Welcome to the Drone Age: An Airborne Revolution Writer // Janelle Morrison • Photography // Laura Arick
The CIA has been flying drones since 2000, long before drones were at the top of many kids’ holiday wish lists. Drone technology has continued to evolve and is now used today for commercial as well as recreational practices. The commercial drone services industry is estimated to grow to $8.4 billion in 2025.
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couple of highly skilled pilots saw an opportunity to engage in the drone revolution and create a nationwide team of the country’s best UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) service providers. BirdsiVideo is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. It was established in 2014 by Carmel residents Josh Kneifel, CEO, and Gordon Dowrey, COO/CTO. BirdsiVideo is FAA certified and fully insured. Kneifel and his team pride themselves on delivering the best aerial imaging and data consulting services at a fraction of traditional costs. BirdsiVideo offers surveying, Aerial Mapping, Infrastructure and Site inspections, Disaster Relief and On-Demand Aerial services as part of its menu of cutting-edge aerial technology services. Kneifel’s is a former flight instructor and pilot for Continental Airlines. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak in my blood,” Kneifel said. “I bought a Phantom II and had no intentions of starting a business. I just thought it looked cool and was going to play around with it.” He contacted a family friend and asked
for permission to capture footage of their home and property with his drone. “I got some software and taught myself how to edit video,” Kneifel shared. “I sent my friends a marketing-type video of their home, and they loved it. My friend hired me to do videos of his 16 apartment communities, and I made some money. Then realtors started calling, and I thought there is something to this.” The drone technology at that time was literally a Go-Pro camera strapped to a drone, and there weren’t any integrated or thermal technologies available with a drone back then. “I did a decent amount of business in 2014,” Kneifel said. “I didn’t have the time or the money to expand, open up offices and hire employees all over the country, and I had been shopping franchises back before I read the drone article, so I thought this is a home-based model. It has low overhead and good profit margins. It’s new and sexy, and there’s demand. I decided this is a perfect little franchise model.” Kneifel contacted a firm that helps people start franchises. With his business model and money that he made in 2014, he
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invested into establishing the franchise and, in the process, met Gordon Dowrey who also has a strong background in aviation. He flew helicopters in the Army for 14 years and has experience in property management and consulting. BirdsiVideo currently has 15 franchises, some of which own multiple territories throughout the U.S., and also has strategic partnerships in the United Kingdom and South America. Interestingly, when the two started out, there were no FAA regulations governing drone usage. Kneifel compared those days to the “wild, wild west.” “Being a pilot, I knew what the airspace regulations were/are,” Kneifel explained. “We knew that there was demand for regulations and that they were forthcoming.” Kneifel’s prediction was realized in 2015 when the FAA came out with Section 333, a law stating that any aircraft operating in the national airspace requires a certification and registered aircraft, a licensed pilot and operational approval. Both Kneifel and Dowrey are licensed pilots, so they were one of the first in the nation to get their certifications per Section 333.
OCTOBER 2018
2018-09-26 10:55 AM
