10 January 2025

By Adrian Pueyo

If you told me during my childhood that I would get to fly drones and travel, I would probably get excited but I still wouldn’t believe you as I thought I had a very different path in life. I would probably laugh it off if anyone told me I would be starting my own company. I always had a passion for aviation, video games, and I had the goals to travel and fly as often as I could.

As a child I would constantly get my hands on anything RC or anything to do with planes and aviation. I would constantly play Galaga or Gradius III, and eventually I would try to sneak some time in on my grandfather’s Microsoft Flight Simulator. I would also constantly window shop at Radio Shack and daydream about what I could play or get my hands on.

Eventually I got my hands on those small RC helicopters and hand-thrown foam planes that you could get at the flea market, and as one can imagine, they would break just as quickly as I got them. This would then lead to a repeated cycle of me buying these every chance I would get and then having a pile of broken components with no real means or ways to fix them. My parents thought these were a distraction to my studies at the time and so this was a hobby I would pursue quietly.

I was born to Peruvian immigrants who came out to the United States to give me a better life and they had the expectations that I would learn and study to do something in pre-law, pre-med, or pre-rich. It was in their minds that I would be a professional and that anything with video games or playing with my RC toys was a distraction and it was difficult for them to see the returns on these skills.

After high school I then joined the workforce with some clear goals in mind—get my own RC equipment, get my own camera drone, and learn to fly so I could travel the world. I went to college and attended with no real focus in mind and then I held a variety of jobs with no real progress towards my goals. I eventually decided to join the military as I then knew that would get me to travel and then I could also buy my own equipment.

I joined the Marines in 2016 and then served at a Marine Air Base for my military service. I bought my own RC equipment and then I bought some drones from Walmart and started practicing. I wanted to buy DJI at the time, but then owning a drone on base became problematic so I would stick to the drones I had at the time. I also looked at flight lessons at the time but decided to save it for after the military.

After the military I then began my pursuit for my private pilot certificate, and with a fresh start out of the militar,y I thought I could do it all. This was in January 2020, and as we remember a few months later, the pandemic lockdowns began.

Fortunately, aviation was a critical skill and flight schools shortly reopened after the initial lockdowns. During lockdown, I then got my hands on a used Mavic Air and practiced flying recreationally and getting my skills as a remote pilot to de-stress and unwind after my lessons flying Piper Archers. I would also watch other pilots and drone pilots on youtube and their experiences during downtime on my night shifts as a security guard for the Riverside Regional Transit Agency.

I was constantly burning the candle at every end. I would work as a Flight Dispatcher for the college whenever I could, I would fly during the afternoons, and work as a security guard at night. I would squeeze in drones any chance I could get.

It wasn’t until 2021, where one of my best friends from college taught me about how he was making money using drones and how he obtained his Part 107. I was in full testing mode when I learned about the Part 107, so I wanted to wait to get it until after I completed my Private Pilot Certificate. After I got my Private Pilot Certificate I then began studying for my Part 107 concurrently with starting my lessons for Instrument flight. I then learned that as an existing Part 61 pilot that one could get their Part 107 by taking an online training course through the FAA Safety Team website. It was a lengthy course, but it felt like the shortest course I ever took, and I then took the completed course to my current CFI who then endorsed me. I then received my Part 107 in the mail a few weeks after and then the true journey began.

I worked with my friend while in college and learned how to apply the Phantom 4 Pro to many different types of work and learned how it was used in construction. I then began my deepdive into its many other applications that one could use the orthomosaics for and how to get the most out of one drone. I also bought an EXO Ranger for fun and learned about the differences and limitations between drones and what I could accomplish with each one.

My friend and I were also members of the drone club at my college and it was all over in the blink of an eye. I graduated from California Baptist University with a Bachelor’s in Aviation Flight in 2022, and then got my job as a Flight Dispatcher at REACH Air Medical right after.

At that point, I didn’t really know how to turn the dial down, as I kept finding ways to make money by taking on jobs through pilot networks and going door to door in my free time. I also ended up pursuing my Master’s in Commercial Aviation from Delta State University that same year. I then began to get my own first contracts in construction and I found myself in a similar pattern at the Bachelor’s level. I worked Dispatch at night, drones during the day, and I would then study during any downtime and would research on how to form my own LLC and what drones/equipment to use in order to get more work and how to make operations safer/more efficient.

After months of working as a subcontractor and getting gigs, my son was born and during parental leave I then formed my own LLC. I then continued to get more contracts and more work, which finally led me to reaching a breaking point. I could no longer balance a double work life and family life. I was on a ranch job, mapping to help create GEO zones for a harness. During the scenic and peaceful work I dreaded returning to the office and thought enough was enough.

I handed in my notice on April Fool’s Day (without realizing what day I had actually handed my resignation in) and then worked my final days asI began my transition to becoming a full time business owner and operator.

I took the leap of faith in my drone business in 2024, and have continually made small successes. I now aim to be Sacramento’s Drone Guy, and have continued to network and make my name known around the Sacramento Region. My family now sees me pursuing my passions and they ask about what jobs have I taken or what new places have I seen due to my work.

I now get to work with some of the best people and learn from others who are like minded, as well as get more involved in the world of drones and technology. I still fly Cessnas and the occasional Piper Archer from time to time. I am now pursuing a GIS certificate, as well, so I can better understand how to better apply drone technology. If there is one thing I have learned in my journey so far, it is that the more I learn, it is that I realize how much I don’t know.

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