At the top of the buying cycle lives manufacturers of drones – like Censys Technologies! These companies typically do not use the drones themselves, although there are some exceptions. After the drones are built and tested, they are sold to customers! Sounds pretty typical, right? Well, customers in the drone industry can be put into one of two categories which is where this industry differs from others. Customers may either be drone service providers or enterprises, which differ slightly from each other. Drone service providers are people or companies that provide services using drones to other companies for various purposes. These purposes can include photography, real estate, agriculture, and many more. Enterprises also provide services using drones, but these are solely internal for the most part.
Once the drone has been acquired by a customer and is being used for a job, the on-site personnel have specific titles as well. The RPIC is the MVP at any drone launch site. This person, formally known as the Remote Pilot in Command, is designated with full responsibility for the mission. This is the only person who may manipulate the drone unless they have directly given a command for another operator to do something with the drone. An operator is considered anyone operating the drone during a mission, but again, only through implicit command by the RPIC. Depending on operational profile for any given mission, if only one person is required, the person present must be the RPIC. VOs are personnel on-site that are used for monitoring air traffic and keeping eyes on the drone for safety and operational purposes.
There could be additional people on-site of a drone operation, but the RPIC, Operators, and VOs are the most common. Our goal is for you (whoever you are) to go onward from this blog post feeling more confident about the drone industry and reading relevant news! Reach out to our team if you have any questions regarding drone industry basics, vocabulary, or personnel!