Portland, Ore.-based Skyward has launched version 1.0 of what it says is the first information management solution for commercial drone operators.
Supported by a team of regulatory and operational experts, the cloud-based solution integrates a drone airspace map with flight planning tools and a digital system of record.
“In the last year, I’ve seen the commercial drone market evolve rapidly, with over 1,400 [Federal Aviation Administration] grants to date,” comments Jonathan Evans, CEO of Skyward. “Skyward gives those operators comprehensive tools to access the sky and meet their business objectives. Skyward is committed to powering the next generation of aviation.”
Key features of the solution include as follows:
- A drone airspace map that simplifies complex aviation rules to show operators where to fly;
- Flight planning and logging, configured for specific requirements;
- A digital system of record for managing personnel, drones and equipment;
- Online storage for regulatory, insurance and operational documents; and
- Support from regulatory and operational experts for approvals, compliance and reporting.
“Hawk Aerial needs a system to schedule, track and document our flight operations,” notes Kevin Gould, CEO of Hawk Aerial. “Skyward allows us to conform to the requirements of our 333 and [Certificates of Waiver or Authorization] and also provides critical operating data to track performance and profitably run our business. Skyward is key to our future growth.”
Skyward is also a partner in NASA’s unmanned aircraft systems traffic management program and a member of the Small UAV Coalition. Last summer and earlier this year, Skyward secured $1.5 million and $4.1 million in seed funding, respectively.
The company says it is offering a free trial of the system. More information can be found here.
