Drone clinic a start for how to 'pilot intelligently'

Dozens of drone enthusiasts gathered at the Fairgrounds Saturday to talk about all things “drone” and take a look at where the industry is going.

During the clinic hosted by Birds Eye of Big Sky, participants saw drone demonstrations, had the chance to fly their own drone through an obstacle course and heard from the Birds Eye team on the topic of navigating the new industry and flying for recreational, professional and health purposes.

Multiple vendors from companies working in drones, 3D printing and virtual reality were also in attendance. Among them was Jeff Gould, owner of 3Dog Modeling, which 3D prints drones and other objects.

“It’s just fun that you can go anywhere, within reason,” said Gould’s son, Bridger. “It’s cool you can control it with the camera and not just line of site.”

Bridger, 15, enjoys playing with drones and flying them around the house for fun. He remembers when his father first got into drones in 2012, later turning their laundry room into the “printing room.” For Gould, the drones are more of a hobby than a business, his son said, adding that the hobby “pays for itself.”

Bridger’s interest in drones is not unlike Birds Eye Founder Matt Ragan’s early interest in the remote-controlled machines.

When he was 10, Ragan saved up money from his paper route to buy his first RC plane. It was a hobby he, too, shared with his father.

Ragan first founded the company five years ago. When he first saw a GoPro flying around, he began thinking of the business opportunities. He knew that drones were the future, he said, and he was excited at the opportunity to bring Montana into that future.

He sold his motorcycle in order to float himself for six months while he worked on his first drone. Five years later, the company is now expanding to include a focus on drone training and instruction.

The drone clinic was a sneak peek of what’s to come, said Danielle de Leon, cinematographer for Birds Eye.

Birds Eye recently introduced Pilot EQ, a training program for both new and advanced drone pilots that focuses on how to “pilot intelligently.”

With ease of access and the mass marketing of drones, the number of pilots continues to grow, de Leon said, but very little education is required for these new pilots.

“You can go and buy these things at Target,” she said. “... Nobody tests your actual flight skill first.”

The goal of Pilot EQ is to become the “Eagle Scouts” of drone instruction, de Leon said.

Though the Federal Aviation Administration requires a knowledge test for a drone pilot’s license, a hands-on test is not required. Because of that, a lot of training is geared more toward “how to pass a written test,” said Ragan.

“It’s more than understanding the written rules,” he said.

Pilot EQ also focuses on the “emotional intelligence” part of operating a drone — making sure people are not too reactive or over responsive in how they pilot, and encouraging them to be self aware.

“We are trying to establish ourselves as a full-service trainer that ecompasses a pilot’s experiences,” he said.

“We hear all the time, people who spent $1,000 on a drone, wrecked it and now it’s just sitting there,” Ragan said.

Pilot EQ will have an e-learning component for the basic understanding of drone operations, but the focus is primarily on hands-on workshops and learning, de Leon said, adding that Birds Eye will be acting more as a coach, aiding pilots as they navigate around tight corners, into small spaces and overcome other obstacles.

Birds Eye is also looking to partner with the University of Montana and Pepperdine University in California. By instructing more pilots, the company hopes to also enlist some into drone racing. Birds Eye will be hosting a drone race at the Montana Fair in Kalispell this August.

“We’ve put our hand out to the community, to maybe form a group, and see who’s interested in participating,” de Leon said.

For more information on the Pilot EQ program and Birds Eye of Big Sky go to http://www.birdseyeofbigsky.com/.

Reporter Alyssa Gray may be reached at 758-4433 or agray@dailyinterlake.com.