Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Van Epps.
Todd, the owner of Channel Islands Aerial, has been providing professional aerial services to the Southern California area for the past 5 years.
With hundreds of flight hours logged, Todd has safely operated many types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s). He owns, operates and maintains numerous aircraft capable of holding multiple sensor packages. Todd’s knowledge of drone safety is unmatched within the community.
Todd began his flight career in 2005 after a friend coaxed him to fly a combat wing on a windy afternoon. From there his passion for flight took off, within a year he had purchased a variety of model aircraft. In 2010, he discovered a need for high quality aerial imagery at a minimal cost. While working as an environmental scientist, Todd realized many of the aircraft he flew as a hobby could be modified to hold a camera or sensor package capable of capturing imagery or data at a fraction of the cost that manned aircraft could.
Todd prides himself on perfection, providing only the best in equipment and technology available. Todd operates several multirotor helicopters, single rotor helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Todd has flown for a variety of events, individuals and governmental agencies over the years.
Todd and his team bring an attitude of excitement to each job. No job is too big or small for them and they enjoy thinking outside the box to accomplish the task at hand.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Operating with new and innovative technology has come with its share of challenges. Early on the technology itself was difficult to work with. Aircraft would break down or have programming errors that would limit their ability to fly. I would spend hours in the office researching fixes and testing aircraft. However, within a few years, the technology really advanced and it became easier to fly on a consistent basis. Currently, the UAV technology is advancing so quickly that it’s created another challenge of just keeping up with the latest and greatest items on the market. I see new equipment being released almost daily, which is exciting to watch but can be difficult to maintain the latest aircraft financially.
Another major challenge that I have faced over the years has been the public’s perception of UAVs. Unfortunately, because these aircraft have become so easy to operate, many people have used the technology in inappropriate and unsafe ways. Thus, the public has many preconceived opinions about seeing a UAV in the air. I have worked really hard to educate others about the safe and responsible uses. When doing so, I have watched as people’s opinions change. Channel Islands Aerial works to promote the use of UAVs for Scientific Research, Law Enforcement, Agricultural and Educational needs.
Simply explaining exactly what you’re doing with the UAV and how’s it’s beneficial normally goes a very long way to create a positive experience for the public.
Channel Islands Aerial – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Channel Islands Aerial was founded in 2013 and started as an avenue to help others capture high-resolution aerial imagery. Over the years, that mission has changed.
We moved away from being pilots for hire just to collect imagery and began to work on our true passion for science and the environment. Today we use UAV technology to collect data on endangered species, threatened habitats, fire assessments, vegetation analysis and oil spills to name some. We have found that UAVs can capture data that at least meets and many times beat what manned aircraft can deliver. Typically, at a fraction of the cost as well.
Working within these fields brings challenges, however, Channel Islands Aerial prides themselves on doing what no one has done before. We regularly create custom aircraft for our clients that are designed for the mission at hand. We’re not your average drone company and have been doing unique missions for much longer than most the competition on the market. We have a very diverse set of contacts that allow us to accomplish missions that other companies would never attempt. We have even developed a unique method to survey over water for oil spills, kelp forest monitoring, vessel surveys and more. When others said it couldn’t be done, we put our heads together and made it happen.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is happiness. Everyone will have a varying opinion on success but to me, it comes down to loving what you do. Obviously at the end of the day, we all work for a paycheck; however, I’ve learned it’s not always about the size of the check but instead if you can feel good about what you’ve done to receive that check. Channel Islands Aerial was created on that notion. I truly enjoy getting to help with environmental challenges and use UAVs to gain knowledge through data collection.
It has been amazing to be a part of many different projects spanning the entirety of North America. I have been privileged in my opinion to travel and work with some outstanding people within many different professional fields. At the end of the day, I look at determining success on a number of satisfied clients that continue to use our services year after year. We strive to be the best and hope that passion is seen in our work ethic, products and attention to detail and safety.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ci-aerial.com
- Phone: 858-243-4182
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ci_aerial/
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