We’re Drone U, a group of guys who have turned their passion for flight into a profitable business. We love hearing from our fans, and we love helping by answering their questions. That’s why we started the Ask Drone U podcast in 2015. Since then, we are one of the largest, most popular DAILY drone podcasts out there. Each episode features an actual question submitted from someone just like you! We wish we could answer everyone’s question(s), but we’ll do our best to get through as many of them as we can. So plug in those headphones because it’s time to learn together about everything drone:…
Episodes
ADU 1412: Can US Drone Makers Truly Replace DJI? The Reality of American Drone Manufacturing
29 Oct 2026
Xpece Founder Alex Rodriguez on Supply Chain Bottlenecks, Red Tape, and Building Waterproof Drones In this episode of the Ask Drone U podcast, host Paul Aitken sits down with Alex Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Xpece Drones and Urban Drones. Alex shares his journey from building FPV drones in 2011…
ADU 1411: Part 108, BVLOS, and Fleet Management – What Every Drone Manager Needs to Know
21 Oct 2026
FAA Part 108, BVLOS, and Drone Fleet Management Software | Ask Drone U with Brandon Del Priore (ThinkPower) In this episode of Ask Drone U, host Paul sits down with Brandon Priore of Think Power Solutions to dive deep into the real-world operational challenges facing large-scale enterprise and…
ADU 1410: Why Taranis Isn’t Spraying Crops | The Real Business Model
12 Oct 2026
Land High-Volume Ag Drone Jobs: How Taranis Flies 50,000 Acres a Day In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul sits down with Phil Franklin from Taranis to explore how the company maps thousands of agricultural acres daily across the United States. Learn how Taranis partners with Drone Service…
ADU 1408: Are You a Pro Pilot? Here’s How to Measure Proficiency
7 Oct 2026
Online Knowledge Assessments vs. In-Field Operational Testing for Enterprise Drone Programs In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob address how enterprise programs and business owners can accurately evaluate a drone pilot's true skill and proficiency beyond basic certification. They break…
ADU 1409: Drone Battery Myths Exposed – Interview with Patrick from Colorado Drone Chargers
6 Oct 2026
Simultaneous Quad-Charging, Battery Longevity, and Safety Secrets with Colorado Drone Chargers In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul is joined by Patrick from Colorado Drone Chargers to dive deep into drone battery management, fire safety, and operational ROI. Discover how simultaneous multi-quad…
ADU 1407: How to Stand Out & Beat Established Drone Competitors
29 Sept 2026
Winning Strategies for Landing Clients in a Competitive Market In this episode of Ask Drone U, hosts Paul and Rob answer a question from listener Reuben about how a new drone pilot can differentiate themselves from established competitors who have newer equipment and more experience. The hosts…
ADU 1406: How to Measure Construction Drone Program Success | ROI Beyond Flight Hours
28 Sept 2026
Stop Tracking Vanity Metrics: How Schedule Adherence, Rework Reduction, and Rapid Communication Drive Real Business Value In this episode of Ask Drone U Enterprise, Paul and Rob dive into one of the most critical questions facing construction drone program managers: How do you accurately measure…
ADU 1405: How to Measure the Real ROI of Your Enterprise Drone Program
25 Sept 2026
Moving Beyond Fluff Metrics to Operational Efficiency, Downtime Avoidance, and Field Adoption In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob break down how enterprise organizations and former Drone Service Providers (DSPs) can accurately measure the success of an internal drone program. Instead of…
ADU 1404: Why Enterprise Drone Programs Are Ditching Drone Mapping
22 Sept 2026
Are You Wasting Money on Drone Mapping? What Enterprises Know In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob examine a major shift occurring across large-scale enterprise drone programs: the decline of routine drone mapping. They discuss why utility companies and infrastructure organizations are…
ADU 1403: Should Your Enterprise Drone Program Require Part 107 for Part 108 Operations?
17 Sept 2026
Part 107 vs Part 108: Why Enterprise Drone Programs Still Need Certified Pilots In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob tackle a crucial question facing enterprise drone program managers: Should your organization still require pilots to hold a Part 107 certification when operating under…
ADU 1402: Rapid Fire Q&A – Drone Mapping Laws, BVLOS Affordability, & Future Tech
15 Sept 2026
Navigating Legal Precedents, Ag Tech Beyond Spraying, and Budget Software Stacks In this rapid-fire community Q&A episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob tackle pressing questions straight from commercial drone pilots. The hosts examine complex regulatory issues—including state-level land surveying…
ADU 1401: Are AeroPoints Worth It? Propeller Costs vs. Drone RTK Alternatives
14 Sept 2026
Navigating Ground Control Points, Propeller Subscriptions, and Cost-Effective RTK Workflows In this episode of Ask Drone U, hosts Paul and Rob address a question from listener Rick G regarding steep Propeller platform fees for AeroPoints. Paul breaks down whether AeroPoints can be used…
ADU 1400: The Future of Commercial Drones? What We Saw at Commercial UAV Expo 2026
8 Sept 2026
The Biggest Drone Tech Trends We Saw at Commercial UAV Expo 2026 What’s actually changing in the commercial drone industry—and which new technologies are worth paying attention to? In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul shares his firsthand takeaways from the 2026 Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas,…
ADU 1399: NDAA Compliance – Are Expensive American Drones Actually Better?
7 Sept 2026
Buying Drones in 2026: Is the NDAA Premium Worth It? In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob address a critical question from listener Ken : Would commercial drone operators actually switch to NDAA-compliant, Blue List American drones if performance matched DJI, even at 5x the cost? They…
ADU 1397: Why Drone Pilots Should Stop Selling Hours and Start Selling Outcomes
31 Aug 2026
Why Drone Pilots Should Stop Selling Hours and Start Selling Outcomes Complex thermal deliverables are getting killed by simpler ones. If you inspect buildings with a drone, this episode shows why the smartest workflow may be a PDF, a screen-share video, and zero fancy modeling.Paul and Rob break…
ADU 1398: Beyond Flying – The Non-Flying Skills Every Drone Business Needs
25 Aug 2026
Why Being the Best Drone Pilot Is No Longer Enough In this episode of Ask Drone U, Paul and Rob answer a question from Gabe at Hawaii Pacific Drone Solutions regarding whether competitive advantage in the drone industry is shifting from piloting skill to solving client business problems. They…
ADU 1396: Why Most Drone Pilots Fail at Sales – and What to Do Instead
18 Aug 2026
Why Most Drone Pilots Fail at Sales - and What to Do Instead On today's episode, Paul and Rob tackle one of the toughest challenges for many drone business owners: sales. Our question for today is how a non-salesperson can actually start getting clients, and hold a conversation goes deeper than…
ADU 1395: Why the FCC Drone Ban Could Ground More Than You Think
12 Aug 2026
Why the FCC Drone Ban Could Ground More Than You Think The FCC may be laying the groundwork for a drone ban that goes far beyond DJI and if you fly drones for business, this could change your entire operating model. We break down what the proposal really says, why the definition of "military…
ADU 1394: How American Drones Are more relevant for the Drone Industry’s Future and Why It Matters
17 Apr 2026
How American drones are transforming in drone industry As regulations tighten and supply chains strain, American-made drones are stepping into the spotlight, promising new levels of safety, reliability, and profitability. It is now more important than ever to position yourself to capitalize this…
EDL 019: Turning Passion to Profession: Running successful drone business in Hawaii, with Gabe Hanohano
1 Feb 2026
In this episode, Gabe Hanohano takes us on his inspiring journey of building a successful drone business in Hawaii. Starting with a deep-rooted passion for photography and technology, Gabe navigates the intricate world of drones, sharing the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial path. He…