Getting DAA Ready for Part 108 with Kraettli Epperson of Vigilant Aerospace Systems
Release Date: 07/01/2026
Everything to Know Before Commercial UAV Expo 2026
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins goes solo to preview Commercial UAV Expo 2026, taking place September 1-3 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. He walks through the conference program, including both keynotes, the workforce development and regulatory sessions, and the return of the roundtable discussions. He also covers what's happening on the exhibit hall floor, from Pitch the Press to the indoor airspace demonstrations, plus workshops and the new DRONERESPONDERS program management course.
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Building the Next Generation of Drone Pilots, with Steffanie Rivers
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Steffanie Rivers, Founder of TCB Drones and TCB Drones Academy. The two discuss workforce development in the commercial drone industry, the National HBCU Aviation and Drone Leadership Initiative Steffanie launched this summer, and how regulatory shifts like Part 108 and the FCC's covered list are shaping the path for new pilots entering the field.
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Part 108 Timelines and the Case for a Commercial Industrial Base with Censys Technologies' Trevor Perrott
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Trevor Perrott, CEO and Co-Founder at Censys Technologies. The two discuss realistic timelines for Part 108 implementation, what operators should be doing now to prepare for BVLOS adoption, and the deeper economic forces behind domestic drone manufacturing and NDAA compliance.
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Vetting Drone Pilots at Scale with Raad's Chris Tavani
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Chris Tavani, Chief Growth Officer at Raad. The two discuss how the company vets and ranks drone pilots at scale, the software tools Raad uses for real-time quality control, and what smaller operators should look for when hiring pilots on their own.
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Getting DAA Ready for Part 108 with Kraettli Epperson of Vigilant Aerospace Systems
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Kraettli Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace Systems. The two discuss how detect-and-avoid technology works under the hood, what the Part 108 NPRM means for operators preparing for BVLOS operations, and what steps operators and manufacturers can take now to be ready when the final rule is published. Link to Commercial UAV News' State of the Industry Survey, closing July 3:
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Getting Ready for Part 108 with FlyFreely's David Cole
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Dr. David Cole, co-founder and CEO of FlyFreely. The two discuss lessons the U.S. can draw from Australia's BVLOS regulatory transition, what Part 107 operators need to know as Part 108 approaches, and the overlooked operational challenges organizations should be planning for now. Link to Commercial UAV News' State of the Industry Survey:
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Matternet's Alex Norman on Why Drone Delivery Is Finally Taking Off
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Alex Norman, COO of Matternet. The two discuss the company's recent reverse merger that made Matternet the first pure-play drone delivery company publicly traded in the U.S., the lessons Matternet has carried from medical logistics into direct-to-consumer delivery, and what gaps still need to be closed before drone delivery reaches its full potential nationwide. Link to Commercial UAV News' State of the Industry Survey:
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From Detroit to the World Cup: Recent Industry News
Uncrewed Views
On this week’s episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins runs through some of the biggest topics from the industry over the last month, including takeaways from XPONENTIAL, the outlook for the World Cup, and the Section 2209 NPRM.
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Beyond Detection: How Critical Infrastructure Is Rethinking Drone Risk
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Melissa Swisher, CRO at SkySafe. The two discuss drone threats facing critical infrastructure operators, how the recent Section 2209 NPRM and GridEx VII are reshaping airspace security, and what detection and response actually looks like on the ground for these owners.
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Building the Full Stack for Counter UAS Technology, with Matt Kling
Uncrewed Views
In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Matt Kling, VP and general manager of AI Systems at MatrixSpace. The two discuss how the Safer Skies Act has shaped demand for counter-UAS technology, why gaps still exist between what agencies need and what's being deployed, and how MatrixSpace is approaching the counter-UAS challenge as a radar-first, hardware-and-software hybrid company.
info_outlineIn this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Kraettli Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace Systems. The two discuss how detect-and-avoid technology works under the hood, what the Part 108 NPRM means for operators preparing for BVLOS operations, and what steps operators and manufacturers can take now to be ready when the final rule is published.
Link to Commercial UAV News' State of the Industry Survey, closing July 3: https://survey.divcom.com/s3/COMMERCIAL-DRONE-INDUSTRY-State-of-the-Industry-Survey-2026