Skylogic sabbatical

After five years of running Skylogic Research and the Droneanalyst blog, I’ve decided to take a sabbatical so I can discern the next adventure.

Looking back, it has been quite a journey. Honestly, it’s been a lot of fun to be involved in the formation of the commercial drone industry. When I published my first post in February 2014, titled The Yellow Brick Road of FAA Drone Regulations, drones were new and the public discourse was just beginning. I thought, What better way to help others than to provide a few resource links where others could begin their journey? I remember the debate then was what to call them. Do we call them UAV, UAS, or drones? It’s funny how much people railed against the word “drones.” But as I and others predicted, this would be the one that would stick in public discourse.

The other thing I predicted (and railed against) was the damage that the overhyped forecasts would do to so many. That was in 2015. It saddens me a bit that it took until 2019 for articles like this one to point out the obvious, that the commercial market for unmanned aircraft was going to be slow to take flight and the result would be companies buying up rivals to get a decent revenue stream.

Still, over the years I have been fortunate to have met so many enthusiastic and innovative entrepreneurs and business leaders. I am also grateful for the many sponsors, partners, participants, and customers of our research. There are too many to list here, but you can see most of them on our Customers page. Without you, there would have been no Skylogic Research and no insights to help guide your progress.

Going forward I wish the best for you and your business.

If you are new to the business of drones, may I suggest you look at our last bit of research: Making a Successful Business Case for Drone Technology. It’s perhaps our best free report and provides a blueprint for a successful business case for a drone-based technology program. The guide offers enterprise leaders a clear, step-by-step process to analyze, evaluate, and communicate key objectives of a drone program to ensure company-wide adoption.

In case you have questions about my sabbatical, I thought I’d offer a mini FAQ:

Wait, what? Are you taking a sabbatical or retiring?

Well, I guess the correct answer is both. But I’m taking a sabbatical from doing research, content, consulting, and blogging to figure out what I’ll be doing in retirement. I’ve never viewed retirement as “doing nothing”—but I need some downtime to figure out what’s next.

So no more research, huh? How about conferences—will we see you there?

I’ve stepped down from the advisory boards of InterDrone and Commercial UAV Expo and don’t expect to attend any conferences in the future. However, as they say, never say never.

What about your @droneanalyst Twitter account? Will you keep that active?

Yes, somewhat. From time to time I’ll tweet out news or insights I believe are significant for the industry.

And how about your website and URL? Will your research reports be available after you retire?

The Skylogic Research website is active and our research is still available there for now. However, we expect to close the site sometime in 2020.

Can I buy your brand or ULR?

The assets of Skylogic Research, LLC – including the URL and registered trademark ‘Drone Analyst’ – are available for purchase. Write to me colin@droneanalyst.com to make an inquiry.

How can I stay connected with you or just see what you’re up to?

While I’m figuring out my next move I’ll be traveling the world making videos and taking lots of photos. You can follow me on Instagram @drone_analyst (#droneanalyst #koptervision) and watch my videos on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/koptervision). My media production website is Koptervision.com

Thanks again for your support. Continued best wishes for successful ventures in 2019.