InterDrone2017
Las Vegas bound by air…
Courtesy of the Nisqually Indian Tribe (my employer) I get to head out for a week in Vegas. My destination is the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino for the InterDrone 2017 Exposition.
This Expo is the place to be for the drone industry. There are pre-conference classes in mapping, aerial photography and preparation for getting your FAA part 107 airman’s certificate. The conference itself runs for 3 days and has every vendor of every type you can think of. This is Christmas and New-year along with every other holiday wrapped up for any UAV pilot. I barely slept last night in anticipation!
I arrived at SEATAC airport in plenty of time to grab a sandwich and coffee prior to my flight out. I like flying on Alaska Airlines and one of the added perks is that they have partnered with Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks for some charity work, calling him the CFO, or Chief Football Officer! A side effect of this partnership is that if you wear a #3 Wilson football jersey for boarding, you get to board earlier than standard coach. This means that after all the special boarding happens, you get to jump the line. Todays’ flight was no exception and proudly sporting my official NFL Wilson shirt I boarded to find my seat. Interestingly, I found that my seat mates are a couple from the Suquamish First Nation in Canada. We chatted about tribal canoe journeys and the recently run canoe racing which they had taken part in.
So, what am I going to do at Interdrone 2017?
I am scheduled for the aerial photography class tomorrow. I am hoping to gain some insight to make my videos and photos run smooth to produce a good product for my consumers.
I then plan on meeting with every vendor I can contact and make some inroads into the other public safety providers nationwide. The tribe has invested a considerable amount of money into my program and I want to be able to make it the best program I can.
My primary vendor is not attending the expo. They are in Austin Texas and all their staff are busy in the Houston area flying and helping with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
I arrived in Vegas, got my rental car and off to the Rio All suites where I checked in and, after a hiccup with my first room, got settled in.
Woke up the next morning and with coffee in hand, got registered for the show. Then it was networking and off to the aerial videography class.
The instructor for this class was Douglas Spotted Eagle, a long time aerial cinematographer with many credits to his name. He has been involved in many productions during his career and was willing to share his expertise and views with us. His class was informative and well presented! I know I am taking home some good tips and tricks.
They have put a world map up in the convention center for attendees to place pushpins for their homes. There were pins there from all over the U.S. with a large number from Alaska(?). I sat next to the lone Australian in class. And a couple of far flung places like Norway and Iran. This just on the first day of the pre-conference! I can’t wait to take a picture of the board after Wednesday morning.
Sorry to disappoint you, but no media for this post. I left my micro-usb adapter at home and have to get another to transfer files.
More tomorrow from InterDrone17!
See Ya out there,
BFD
