“Once the data’s been collected we can give it right to the client,” Healy said, adding he is able to survey land, take high-quality images and create stitched-together mosaics.

Thanks to Transport Canada’s new regulations, commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots can take to the skies easier than ever before, but Healy said there are still dozens of regulations he has to follow before taking to the skies.

“There are still 58 different criteria we must meet every time we put our [UAV] up into the air,” Healy said. “Included in that are things like being appropriately trained, having the appropriate amount of insurance, making sure you have all the correct land-owner permissions before you go on people’s land, those sorts of things.”

Healy’s family has been in the agricultural industry for generations, and he said for him as a business person, a helpful service like those offered by IN-FLIGHT Data just made sense.

“Farming is in my family’s blood,” Healy said. “I have a wealth of knowledge I can draw on from my family’s background on the agricultural side, and they marry together quite well.”

Once growing season is rolling, he hopes to take flight as much as possible, but for now he’s just hoping to plant the seed and get farmers thinking about how UAVs can help them.

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