23 September 2024

By Henry Duquette

Ever since I can remember I was a go-getter, from becoming an Eagle Scout to winning the Science Fair in Junior High School for building a computer back in 1960. I was then approached by a man who handed me his business card and asked me  to contact him after High School. International Business Machines I thought. What is this company and will they go anywhere? For those who are wondering, yes I threw the card away.

After serving in the military, I travelled the country for a few years, ending up doing a three-month wildness hiking trip in northwest Canada. It taught me many things, most importantly who I was and how to overcome any obstacles that got in my way. From that point on in my life I was never afraid to try something new.

While attending college in the late '70s I found the joys of film photography, flying, nature, landscape, infra-red photos, and developing my own photos in my own dark room.

After watching the movie starring James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh in “The Spirit of St. Louis” there was a commercial of a local airport in Rhode Island to learn to fly a plane, the first lesson was $10. The very next day I was sitting in the left seat of a Cherokee 150 plane. I was hooked for life and received my Private Pilot’s License and flew from 1977 to 1983, booking over 250 hours of flight time.

I started to realize that I needed to make money to continue to enjoy my passions and to support a family.  This is where I realized that I had a talent in starting a business and making it successful. My early days of wilderness traveling, overcoming obstacles, and never being afraid to try something new came into play. I am a person that does not have in my vocabulary, “I can’t do that, or it’s too hard, or any negative thoughts to prevent me from attaining my goals in life.” What does come to mind naturally when I have an idea is always, “I can do that” so with that attitude my direction in life was set. 

My first business in the early '80s was in Computer Security. This was a time when micro-computers were in its infancy, and I wanted to jump on the band wagon. My idea took off, and within a year I had major national accounts under my belt. Businesses like Brown University, Hughs Aircraft, New England Telephone, JPL, etc. were buying my wares. After several years I sold the business at a very good profit. This allowed me to dive into another passion of mine, fishing. I had an idea to develop a laminated Nautical Chart that showed where the best fishing spots were but adding and using the local names of those areas. I also showed loading ramps, fuel docks, restaurants to travel to by boat and added other bits of information that a boater or fisherman would need while on the water. I called my business, Captain Segull's Sport Fishing Charts. I had charts from Maine to Florida and sold these charts for over the next twelve or so years before I sold the business in 2001. I am proud to say that Captain Segull Charts are still in existence today and are still going strong. Check them out, and if there is something you are interested in, just let them know that Henry the original Captain Segull sent you.

About the same time I was selling Captain Segull Charts, my beautiful wife, Roberta, had a hobby making beaded jewelry. She wanted to buy some expensive Dichroic Glass beads.  I told her that I would invest in a studio and make her inventory, but I was not at all interested in making women’s jewelry. Long story short, she fell out of bead making due to her career taking off and I pursued doing 38 Art Shows a year traveling from Maine to Florida and out to Pittsburg, PA for 16 years. I currently have been awarded over 17 First, and Second Place Ribbons and a $600 cash prize with a Honorably Best of Show Award during my Art Show history. These were fun and very profitable years, but the travel got to us. I am still blowing glass to the present day under the name of Forever in Glass LLC, but the work comes to me now from all over the United States, Canada & New Zealand. I work out of our house in Maine during the Fall & Winter and in our summer home in Swansea, Massachusetts. Even after 24 years of blowing glass, I still enjoy it, and its still going strong.

Being self-employed since 1980 allows me to still travel the world with my wife, and pursue other interests that gets me out of the studio. I started to fly drones in 2019 to take photos of our travels. My first was a DJI Mavic 2 Pro flying recreational. This led to re-igniting my passion for flying. I enrolled in an online ground school called MZEROA.COM. I highly recommend this school as they will guarantee a successful experience. The instructor teaches everything you need to know and is done in a way that gives you the confidence that you need to pass the test. In 2020, I re-certified my Private Pilot’s License in a High Performance / Complex C-182 plane. In the same year I enrolled again in the MZEROA.COM unmanned ground school for attaining my PART 107 sUAS License and started to fly drones commercially.

After investing over $30,000 in a drone, I specialize in roof inspections, mapping, insurance inspections, construction, real estate, solar etc.

My current drone inventory is, 

Top of the line DJI M350 RTK drone, with a P1 / 35mm, and a H20T Thermal Camera Payload, an Emlid RS3 RTK Base Station, 3 pairs of batteries, a quick charging Case, an in-field gas generator to charge batteries on the go, DBTU 1300 digital solar power meter for solar inspections, all my PPE Equipment. Renewed Part 107 license, and a OSHA 10 Card. Nikon D850 DSLR Camera with a variety of lenses from 14mm to 600mm, and a DJI Osmo 6 iPhone stabilizer.

DJI Matrice M350 RTK with a P1/35mm and a H20T payload.

I also continued my drone training by attending the ITC sUAS Level 1 Thermographer Certification, which I highly recommend. They also guarantee passing the course, or you can retake the course for free.

I am very familiar in getting a LAANC or a COA from the FAA. Skywatch $1,000,000 liability insurance renewed on a monthly basis, and of course my old fashion strong work ethic. The software that I currently use is the DJI Pilot 2 app, and I own a perpetual UgCS Pro license. I am familiar with DroneDeploy (but I do not have an account.) 

I am willing to travel 150 miles radius for a mission any day of the week on a contractual basis and possible couple of over-night deployments.

I come with the following skills: An Old-fashion Strong Work Ethic • Communication Skills • Problem Solving • Personal Integrity • People Management • Computer/Technical Skills • And definitely, Going the Distance.