In the days after Hurricane Irma ripped through Florida in September 2017, teams of drone operators from FlyMotion scrambled to hard-hit regions across the state. They set up mobile command centers out the back of souped-up vehicles and launched drones to assess the extent of damage wrought by the storm. From hundreds of feet in the air, the drones could see things and reach places groundcrews couldn’t. The bird’s-eye view gave disaster responders a more nuanced perspective of the aftermath.
“We essentially provided [large utility providers] with real-time inspections and assessments of inaccessible areas, where repair crews were unable to get to,” Ryan English, co-founder and CEO of FlyMotion, said.
That drone data was then transmitted to dispatchers, who would allocate resources needed for repair. The process, according to English, helped utility crews get services back online faster throughout the state.
As scientists expect climate change to increase hurricane intensity, disaster response may prove to be a vital function for FlyMotion, but that’s just one service the Tampa-based company provides. English aims to handle all aspects of drone technology—from hardware to software, and system integration to network communication.
“We cover pretty much all the technology ecosystem around drone technology,” he said.
FlyMotion began as a service-oriented company founded in 2014 by David Stratchko, a former firefighter and paramedic, and English, a military veteran with experience in law enforcement and fire rescue.
“We saw drone technology as revolutionizing the world that we came out of and being able to mitigate risk by putting technology in places instead of humans,” English said.
At the time, they helped customers set up new unmanned aircraft systems and developed drone platforms capable of carrying heavy sensors and payloads. Since then, the company has expanded to offer additional services like training and industrial inspections, as well as selling drones, drone detection systems and mobile command vehicles packed with UAS equipment.
Government agencies like law enforcement, military and fire and emergency medical services make up FlyMotion’s primary customers. Among their highest profile clients are the Department of Defense and New York Police Department.
Many of the company’s 13 full-time employees and dozens of independent contractors have a public safety or military background, which English thinks allows them to work more effectively with these agencies.
“We have a pretty good understanding of the operational workflow that's needed,” he said. “We speak the same language as these guys.”
FlyMotion is privately funded and debt-free, according to English. Given the company’s range of products and services, tickets items range from $1,000 for a drone to $500,000 for a mobile command vehicle and full UAS integration. The average service falls under $50,000.
Drones have become a hot topic as they’ve taken off in recent years. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have warned that the unfettered use of drones by law enforcement agencies could breach the privacy of citizens. As a result, some states have placed restrictions on drones for both recreational and governmental use. But English said he hasn’t seen an impact on his industry. Regardless, he considers it a matter of weighing priorities in our hyperconnected society.
“In this day and age, we have given up a lot of privacy for security,” he said. “The drone is just another example of that. It's something that is a very beneficial piece of technology for our customers, including public safety agencies, who use them for search-and-rescue missions or at structure fires. I think the benefit of the technology outweighs the privacy concern.”
