Sustainable Skylines and USI Develop Commercial Aviation Career Tracks for Drone Advertising

Safer and Greener Alternative to Banner Towing Takes Flight, Forges New Pathways for Aviation Professionals Looking to Enter Emerging Aviation

Miami, FL, and Panama City, FL, April 3, 2024 — Sustainable Skylines, the aerial drone advertising and data analytics company, and USI, an aviation company focused on building aerospace skill sets necessary for professional, safe, and ethical aircraft operations, have partnered to create a training and certification program enabling aviators to operate within the Sustainable Skylines’ infrastructure.

Sustainable Skylines is the first drone banner towing company in the U.S. to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for commercial operations. Their Section 44807 exemption approval, combined with a banner towing authorization, will allow Sustainable Skylines to launch full-size banner advertisements towed by a drone along Miami Beach in 2024.

Aerial drone advertising offers a number of advantages over traditional aircraft towing. Beyond providing safer and greener operations, drones boost greater maneuverability, operate at slower speeds and lower altitudes, and don’t need a runway as they are capable of a vertical take-off and landing. Furthermore, drones introduce precise attention analytics to banner advertising, which removes a significant barrier to widespread brand adoption.

“As we continue to refine our drone technology, we've also been diligently building the infrastructure needed for scalable drone advertising operations. This effort extends to partnering with USI so we can train pilots and flight staff to safely operate our drones,” said Jacob Stonecipher, the founder and CEO of Sustainable Skylines. “While we are launching operations in Miami Beach, we are poised for rapid expansion to new locations as we partner with new brands and showcase the advantages of aerial banner towing."

Utilizing decades of experience in aviation, commercial drones, and Department of Defense operations, USI has developed a structured training program to develop aviators that is specific to remotely piloted technology and equivalent to traditional aviation training standards under FAR Part 141. Now, this same process will be available to pilots and flight staff looking to join the Sustainable Skylines team and become a certified-aerial drone advertising operator.

"Sustainable Skylines has pioneered a novel application for uncrewed aircraft systems, paving the way for yet another high-skill, high-wage career field that doesn't necessitate a commercial pilot license," explained Joshua Olds, CEO, president, and co-founder of USI. "We look forward to collaborating with those who already have a private pilot license, as well as aspiring aviators through our partnerships with secondary and post-secondary academic institutions."

To learn more about the training and certification program or explore careers with Sustainable Skylines, please visit: https://www.sustainableskylines.com/about/join-our-team/.

About Sustainable Skylines

Sustainable Skylines is the first to market full-size drone advertising banner towing company, driving innovation around antiquated aerial advertising practices using sustainable drone technology and in-depth data analytics. Aggregating data from cellular, geospatial, and real-time footage from flight operations, Sustainable Skylines leverages the latest advances in computer vision, big data, and artificial intelligence to create actionable insights for our clients. Building the drone, pilot, and fleet management infrastructure alongside partners and the FAA, Sustainable Skylines will drive innovation and sustainability across the country. Sustainable Skylines was founded in 2020 and headquartered in Miami, FL. For further information visit www.sustainableskylines.com.

About USI

USI is the industry’s most widely recognized leader in flight safety solutions for individuals, academia and organizations focused on integrating and operating UAS for civil or commercial purposes. USI provides UAS flight safety training and certification to operational standards based on the adoption and modification of time-honored aviation safety practices. 

With more than 300 instructors and over 20,000 USI Certifications awarded around the world, USI works with large commercial enterprises and nearly 500 schools in all 50 states. USI is the global leader in commercial and academic UAS training and certification, delivering the most highly regarded training program of its kind. USI

offers Primary, Advanced and Complex training and certification programs that are applicable to VLOS, BVLOS and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations.

USI’s training and certification programs are endorsed by major aviation insurance providers and implemented nationwide as a workforce pathway program from secondary or post-secondary to the career field to align skill sets to industry pay scales.

Discover more at www.FlyUSI.org. 

Media Contacts:

Lauren McNamara, Escalate PR for Sustainable Skylines sustainableskylines@escalatepr.com

Stephanie Holland, USI
Stephanie.Holland@FlyUSI.org

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