likely will never receive payment for, Family Medical Pools. These accounts would be funded by payroll deductions already being taken out of income but instead of going to health insurance where fees are charged and coverage limited it would go into medical savings accounts for specific families. There is no problem doing business across state lines, Doctors wouldn’t have to wait for payment from insurance companies, they would be paid at the point of sale. In the event a patient goes to the emergency room without coverage, they would just be enrolled in their family’s pool. There would be social pressure for members of the family to lead more healthy life styles and not to be going to the doctor for frivolous reasons. Also to get those who aren’t contributing a job so they can contribute to the family Healthcare pool. It would solve the problem which caused the Hospitals in Hidalgo County to propose Proposition 1 and they don’t need voter approval. The Mormon Church has global database of families’ linage which they would be able to utilize in notifying family members of these Healthcare Pool Accounts. All that is required is a cooperating bank and the hospital to adopt it as a solution. There is no underwriting, there would be business opportunities for retired doctors and nurse practitioners as advisors to families when deciding on treatment. With all of the winter Texans in the Valley and the undocumented residents this is an ideal solution. If they seek treatment, they just need to show their ID and the hospital can look up their family healthcare accounts and add them to it.

Running along the path put in front of me

Running along the path put in front of me

My life is rapidly changing and it is completely due to association, new and reconnecting with past influences. First off I have a girlfriend. She is also a transplant from San Diego California and she is a John Maxwell Leadership trainer and she is an amazing listener who picks up on what I have said and she doesn’t waist a second to connect me with those in her circle that she believes would be a good fit for me. First she introduces me to Joel Garcia a physical education teacher and football coach who helps a local boxing promoter. So we got tickets to the local boxing show in Pharr Texas. Joel sits with us and introduces me to everyone. Then he introduces me to a fighter who he has sponsored Jose Prado. Jose tells me his story about getting over matched during his last fight and after losing every round knocked out his opponent and how they are trying to over match him again. I gave him a little pep-talk and told him not to waste any time feeling this guy out but to jump right on him and let him know that he is going to have to fight. That is exactly what he did and he with a record of 8 and 1 fought to a draw with Shoki Sakai who was 21-6 who has the same trainer as Juan Miguel Marquez. I gave him some pointers after the fight on how to beat this guy when he gets a rematch with him and then I went to his gym on Wednesday and gave him a sequence of combinations to set up his left hook for the next time he fights this guy. I think I got through to him. He is a little hardheaded but that is why he was able to hang with the more experienced fighter like he did but I think I got him to see the benefit of mastering the techniques I showed him.

Then I received a phone call from Enviro-Lite asking me to meet with them and talk about marketing their electrical services. Then I got a call out of the blue from Dave Perry Global Business Strategist & Technology Commercialization Expert. He wanted help marketing a LED Lighting manufacturer that had a high CRI rated module for other LED Lighting manufacturers to use in their fixtures. I didn’t know a lot about CRI but I educated myself and then I called the manufacturer and got some more insight then I self-educated myself on YouTube.  Then I went to my interview with Enviro-Lite and it went well and they gave me a contract to sign. I am going to clarify the “Non-compete” section to make sure that I can still sell LED Lighting to electricians but only generate new projects for them.

With this connection with Dave Perry and the degree program I am applying for with University of Texas Pan-Am in Edinburg to study for a degree in Business Marketing New Communication Technology. With my sales background, finance, drones and LED Lighting I feel that I already have a head start in the marketing of new and disruptive technologies. This made me think about Gifford Marzoni  a friend of mine in Imperial Beach California who was a technician who played a major role in the development of the anti-aids drug Viracept. I looked up his email address and the email was a blog post that I wrote that best described all that I am trying to do leadership and business. It caused me to think about Van Hall. Van was my AOIC in both of my platoons at SEAL Team Four. He was one of those young guys that Dick Marcinko when he formed SEAL Team Six. I first meet Van between my BUD/s classes 133 and 141 in Pensacola. It was a Sunday and I had to put the new AOCS cadets through their power test, push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. A First Class (SEAL) Petty Officer stopped me while I was on my way to unlock the building. He was dressed in his summer whites and he stopped me and asked “Where is the chow hall?” I pointed him in the right direction and told him where bldg 633 where he would be attending his leadership training course. Also let him know where the other Navy SEALs were on the base. It was three years later in my first Platoon with the Assistant Officer in Charge, Ensign Hall. Right in the middle of putting together a load out list I stopped and said “I know you!” Then I recalled the encounter in Pensacola. Van had some very admirable characteristics. He had that same direct way of defining his expectations that I had grown used to from the BUD/s instructors and the Vietnam Veterans who had mentored me to this point. Van studied history because he thought it was the easiest course of study to obtain his college degree. He would read the course book and the take a CLEP test and test out of most of his required courses. He was big on physical fitness, strength and he was very competitive. He even tried sparing with me one time, even when I tried to talk him out of it. It took him a while but he did get me to start lifting weights and increase my strength. Van is the reason I shoot as proficient in shooting as I am. My primary goal during my first deployment to the Persian Gulf in 1988 was to get him to stop saying “God Damn it Red”. I would hear “God Damn it Red second site”, “God Damn it Red get the slack out of the trigger”, “God Damn it Red get your grip right”. Then in our second platoon during the work up preparing for Panama we focused mostly on land warfare and jungle warfare and less CQB but we did do some of that training and I was up against Van in a magazine change drill and I beat Van and he was as excited about it as I was. Van used to chew Copenhagen and so did I at the time but my step father made me learn how to swallow my spit when I was indoors instead of spitting in a cup. You have to swallow the spit before it accumulates. You get the hick ups but it isn’t so bad if you don’t let it accumulate. Nobody ever taught this technique to Van. It was no big deal except when he would be briefing an aircrew and he didn’t have his spit cup with him, he would pull out the top pocket of his flight suite and spit into his pocket. It was incongruent with everything else about him that was ultra-professional. I remember talking to him on the phone while I was stationed in Panama and I picked up the phone in Training department when he called and we caught up and I told him that I had quit chewing. Then I ran into him in McPees in Coronado when he was recruiting for a contracting company he was forming up. Then when Al Clark died he inspired me to get back in shape which now is part of my everyday routine. While thinking about the course of study I am about to embark upon Van came to mind and even though he discounted his achievement because it only had a degree in history, I was thinking about how significant it was that he was able to retain the material well enough to pass his CLEP tests and obtain his degree.

The funny thing about the path that the Lord has been laying out in front of me lately, last time I spoke with Van he asked me if I was still boxing and when I told him that I hadn’t since I paid $6,000.00 for implants. He told me that he had been working with MMA fighters and was thinking about a rematch. We had a little laugh but now that I am feeling pretty fit and limber something happened today at Christian Fellowship Church I noticed this guy who was built like a fire hydrant. I asked him what he did for a living and he told me he was a law enforcement trainer and powerlifting coach. When I mentioned that I used to be a Navy SEAL he told me that he has some boys he works with who are interested in Special Forces and the SEALs. I told him that I do the BUD/s workout every Saturday morning and if his boys wanted to work out with me I would love to. Then he introduces me to his associate who was another obviously physically fit gentleman who is a trainer in Krav Maga a form of martial arts that combines boxing and Wing Chin Kung Fu. I am amazed how these opportunities are being put in front of me. Van might get his rematch.

 

 

Lessons learned

Throughout my life I have learned many lessons that have stuck with me for my whole life. I would like to share them with you:

#1. Bullies don't like to get hit.
#2. Don't hold back.
#3. If you do anything long enough you will get good at it.
#4. Put out, when you put everything you have into something new you shorten the learning curve.
#5. Never give up, stamina is what wins the race.
#6. Learn to love what you are doing, it makes it more enjoyable while you are mastering it.
#7. If you keep doing it until it bores you, that is when you will have a breakthrough.
#8. Don't take yourself to seriously.
#9. Don't sweat the little shit.
#10. Everyone puts their pants on the same way, one leg at a time.
#11. If you focus on the space between the top of your head and bottom of your feet and make sure you are doing what your are supposed to do, when you are supposed to be doing it, everything will be okay.
#12. Moderation is for cowards, when in doubt, overload.
#13. Butterflies are excess adrenaline dumping off into your stomach, it is the horses getting ready to run.
#14. When someone is acting angry or trying to look tough, they are scared.
#15. When your leader is being a hard case it is because your success is important to him.
#16. Don't be afraid to take a risk, you have to compare, if you do something and fail, are you worse off than if you did nothing at all. If that is the case go for it.
#17. God can't steer a parked car.
#18. The three strikes rule: #1) If a prospect is not cooperative, they don't provide all of the information you need to do business with you they get two strikes automatically. #2) Doctors, lawyers teachers and engineers get one strike automatically because they think they are smarter than you. #3) People with foreign accents get one strike just because as an American I have a trust factor to overcome. Once you get two strikes give them a subtle take away and ask for a referral.
#19. Referrals lay down.
#20. Pay attention to the indicators, a turn in the market, subtle comments, a change in activities anything out of place. It works while walking through a booby trap course, in business and in relationships.
#21. "I just need some space" or "I need a little time" means it is over.
#22. If you don't quit the universe will help you.
#23. The right association can make all of the difference and take you to the next level.
#24. Don't be afraid to hear "No" but always make sure they tell you why and that will usually give you the reason they will say "Yes".

My conspiracy theory

Putting the Benghazi together

When Barack Obama s elected he went on his apology tour. This signaled the green light for the Arab Spring. This administration believed that if Muslims were in control there would be more peace in the region. Egypt over threw Mubarak and elected Morsi, Iraq elected Maliki and the resistance in Syria tries to topple Assad. Then there was Gadhafi in Libya. All of these countries were secular and Obama and Clinton decided that it would be better if they were all Islamic ruled. So they create alliances with some very sketchy people, factions of Al Qaeda to over throw Gadhafi and join the resistance in Syria. They couldn’t legally arm them so they gave weapons and vehicles to the Iraqi security forces who gave them up to the rouge Sunni Muslims who used to work for Saddam Hussein and who weren’t treated very well by Maliki and the new Shia government in Iraq, they joined Al Qaeda and decided that they didn’t want to be the bastard step children again so they took control and became ISIS. The arm of Al Qaeda the administration in Libya joined them and Hilary Clinton created a situation where they could acquire shoulder fired stinger mussels, AT-4s and LAW Rockets that were cached at the annex in Benghazi after an amnesty round up. The security had to be at a minimum so these Al Qaeda/ISIS raiders could come in and steal them to transport to the rebels in Syria. The state department couldn’t just give them to them because that would require congress and the American people to be informed. They wouldn’t go for it and it wouldn’t legal to do it without them. So they attacked the compound but they didn’t expect much resistance because the rented security wouldn’t put up a fight but the US security contractors who were guarding the Ambassador and the CIA annex weren’t told that this transaction was to take place so they did what they were supposed to do, protect the Ambassador and the US Government property. They held the attackers off giving them heavy casualties. That is why they burned the compound and when they did get a hold of Ambassador Stephens they defiled his dead body and took pictures. The White House and the State Department didn’t send a rescue team because then the weapons transfer wouldn’t take place. That is why Sean Smith, Glenn Doherty and Tyrone Woods were left to die. I am not sure about the reason Ambassador Stephens was sacrificed but this is how ISIS was created by Hilary Clinton and the Obama administration. I haven’t even mentioned the $6 billion that Hilary Clinton misplaced which ended up in Egypt to the Muslim Brotherhood. How Hilary Clinton is even considered as the Democratic Nominee is beyond me? If I can connect these dots, what have the fools in congress and the media been doing?

What the fireworks represent

Why this day is special

               I joined Toastmasters in 1996 and I heard a speech about Francis Scott Key and the circumstances of which he wrote the “Star Spangled Banner”. He was an envoy to negotiate a truce with the British on a battle ship off of the coast of Fort McHenry near Baltimore MD. When Francis Scott Key boarded the ship he was taken into custody and the British sent a courier to shore with a demand for surrender to the Fort stating that if the Americans in the Fort did not surrender that they would bombard the fort taking the flag down. During the night the British bombarded the Fort, aiming directly for the flag pole and when every time they thought they had a direct hit they would shoot up a flare to see if the flag was still there and every time they did, to their surprise it would always be flying. That is when Francis Scott Key wrote out the “Star Spangled Banner”. When dawn came the flag was still flying and the British released Francis Scott Key and when he arrived at the Fort he witnessed a pile of dead Americand who rushed into hold up the Flag every time a cannonball knocked it down or killed the patriot who had been holding it up. They did this all night until dawn. They beat the British purely with their will that could not be defeated even despite certain death. I was talking with a friend about the softening of America. Our enemies have been working on us for years. Influencing our attitudes and emasculating our young men, under the guise of political correctness. I see it all around me. Standing up for ourselves has been made into a character flaw. I am grateful that the Bowe Bergdahls of the world are in the minority still.

The Real Secret

You have to want to

I have experienced a major breakthrough in a process that I have been working on since 1994. I realized that I wasn’t going to make a career out of the military and I started educating myself on sales and influencing others and I have read many books on Love Languages, Personality Profiles, NLP and Leadership. I have been involved with Toastmasters since 1996. I have been to two Tony Robbins seminars, broke boards and walked across fire. Then I found a remarkable woman, beautiful, intelligent, an achiever, we have similar background in competitive sports, the finance industry and she is married. So I really focused on what it was about her that was so compelling about her and I figured it out, all of the later plus her compassion. I realized what I had done by looking deeper than appearance and actions and that I needed to duplicate that process. I retraced my steps through my process of discovery with her and what I discovered is that the magic of finding out what is truly in someone’s heart, their life spark or their buying rules is, you hae to care enough about them and desire to want to.

Black Lives Matter to Trump!

Donald Trump missed the opportunity

What is wrong with pro-life republican's? The whole abortion issue is a no-win issue unless you flip it on them. Bring up that 70% of abortions are minority fetuses. If you are prolife then black lives do matter to you, if you are pro-choice then I guess they don't. There is something wrong with any man fighting for pro-choice anyway. I always pictured the guy who knocked up the homecoming queen screaming "It's her body and her choice!". I would have asked Chris Matthews "Have you ever forced a woman to make that choice?".

Why the media and the Republican establishment can't defeat Trump

This whole uproar on Fox News about Donald Trump’s disproportionate news coverage “Earned Media” and this obsession with the RNC establishment to bring Trump down is because of two things, the media from the beginning of his campaign figured that he would implode and self-sabotage himself by saying something that would sink his campaign but he is just outrageous enough to attract the focus without going too far. Then the RNC is trying to attract the Latino vote because it is the fastest growing demographic but they don’t vote because they don’t trust government and they don’t trust politicians, especially other Latino politicians. They do however respect strength, something that has been lacking in the RNC since Reagan.     

LED City bid proposal suggestion

                                                               

2415 Southwell Rd.                                                                             Date: Aug 22, 2015
Dallas, TX. 75229
www,ledcityusa.com
(972) 488-2489


Bid Proposal: Valaro Gas Station Lewisville.



                                                                   Price           Qty                         Total

Lexin 300                                                   $920.00        1                           $920.00

Smart Tube                                                $15.00           20                        $300.00

                                                         
Canopy Light 100 watts                          $372.28          4                          $1,489.12


                                                                                                 Sub-Total: $2.708.12
                                                                                                        +Tax:   $162.49

                                                                                                        Total: $2,870.61
 

It will happening with or without you

It is all about the money

With advent of the 333 exemption the Drone/UAS industry is getting a little traction, just a little. I have a database of over 200 Drone/UAS pilots who are in business, making money but only five of them that I can count has a pilot’s license. Now there are two flight training schools that I am going to promote Sky Warrior Inc. George Sigler the proprietor of the school has been training Navy pilots and NFOs their basic flight training since Vietnam and he is one of the first people I even talked to about the drone industry three and a half years ago. Now he has a light sport that is limited for certification but it is good enough to get the 333 exemption. Then there is Learn2Fly4Less in Carrollton a suburb of Dallas. Kevin O’Conner is the proprietor there. He has unique system that utilizes a simulator that you can practice on for significantly less than it would cost for an instructor to go up in the air with you or rent the plane to practice in. The average cost for an instructor is between $30 and $40 per hour, a plane will cost around $80 per hour. You need 20 hours, 10 with an instructor and 10 solo. Then there is the check ride with an FAA evaluator which is $450 and then exam which is $150, not including the course online which is around which you can find between $100 and $300. So going for a range, you are looking at between $2,600 and $3,000.

Now, once you acquire your license and 333 exemption which there is no fee for, there are jobs out there paying between $500 per day and $65,000 for the job but that includes the CAD work and processing. The average CAD profession will want $25 per hour or more and they are in high demand from surveyors, civil engineers and Drone/UAS pilots who need someone to do this for them.

Investment                                                                               

This industry is taking off like a rocket even though investors and geospatial professionals are slow to embrace it. I have had several people point out to me the valuation of DJI but if they are looking at DJI, they are looking backwards. Companies like DJI and 3D Robotics just to name a few are keeping the market honest and seeding the market with low cost systems that can do some basic cinematography.  The big problem is keeping up with the demand. When your shipment is allocated before it is even hit the port, which is a quality problem. DJI is currently seeking a $10 billion valuation to raise capital. With X-Fold's cinematography platforms with a greater payload and duration of flight capability, with a base price under $7,000 for the basic platform, which they can’t keep in stocked either. Cinematographers are gobbling them up. They know what they need and what their quality is because of their history in the industry already. B&H bought out their first shipment as soon as they received it. The developer of X-Fold took DJI as far as they could go, until they had to develop a more robust system. All of those DJI fliers are the market for X-Fold, if they want to do real work with the real cinematography cameras or any other technology.

Geospatial

The demand in the cinematography industry is impressive but once the surveyors and geospatial professionals figure out that the film and movie industry is way out in front of them, they aren’t going to waste a lot of time and money investing in developing Drones/UAS but focusing on the integration of these already developed systems that are stable, robust and easily integrated, they are going to move their product. I have four entities who are either looking at integration of LiDAR for everything from high tension power-line inspections to DOT applications or measuring the sediment flow in major rivers. With the stable system to start off with using the X-Fold System as a jumping off point, the growth in the cinematography industry will be eclipsed. There are a lot more surveyors out there who would be able to be trained to fly a Drone/UAS than there are Drone/UAS pilots who could or would learn surveying.

The Yuma, Hollywood connection

Sharing the knowledge

There was so much to learn when I first started in the UAS/Drone business. Well there has been a lot of water under the bridge and I have learned a lot, now I am seeing the benefit of what I have learned. Now industry is starting to consider where to start using UAS/Drone because of the recent 333 exemptions and the reduction in the requirements for a “Private Pilot’s license” to a “Light Sport License”. That means 20 hours vs 30 hours and no physical. The cost is only around $1,800.00 if you show around, the country. Now that industry professionals can see how to legally use this new technology, no it’s time to figure out what tools are the right ones for the jobs.

Fixed wing vs VTOL

I was asked by John Minor the Provost of The Unmanned Vehicle University (UVU) to locate training areas for the fixed wing UAS training program. The UVU wishes to conduct their fixed wing UAS training nationwide. I found several of my former Navy SEAL buddies who have range training areas who have from 100 to 300 acres who are interested in hosting this type of training but there are a couple of areas that have come online aside from the six FAA designated test sites. That makes eight so total.

Why fixed wing? There was a Crop Science/Ag Consulting firm that put a ton of money into a single rotor, mini-helicopter system capable of heavy lifting. The problem was that the longer rotors created a harmonic vibration that could not be masked. They couldn’t baffle it with rubber washers or software, this caused them to miss all of last year’s growing season. Fixed wing platforms do not have nearly as great problems with harmonic vibrations. The challenge is the payload capacity.

There is the AeroMapper by 3D Robotics, the Maverick by Peoria, the Precision Hawk not to mention the Aerovironment and Insitu systems for the military. The problem is the payload capacity, five to seven pounds max. Then there is the price between: $196,000 to $385,000.

Cinematography expertise and experience

T.J. Diaz the proprietor of XFly Systems and primary trainer for UVU helped design the X-Fold systems for cinematography. He designed the rotors to be coaxial which not only stabilizes the platform but gives it great lift. The Dragon system by X-Fold can carry 100 kilos for 21 minutes and the price point starting under $8,000. The cinematography UAV pilots understand the benefit of these systems with the heavy lifting, the stabilization of the coaxial rotors, the long duration of fight and the price points.

Yuma

UVU has centralized their VTOL training to Phoenix, AZ and they specifically asked me to locate a training area for the fixed wing systems in Arizona, I contacted the Yuma EDC and they sent me right to the  Yuma County Airport Authority which manages Rolle Field near San Luis, Arizona. This facility is set up specifically for UAS research and development. What makes it so appealing is its close proximity to Hollywood and the motion picture industry. They work with the weapons Naval Weapons testing range, they have major connection with the Arizona Department of Agriculture but the proximity of the UAS/cinema photography professionals in Hollywood is what is really exciting. Their expertise with the cameras coincides directly with photogrammetry, LiDAR, Multi-spectral and Hyper-spectral aplications.     

The time for drones is now!

Disruptive technologies

The best training I ever had in marketing disruptive technologies was insurance and financial planning, trying to get someone to give up their money to be used at a later date. You can show people the track record, the historical return and the tax benefits but what really needs to happen is the trust has to be established. Sometimes you have to come in like a bull in a china shop and get in their dish a little “So Mr. So And So, when do you plan on retiring? When do you plan on starting your savings plan to get there? Do you think the taxes on your savings plan, once you do start saving will hurt you or help you? What is Mrs. So And So going to do if, God forbid, you get hit by a bread truck stepping off the curb? Mrs. So And So, how do think you are going to remember you husband if something like that were to happen and he didn’t have any insurance protection? What will you have to do to replace his income and maintain your life style? Will you have to eat a different cut of meat, will you have to drive a different car, live in a different house, do you children have good enough grades to get the financial aid and scholarships to pay for their college? Would you move in with your parents or his? Will your parents or your in-laws let your adult children move in them too?” When I talk to surveyors it can be like that.

All it takes is one

I participated in last month’s meeting of the San Diego branch of The California Land Surveyors Association, following Dave Wooley a well know surveyor and author from Orange county California. Right off the bat he went into how many jobs we lost last time new technology was introduced. I was not feeling the love. Then he went into the other problems in the survey industry that are hurting it, not related to the new technology, he transitioned to the industry being proactive, keeping up with their continuing education and advances in the technology and become the masters of it. I still didn’t feel that much enthusiasm when I got to get up and talk but at the end of the meeting, eight surveyors gave me their business cards so I could get them a trial Pix4D 10 day license. So far, nobody has activated their license.

No more excuses

I followed up and actually had a chance to talk to one of these surveyors and he told me “We have a guy with a Phantom but the problem is, it is still not legal!” I was expecting that kind of response and I put on my financial planner, closing hat and told him “When I tell you how it is legal, will you listen?” Then after he agreed to listen I explained to him how the FAA has relaxed the requirements to qualify for a 333 exemption to only a “Light Sport” pilot’s license and how there is a light sport plane at Palomar Airport, there are facilities all over Texas and Kansas as well as Sky Warrior Inc. out of Pensacola, Florida just bought a light sport plane specifically for UAS/Drone pilots to qualify for their 333 exemptions. Then he very enthusiastically responded “We are interested, we will come to Texas or Florida, where ever we have to so we can use the drones legally. We really like the Pix4D software, we know it works!” Then I told him that “I am going to quote you!”

More exemptions granted

My mother called me today to tell me “Oh you probably already know but the FAA just granted three more exemptions” Well I didn’t know so I had to look them up. The FAA is partnering with CNN for a Drone testing program for news outlets to see what the benefit is. Then the American Red Cross is doing a study for the benefit of UAS for disaster relief and a production company in Tampa is the first to get a 333 exemption in Tampa. I stumbled on another article about Corporate America putting pressure on the FAA to speed up the process of getting the approved restrictions approved. Companies that were named were Amazon, L3, Chevron and BNSF Railway. Then I looked up exemptions for surveying just because it is what is what’s on my mind right now. I didn’t find anything specific to surveying but I found a press release published May 6^th, yesterday about the US Department of Transportation initiative through the FAA with industry mostly pertaining to line of sight and beyond line of sight operations. All I had to read was “Department of Transportation” and as far as I’m concerned, that means surveyors. I will post more information as I become aware of it.

 

Business is open

Wake up Drone industry “Business is open!”

After listening to Lisa Ellman the FAA Attorney working with Stampede Global and the Unmanned Vehicle University explaining that the 333 Exemption are being issued for every application where there has been a pervious exemption issued. Then she went onto say that the license requirement has been reduced to a “Light Sport” pilot’s license here there are no medical exam and 20 hours instead of 30 hours of instructor supervised stick time. Most flight schools will still try and get you to sign up for the full “Private pilot’s License”, getting wrapped around the minutia involved with someone who actually want to be airplane pilots, instead of just punching the ticket requiring a “Light Sport Pilot’s License” so they can make a living flying UAS/drones. Understand that the proposed rules before congress no requirement for any form of licensing. Congress might adopt the creation of a Commercial UAV/Drone license but that could take a couple of years. However, with a pilot’s license of any kind, it is legal RIGHT NOW!

Maximizing the opportunity                                             

In the vent that you do not own a Phantom, I would work on whatever you need to do to get your “Light Sport Pilot’s License” first. If you re someone in the business of providing equipment or services for UAS/Drone pilots, I would put out my shingle. Start your marketing campaign. I had a meeting with Paul Linnel of MTSI while we were both in San Diego Friday and he talked about “It is probably going to be easier to find a land surveyor who will learn how to use a drone and Pix4D than it will be to find a UAS/Drone pilot who is willing and able to plot points and dig up monuments and they all are going to need someone to do the CAD overlays, plot the points and take the data and create a usable product.”

Cellular is where it’s at

Both Paul Linnel and David Copenhaver from NexGen Now talked about how the cell phones no have the capabilities of used to called “Super Computers” 20 years ago. As soon as they mentioned this I thought of Michael Creamer of FAVNET and his talk at the drone pavilion at NAB and the suitcase packed data-connectivity technology. Bringing your data with you. If cellular is going to be the method of collecting data and imagery, you’re going to need access.

Where is the financial sweet spot?

I received a text from T.J. Diaz while he was at the AV show in New York saying “TV and cinema is where it is at, these guys have the budget and they know that this technology is where it’s at!” That is great for him that is his business. When it comes to me working with the so called “Smart people” in the survey industry, agriculture, energy and geospatial applications, I am bogged down in the process of teaching a bunch people who think they are smarter than me that this the direction they need to go. Well I found some who see the vision, now I just have to help them over a little hurdle in getting a “Light Sports pilot’s License” then they are out in front of the field. The best pricing I could find for the “Light Sports Pilot’s License” is $30 to $40 per hour for instructor airtime and $450 for a check ride and $150 for the written test. That is $1,200 to $1,400. How many surveys would it take to make up this expense? If you could go to your civil engineering with your 333 exemption in your hand, how fast do you think they would start giving you their business?

A pilot’s license is a license to print money

George Sigler the proprietor of Sky Warrior Inc. was at the Sun and Fun airshow in Lakeland Florida last week and he was looking at buying a specific “Light Sports” Aircraft that is limited in use for pilots but just enough for UAS/Drone pilot’s is quickly and inexpensively get their license and qualify for a 333 exemption but he said to me “Reuben, I can buy this aircraft and even a Phantom but unless you can show me how people are going to make money with this technology, who is going to want to pay for the training?” I have working in this industry for three and a half years and I have talked with the highest levels on the surveying industry, State DOT in California, Texas, Michigan and Florida, Ocean Spray Cranberry, the leading seismic surveying company in North America told me that they were ready to use this technology as soon as the FAA authorizes it. Well, it is authorized now!

Commercial UAS operations are now LEGAL!

Commercial Unmanned Operations are now legal!

According to Lisa Ellman a Counsel in the Washington, DC office of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, as long as your 333 exemption submission describes use of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) similar to what they have approved before, you will also have your 333 exemption approved. She also informed the group at the National Association of Broadcaster’s, Drone Pavilion that the threshold for licensing has been lowered to a Light Sport Aircraft Pilot’s license. That is, until the Congress passes the proposed rules submitted by the FAA in which no license is required. So in the event you wish to make a living with you Phantom or other UAS technology, you can try and push your congressman into acting on the proposed ruling for which they don’t really have motivation to do so since the FAA has opened the door with the 333 exemption or you can go through the process of obtaining your sport pilot’s license.

The Lay of the Land                                         

The majority of pilots who hold a Light Sport Pilot’s license are experienced pilots who either may not be able to pass the stress test of physical required to maintain the private pilot’s license. Now in San Diego California there is only one Light Sport Aircraft to test on in the whole county and it is located at Palomar Airport in Carlsbad California. Julie King (760)703-1967 would be the one to contact for flight time with this aircraft. Now to log your 20 hours of instructor supervised flight time, you do not need to fly a Light Sport Aircraft, only for your check ride. George Sigler the proprietor of Sky Warrior Inc. is looking into the ERCO_Ercoupe plane just for those specific students trying to qualify for a 333 exemption for commercial unmanned operations. This would allow him to keep the cost down. Texas seems to have the greatest number of Light Sport aircraft training facilities, probably due to the abundance of wide open areas to fly. The cost very, depending upon where you are located anywhere from $2,800.00 to $15,000.00 depending upon where you are located. When you buy your UAS system through XFly/X-Fold, if you have a pilot’s license, give them the description of your commercial application and they will have Lisa Ellman submit for your 333 exemption, so when your system is delivered you will be legal to fly too.

Fear of the FAA?

They are afraid of the FAA

I have been talking to UAS/Drone pilots across the country and I mean hundreds of them and they are flying and making money. Then I start introducing the opportunity to surveyors and oil and gas exploration companies and I hear “What about the FAA?” or “They are afraid of the FAA”.  I got into a debate with the FAA attorney with Stampede Global and the Unmanned Vehicle University about flying for hobby is authorized but flying for profit isn’t but I didn’t want to make her my enemy and I realized that she makes it easy. She is an expert of applying for and getting exemptions and for commercial UAS/Drone operations. There is something called a 333 exemption. The FAA just reduced the requirements from a civilian pilot’s license to a sport pilot license. So I looked up the requirements for a Sport Pilot Licence (Link).

As I was investigating the costs to obtain such a license I stumbled on a link to Gleim Sport Pilot Course for $104.00. Now that is just the test prep and course material. So far the best price for the pilot instructor hours is $30.00 to $40.00 per hour. That is a minimum of 20 hours which come to $600.00 to $800.00. The FAA written test is $150.00 and the practical test is $450.00. If you can find a flight instructor who charges these rates and honors the Gliem Sports Pilots course. You are looking at $1,504.00. I paid more than that for my Series 6 and 63 Exams. George Sigler is currently at the Sun and Fun Air Show in Lakeland Florida, the second largest airshow in the country. There have been approximately 1,890 authorizations filed and approved through the FAA. What is there to be scared of?

 

If you need any further assistance feel free to contact Lisa Ellman

1900 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

TEL: 202.496.7184
FAX: 202.496.7756

lellman@mckennalong.com