HOUSTON – September 21, 2021 – UAS (unmanned aerial systems) service providers Soaring Eagle Imaging (SEI) from Brandon, Mississippi and Skynetwest from Chandler, Arizona, today announced a definitive agreement to become a leading drone data collection and processing company with the creation of Soaring Eagle Technologies (Soaring Eagle). The company, owned and operated by Houston-based Iapetus Holdings LLC (Iapetus), will lead the charge in markets such as critical infrastructure inspections and reporting. The Soaring Eagle team of experts including Army Veterans Noah Ruiz from Skynetwest and Will Paden from Soaring Eagle Imaging, will service a broad national footprint, combining resources to provide reliable utility, energy, and infrastructure inspections for hard-to-reach and complex structures with emerging technology solutions, including visual and infrared thermal imaging. Soaring Eagle’s main office is in Houston, Texas. Will Paden will preside over the team of eight experts with 100 years of combined manned and unmanned aviation experience.
Iapetus owns and operates infrastructure services companies Atlas Field Services, Gold Coast Utility Specialists, and Hyperion Safety Environmental Solutions. This makes Soaring Eagle the only company in the space with user expertise leveraging risk mitigation data, mapping, and imagery for inspections and audits. Iapetus companies service national clients, including the world’s largest utilities. Operating company, Atlas Retail Energy, partners with commercial and industrial clients to optimize energy procurement and incorporate sustainable energy solutions.
The joint company enables clients in the U.S. to leverage aerial mapping, inspection, surveying, and overall imaging and aviation expertise. Soaring Eagle has completed over 60 large scale SGI (special government interest) waiver, class G airspace missions across the U.S., more than any other competitor. It has been trusted to perform critical inspection flights to harden the grid and prevent wildfires, including for VM (vegetation management) ROW (right-of-way) and storm response, search and rescue, controlled burn fire over watch, and wildlife and fishery. Soaring Eagle is certified with CFR Part 107 waivers, which allows the company to legally perform night operations and BVLOS Operations.
Soaring Eagle is strategically partnered with UATI, the Unmanned Aviation Training Institute. UATI offers a variety of unmanned aviation training programs to certify new candidates in the fastest growing section of aviation. UATI also provides recurrent training to stay current with FAA regulations. The UATI team features more than 30,000 hours of manned aviation experience, thousands of hours in UAS, and more 60 combined years of experience in the aviation industry. Courses taught near Jackson International Airport and Chandler, Arizona include the Part 107 Initial Course and Advanced Electrical Utility course. “As a company founded by manned aviation personnel, Soaring Eagle strongly endorses formalized pilot training. Establishing a manned aviation training standard that all of our pilots meet is critical to our safe operations. We believe UATI will set the standard for UAS training until the FAA provides one”, stated Paden.
For more information, reach out to contact@soaringeagle.com.