Drone Firm Skyward Highlights Continuity During COVID-19 Crisis

Drone-management company Skyward expects uninterrupted access to its platforms during the COVID-19 crisis.

The company released a statement Tuesday directed specifically to clients working in essential services or critical infrastructure.

Skyward president Mariah Scott noted the company’s Skyward Aviation Management Platform will continue to give clients access to the latest updates to airspace, LAANC access and flight planning tools. Skyward will release new features with an update in April, she added; all Skyward employees are working remotely to promote social distancing.

“We know that many of you are supporting essential services or critical infrastructure, and leveraging technology is important now more than ever. In the coming weeks, we’ll be trying new things: offering free resources and listening closely to you,” Scott said.

Scott announced Skyward will provide instructional webinars and educational content, including information on how Skyward flight teams are safely handling and cleaning aircraft following CDC guidelines.

“In the coming weeks we’ll be trying new things, offering free resources, and listening closely to you,” Scott said. “We are always optimistic about the potential of technology to positively transform our lives. We hope to use our talents to help make this situation better for our customers and our employees.”

In 2017, Verizon acquired Skyward, marking a milestone in drone tech’s role in multi-national corporate strategy. The global telecom joined Intel in becoming one of the first Fortune 500 company to invest in the UAV sector.

Skyward has been successful in establishing partnerships with a number of cloud-based, drone-data analytic companies including PrecisionHawk, DroneDeploy and senseFly.

Since the acquisition, Verizon has streamlined the management of drone operations through one platform designed to handle end-to-end activities such as mission planning, complex workflow, FAA compliance support, information about restricted airspace and pilot credentialing, drone registration and provisioning rate plans for drones on Verizon’s network.

In 2018, Skyward, along with other leading drone companies, was named as a partner in the FAA’s Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative. The collaborative program between the FAA and drone industry stakeholders provides near real-time processing of airspace authorizations for Part 107 drone operators seeking to fly in controlled airspace.