Sonoma's first commercial drone operator buzzing (w/video)

While you may not have yet spotted a drone flying above Sonoma, it is likely that one has spotted you.

Though Amazon's much-hyped plan to deliver packages by drones seems to have been grounded, drones have become less expensive and more sophisticated – and sales have exploded. More than 1.6 million unmanned aircraft were sold in the U.S. last year alone, according to the FAA.

Sonoma Valley High School grad Clayton Inskeep believes that he holds Sonoma County's first FAA-certified commercial drone permit. His recently launched Sonoma-based company, Drone-Aviation, offers aerial photography for agricultural imaging, as well as real estate sales, surveying and construction, promotional videos and just about anything else you might want to photograph from above.

Technically, 'drone' refers to any flying devices that are controlled with a handheld remote, computer or smartphone – but these aren't exactly your 10-year-old's remote-controlled helicopter.

Traveling up to 80 miles per hour, Inskeep's drones take exceptionally high-resolution photos and videos and connect instantly with sophisticated software on the ground.

He believes that the implications of drones in wine country are astounding.

'Examining 300 acres of vines planted on the hills here might take a vineyard manager weeks, but we can do it in minutes,' he said. 'It might take months to figure out the location of a water leak. We can figure it out in five minutes.'

Inskeep's Ebee Ag drone can cover 2,400 acres in a single flight. 'Our drone can quickly show if a client's crops or trees have enough or too much water, proper amounts of fertilizer, chlorophyll content – and even when and if a crop is ready to harvest,' he said. 'Drone software can generate quick crop maps, identify problem areas and export prescriptions to software on a tractor, all in the same day.'

It's an understatement to say Inskeep views Sonoma as fertile drone territory.

Growing up in Sonoma, Inskeep, 41, was passionate about radio controlled airplanes and helicopters. He attended El Verano Elementary School and Altimira Middle School. His dad was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and then a commercial aircraft pilot, and his mother was a flight attendant. After graduating from Sonoma Valley High in '92, he received a degree in aviation maintenance management in Arizona, where he met his wife. (His older brother Wes, who also graduated from SVHS in 1990, was a Navy Seal who has since retired).

In addition to experience as a licensed pilot and an aircraft mechanic, Inskeep worked in logistics and maintenance for the U.S Dept. of Defense after college and he still has active security clearance. He oversaw maintenance of Navy vessels at Pearl Harbor and spent several years in watercraft maintenance for the City of Honolulu.

'About eight months ago I was doing research into the burgeoning business of drones, and was enthralled by the possibilities,' he said. Only FAA-certified pilots are being granted permission to operate drones commercially so Inskeep decided he was a perfect candidate to be among the first to apply for permission from the FAA.

Inskeep quickly invested a lot in his belief that drones have game-changing potential. His four drones each cost between $2,400 and $44,000. Drone-Aviation (drone-aviation.com) will begin booking business on Feb. 1. The cost per hour for a drone flight includes the piloting, the analytic software and the video or camera footage. Rates average around $175 an hour. He said that the response among potential clients has been hugely positive. 'Drones are a powerful way to support a business,' he said.

But Inskeep is spending as much time keeping up to speed on and obeying drone rules and restrictions as he is marketing his new company.

'This is a case where technology has definitely outpaced policy,' said Sonoma Valley Police Chief Bret Sackett. 'The government is playing catch up with regulations and oversight.'

As of late 2015, drones that weigh more than half a pound must be registered so that the FAA can link the aircraft to the owner or operator in the event of an incident or accident, and skipping that step could mean jail time or up to $250,000 in fines, even for drones used on private property.

Inskeep's commercial license means that he is currently the only person in Sonoma who actually has permission to fly drones almost anywhere he pleases, so you shouldn't be seeing any other drones over populated areas in town, according to Sackett.

Safety and accountability are serious concerns in drone operation, particularly in the national airspace, and the FAA is now receiving an average of one report a day from pilots encountering drones flying dangerously close to their aircraft.

Inskeep believes that drones are very safe when properly operated by a trained professional. His are battery powered, so if there is a mishap during a flight, there are no flammable substances to fuel a fire. Most weigh less than three pounds fully loaded, so if one was to fall out of the sky, which he says is very unlikely, it would be like getting hit with a coconut. The best drones also have a 'failsafe' feature so that if the 'link' to the controller or pilot is lost or somehow corrupted, the craft will return to the exact location from which it took off.

Drones are not supposed to fly above 400 feet (the height of a 30 to 40 story building) and are never supposed to be out of an operator's eyesight. They also can't be flown near airports. On a test flight for the Index-Tribune on the Plaza last week, Inskeep was all business, arriving with approved flight plans and operating his drone with a constant, laser-like focus.

Still, does the idea of drones with cameras above make you uneasy?

Drones test the boundaries of civil liberties and are starting to figure prominently in spying, drug running and terrorism. Sackett says he has received several complaints of recreational drones flying over private property. 'It's hard to track down the owner/operator, but when we do, these complaints fall under existing Peeping Tom laws,' said Sackett.

Assuming they are used for good not evil, the potential applications for drones are mind-boggling. Public safety officials and first responders can use small drones with video and infrared cameras for situational awareness of crime or disaster scenes, search and rescue operations, crime scene processing and fire damage assessments.

Sackett said that the Sheriff's department sees the appeal of drones to help search for missing hikers and enhance officer safety in tactical (active shooter) situations. 'The challenge is to balance the rights of the individual with the benefits of the technology,' said Sackett.

Inskeep lives in Diamond A with his wife and their three young daughters, working around the clock with his wife and father on this new venture.

'I love anything that flies and I love new 'cutting edge' technologies,' he said. 'I see this as the next real evolution in aviation and I am very excited to be part of the 'revolution' it is bringing, because it most certainly is. The general population may be scared of drones, but I feel that they are not only necessary but, if operated in a professional manner, people will embrace them as they have the ATM and the smart phone.'

Visit sonomanews.com to see videos of drone footage of the Valley.

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.

Watch a video of how the ag drone works here: