The RLS Group, based in Hixson, received notification this week from the Federal Aviation Administration of an approval of its 333 exemption. This exemption allows for organizations to pilot unmanned aerial vehicles or drones on a commercial basis.
“This exemption will allow us to expand our market offering as true consultants," said Shane Loyd, CEO of The RLS Group. "Clients come to us to find the answer to their needs. Our 333 exemption expands the capabilities of our offering and deepens the ability to have the right tools and experience for a given requirement. Diversity in offering, especially when it comes to technology is the key to staying in front of the competition and the industry. Especially in the commercial drone space, technology is increasing at an exponential pace. The FAA has strict requirements for commercial drone piloting. Those businesses which are able to address and overcome these requirements are better poised to enter the marketplace now and create a deeper long term impact."
The RLS Group is one of only a handful of organizations based in the Chattanooga Valley authorized to fly drones commercially. In order to fly drones commercially a 333 exemption, an FAA pilot’s license and certified factory training is required. To date, there are approximately only 35 such companies in Tennessee and approximately 3,800 nationwide. The majority of these organizations’ expertise is in commercial photography and videography.
"Many companies are just starting to research how drone technology can improve existing processes," said Mr. Loyd. "Precision agriculture, law enforcement, industry, government, research entities, and so many more are all very interested in improving their processes to create safer, less expensive ways to improve results. For instance, cell tower and wind turbine inspection has become a central focus of drone surveying. Loss of life is an ongoing risk in surveying these assets. Not only can drones allow humans to stay safely on the ground, high resolution photogrammetry can produce better images than ever before captured to be saved in an accessible historical database. This helps increase asset life leading to a higher ROI."
Since 1999, The RLS Group is a leader in industrial and commercial surveying, completing thousands of projects for corporations and government entities across the globe. In 2014, Mr. Loyd established UAS – Unmanned Aerial Specialists—to focus exclusively on the drone market. Since then, UAS has become a commercial drone dealer in the Southeast United States with business in nearly 20 states and on four continents. Unmanned Aerial Specialists is the only dealer in the world to offer drones as well as drone detection systems.