Written by JS (03/2015), transcribed and reformatted by JS (11/2015)
I Am the AMA
Tyler Collins, Precision Hawk director of business development Jay Smith: How did you become involved with model aviation?
Tyler Collins: I’ve known I wanted to be involved in aviation since I was three years old. The most realistic way to get involved in full-scale aviation is with model aviation. When I was about five years old, I wanted a model airplane but my parents said no. they bought me a RealFlight simulator and they told me when I got good on the simulator they would buy me a gas airplane.
I spent two years becoming as proficient as I could, and they bought a gas trainer for me. I went to the local club, joined, and have been flying since.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
TC: It was the beginning to absolutely everything I have done with aviation. It drove me to want to go to school, to go to college, and to be a pilot, all of which I did.
Working for a commercial UAS company, I’m able to bring together my three favorite things: business, aviation, and model aviation. I’m really able to have a positive impact on various things.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
TC: I am still active in the model aviation community, but not as much as I was because of my career. I primarily focus on electric stuff. I have my own small quadcopters that I can still fly and enjoy while I am on the road. It’s great that technology now allows me to do that. JS: What are your other hobbies?
TC: My other hobbies include everything to do with electronics. I taught myself how to program because I enjoy the challenge. I taught myself about electronics so that if I have an idea, I can make something for myself.
I find that interesting and intriguing. Building an airplane completely from scratch takes time and effort. It teaches you various disciplines, and I’m able to expand on those disciplines in other hobbies.
JS: Who (or what) has influenced you most?
TC: What has really influenced me the most is seeing the hard work of my family. My father and my mother knew what they wanted and they were not afraid to work to get it. They did whatever it took to achieve their dreams.
I want to be able to do the same and follow my passion. Everyone tells you to follow what you love and I have made it a point to do so. I couldn’t ask for anything better right now. I enjoy everything I do every hour of the day.
JS: How did you get involved in PrecisionHawk and what are your responsibilities? TC: I went to Indiana State University in Indiana to be a pilot. I got all of my pilot certificates and the school had a new minor in UAS technology. I signed up for the minor, which introduced me to the commercial aspect of UAVs and how they can be used in real-world applications outside of the hobby.
In my junior year of college, one of my professors had a contact at a small company called PrecisionHawk. At that time it had five employees. I was chosen for an internship and I worked that summer doing flight service for seed companies and collected data for their research. When I graduated, PrecisionHawk offered me a job in sales. I worked my way up to the director of business development. PrecisionHawk is now a company of 80 employees. I work with our large-enterprise clients, developing solutions that they can roll out to their clients and helping them solve problems.
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