Get inspired by women who drone with SPH Engineering!

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SPH Engineering
March 8, 2022

Enjoy the collection of stories from around the world!

Did you know that within 5 years the number of female drone pilots, registered in the US FAA, increased almost 25 times! And about half of over 19'000 women are commercial drone pilots. Almost 50% of SPH Engineering partners are located in North America and we aim at advancing drone technologies for surveying, data collection, and entertainment for diverse environments.

To celebrate women who drone, we have asked a few of our partners why they decided to develop a career in the drone industry, what inspires them about drone technologies, and how SPH Engineering solutions help to reach business goals.

Léa VISSAC | Hexadrone

France

Actually, the drone industry chose me more than I chose it! Just after I obtained my second master's degree, I was searching for a job. I was, and still am, curious about everything so I just sent my applications to companies from very different sectors. At the same time, Hexadrone, a French company founded in 2014 by Alexandre Labesse, a former drone operator, was looking for someone with my profile. Alexandre contacted me and…it was a match. Of course, I was a bit scared, it is a very masculine world and I knew absolutely nothing about drones. But it was exciting at the same time! This technology is rather new and in perpetual evolution. There is so much to learn, to see. I do not regret this choice at all. My perspective on the world, on the future, has changed, so many wonderful things can be done with drones! So many things have already been done and yet there is so much to do. Today everybody can use a drone, but most of the time we underestimate all the possibilities offered by this technology. From fire fighting to agriculture, health…and way more.


"Working in the drone industry is incredibly inspiring and fulfilling. I have met wonderful people. It is yet so scarce to meet other women in this industry because of prejudices. Ladies, do not fear to show your capacities, abilities, and who you are, you have a place to take in this industry, we are waiting for you!" Léa VISSAC

As for SPH Engineering, I believe it is enabling all drone users to easily set up and complete rather complex missions very easily! The company is this essential bond between the drone manufacturers and developers - such as Hexadrone - and professional operators. SPH Engineering, via UgCS for example, is the lateral interface that is smoothing professional operators' daily missions. The latter can really focus on their skills and know-how thanks to this software. Our main partner, INSTADRONE, the french biggest network of drone operators, whose activity skyrocketed these last years, is UgCS best ambassador!

Lucia Aliotta | Lux Drone Italy

Italy

My name is Lucia. I am 39 years old and I am a woman doing business with drones. My husband was already familiar with drones as he created a school for drone pilots. I’ve been working as an Administrative Employee for so many years that I felt the need to create something great and new, something beautiful that could gather our drone passion together with something artistically “huge”.

I am Italian…so Art means a lot to our country. In fact, Italy has a great potential for drones shows (even if it is still something brand new to Italian people), and our aim is to celebrate our country, being one of the most artistically attractive countries in the world.

Honestly, I can take the merit of having been the one into Lux Drone Italy who had the idea, who thought about the project, and who said: “hey guys what about having a fleet of drones dancing simultaneously in the sky? It would be amazing!!!

Here I Am. Or better saying: ”Here we are”. We are a team and we work as a team. One without the other does not exist. This is because I am a woman, I am a mum and I believe in family, and Family is a concept that can be applied to home, work & friends.

I really believe in this great project, I do believe in this new technology because drones are basically the future… for shows and events of course, but they are also useful in lots of other applications if you think about emergency research, goods delivery, inspections and so on.
We found in the Drone Show Software (DSS) team from SPH Engineering our main point of reference, for their competencies and for their availability. We really feel safe because if we have to face some difficulties, we know we can count on DSS guys.

Anette Becerra Díaz | UFO Experiencias sin límites

Mexico

I decided to develop my career in the drone industry because it’s exciting, it’s new and it’s definitely the future of not only entertainment but so much more, drones offer all kinds of solutions and wonder, time will only tell how much more we can create. Also because it’s amazing to be one of the very few females in the industry, especially in my country. If you ask me what inspires me about drone technologies I will say everything! From the novelty of the industry itself to the opportunity to inspire women and kids everywhere, to change the way we experience and offer entertainment.

My company, “UFO Experiencias sin límites”, is located in the northeast part of Mexico, just by the Pacific Ocean in a small yet beautiful city named Mazatlan. Our drone show dream started two years ago from the moment we saw the first drone show ever in our city at the International Carnaval of Mazatlán, which is one of the most important carnivals in Latin America, we were astonished so a year later we started looking for partners and suppliers to purchase our first fleet, a few months later we offered our first show at the local soccer stadium, being the first time a drone show was presented in the midtime of a soccer game in Mexico.

As someone who had no experience with engineering whatsoever, I’m very pleased and thankful for all the Drone Show Software team at SPH Engineering since they make everything so easy, so clear, they offer support, training, and solutions for almost any problem I’ve experienced, I’ve taken every course, every zoom class read all the manuals they facilitate and now I feel unstoppable launching and operating my drone show business, by the way, I’m a marketer! With no engineering background and they made it wonderfully easy for me! If I could do it, anyone can! In a word, I just want to thank SPH Engineering for letting us know: for some, the sky is the limit, for us, it is only the beginning!

Isabel Caballero | SKYLAB ENTERTAINMENT

Mexico

I work for a Mexican special effects company called Pyrotech which has been operating for almost 30 years now. The business' main focus is fireworks and also works with fire, lasers, drones, and other special effects. We have been growing as a company creating shows all around the country and even some outside Mexico in events like music festivals, sports finals, social events, and more. Some of our clients have been the Panamerican Games, Disney On Ice, Pitbull, Tiesto, UN, and others.

I joined the company a couple of years ago with the position of drone show designer. In 2020 I was among the winners of the 1st International Drone Show Choreography Competition. Later I started acting in my company as a show operator. My position has been obtained out of curiosity. I found out about this new technology and started my investigation with the show animation. I started to learn with online tutorials about the Blender software by myself. Later on, they taught me how to convert my animation into real drone show paths and started working with Pyrotech. Ever since, my skills have continued to expand and are in constant progress.

I believe that my main inspiration with drone shows is innovation. This type of technology is something so many people don’t know about and it is such a nice feeling being able to see how amazed people get every show. We always try to be different and better than our competitors. The designs I create are inspired by the core and main idea of the events we work at. We have a creative team with whom I join and start brainstorming and studying every element of the concept. I have seen so many drone shows around the world and believe all of these great creators help me with my creativity and inspire me in my designs.

Drone Show Software, a product of SPH Engineering, is the main reason we’ve reached our goals. None of the people in our company knew anything about drones. The software that has been created has been a great tool for us to use and has helped us create so many shows over the past two years. The drones we have are Uvify and these two technologies work perfectly well together. SPH Engineering offers us new upgrades and is in constant change and improvement which helps us not stay behind in the business.

Helen Pukszta | Drone Arrival

USA

To me, the decision to develop my career in the drone industry was all about new frontiers of innovation. Drones are such a game-changer. I am inspired by what drones are already capable of and by how they will enhance our lives in the future. They’re versatile, accessible, and easily applied. The appeal of drones to me is also in their relatively small environmental footprint, which makes them great alternatives to less efficient technologies. Safe, responsible, and ethical usage of drones is key to drone technology success and value to society, and I feel that I am contributing to that by being a part of this industry.

Drone technologies inspire me because this is where many aspects of innovation that we care about to converge. These are flying robots that help with automation, can easily take on artificial intelligence tasks, lead to higher safety and productivity, and at the same time, produce no emissions. Drones are an unexpected yet very natural ally in the drive for sustainability. The unmanned part is very important - no human aboard to carry, to accommodate with the design, or to put at risk. What is clear is that drones are a very adaptable and versatile set of technologies - they are universally applicable and compelling in the value that they produce - and I am inspired every day by new ways of applying drones for the benefit of humanity and the planet.

Started in 2017, our company, Drone Arrival, has grown and evolved with the commercial and enterprise drone industry, and we’ve built up a strong and diverse portfolio of drone technology products that we offer and represent. Our mission is to help organizations use drone technologies as a standard tool for business innovation so that they can benefit from the increased efficiency, accuracy, and safety that this technology enables. What we do is help organizations define the right drone-based solutions and then help them in the effort to implement and bring those solutions to life in the specific context of their workflows and processes.

From UgCS Integrated Systems such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to Drone Show Software to UgCS - the flagship flight planning and control software - SPH Engineering has long been a pioneer in drone technology software and innovative drone systems and solutions. Their spirit of innovation and high-quality products are very much aligned with our values at Drone Arrival and with the excellence that our customers expect and appreciate.

"I encourage everyone to try this new drone technology hands-on and see how much it can add to their business and personal lives. And let’s not forget, they’re fun to fly!" Helen Pukszta

To learn more about SPH Engineering's partners visit:

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