#84 Jenn Player, Skydio: Autonomous drone operations

The Vertical Space

In this episode, we sit down with Jenn Player, Vice President of Global Aviation Regulatory Affairs at Skydio and a leading voice in the drone industry, for a deep dive into autonomous drone operations. We start by unpacking the concept of electronic conspicuity and its potential to enable a fully cooperative shared airspace. Drawing from her experience flying larger UAS with the Air Force Research Lab and BNSF, Jenn shares why detect-and-avoid challenges in controlled airspace prompted her shift toward smaller, highly automated drones operating close to obstacles - a shift that ultimately led her to Skydio and her mission to "unlock the dock."

Jenn provides an insider’s look at the evolution of drone docks, their operationalization, and their transformative potential. She also introduces the compelling vision of “zero-to-many” operations, where drones independently handle missions with minimal human intervention. Along the way, we explore the state of the drone market, comparing the civil commercial and defense sectors, and close with Jenn’s practical advice for entrepreneurs navigating this fast-evolving space.

Chapters

1. #84 Jenn Player, Skydio: Autonomous drone operations (00:00:00)

2. Electronic conspicuity - a silver bullet for airspace integration (00:06:35)

3. How friction with DAA led to drone-in-a-box (00:17:23)

4. Operationalizing docked drones (00:25:22)

5. Drone-in-a-box value chain (00:28:46)

6. The drone piece and the data piece (00:31:37)

7. Automation and autonomy (00:33:28)

8. What an automated BVLOS drone operation look like (00:37:58)

9. 0:many operations (00:41:00)

10. Building the trust in drones (00:52:39)

11. Thoughts on the drone market (00:57:59)

12. Civil commercial market (01:00:43)

13. Looking ahead (01:08:39)

14. Drone sightings in New Jersey (01:10:45)

15. Advice to entrepreneurs (01:12:00)