Jennsen Werley

Aeritek uses an S900 drone with a DSLR camera attached. A pilot and a camera operator can… more

As drones in Jacksonville steadily become more popular, at least one new company believes it has a simple plan to stay unique in the crowd.

“It’s our quality of work and customer service,” said Grant Ward, one of the co-founders of Aeritek, the Jacksonville-based drone company formed last year.

Aeritek, or Aerial Imaging Technology, recently received its Federal Aviation Administration Section 333 exemption, which means it has permission to use drones for commercial work. Already, it has completed a major five-day video project for Dutch shipping company Spliethoff, filming the company’s ship docked at Savannah for a promotional and training video.

Using a six-rotor DJI S900 drone, valued at about $12,000, Aeritek can shoot video in 4K and photos at 12 megapixels.

But Aeritek isn’t just settling for commercial photography. Kevin Barth, the company’s other co-founder and vice president of flight operations, said the group’s main goal is to get into mapping, where customers such as farmers can use a drone to collect data on their field, have that data analyzed and learn what portions of their acreage may need more chemicals or fertilizers.

“We want to be a one-stop shop,” Barth said. “Where you can buy, we can build and customize for you. We can help with support and maintenance. And we can process the data and produce a meaningful report.”

That part of Aeritek’s business model is less than six months from its debut, as the company finishes its final touches on the program before rolling it out to customers.

“We’re developing a turnkey operation,” Ward said. “We want to give them the whole package.”

In the meantime, both men are planning to use their expertise and experience to not only shape their company, but also to shape the new industry of commercial drones.

Ward, a long-time photographer with a background in electronics engineering, has been flying unmanned craft for years. He started with radio-controlled helicopters before he began building his own drones.

Barth is a graduate of Jacksonville University’s aviation management program, and forms the company’s flight plans. He said his interest is in forming policy, and hopes Aeritek can be one of the pioneers to help write drone policy and regulations.

“The technology is there,” he said. “The policy and infrastructure just need to be developed.”

Aeritek uses an S900 drone with a DSLR camera attached. A pilot and a camera operator can… more

As drones in Jacksonville steadily become more popular, at least one new company believes it has a simple plan to stay unique in the crowd.

“It’s our quality of work and customer service,” said Grant Ward, one of the co-founders of Aeritek, the Jacksonville-based drone company formed last year.

That quality of work — made possible by the more expensive, heavier multi-rotor drones carrying digital single-lens reflex cameras the company uses for photos and videos — is getting notice.
Aeritek, or Aerial Imaging Technology, recently received its Federal Aviation Administration Section 333 exemption, which means it has permission to use drones for commercial work. Already, it has completed a major five-day video project for Dutch shipping company Spliethoff, filming the company’s ship docked at Savannah for a promotional and training video.

Using a six-rotor DJI S900 drone, valued at about $12,000, Aeritek can shoot video in 4K and photos at 12 megapixels.

But Aeritek isn’t just settling for commercial photography. Kevin Barth, the company’s other co-founder and vice president of flight operations, said the group’s main goal is to get into mapping, where customers such as farmers can use a drone to collect data on their field, have that data analyzed and learn what portions of their acreage may need more chemicals or fertilizers.

“We want to be a one-stop shop,” Barth said. “Where you can buy, we can build and customize for you. We can help with support and maintenance. And we can process the data and produce a meaningful report.”

That part of Aeritek’s business model is less than six months from its debut, as the company finishes its final touches on the program before rolling it out to customers.

“We’re developing a turnkey operation,” Ward said. “We want to give them the whole package.”

In the meantime, both men are planning to use their expertise and experience to not only shape their company, but also to shape the new industry of commercial drones.

Ward, a long-time photographer with a background in electronics engineering, has been flying unmanned craft for years. He started with radio-controlled helicopters before he began building his own drones.

Barth is a graduate of Jacksonville University’s aviation management program, and forms the company’s flight plans. He said his interest is in forming policy, and hopes Aeritek can be one of the pioneers to help write drone policy and regulations.

“The technology is there,” he said. “The policy and infrastructure just need to be developed.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2015/08/28/how-this-newly-formed-jacksonville-drone-company.html#i1