About Us

Abby Speicher is the CEO and Founder of DARTdrones. Abby attended Westminster College in Salt Lake City and earned an MBA in Entrepreneurship at Babson College in 2015. She founded her first company when she was seventeen.

Chris Speicher is Chief Visionary Officer of DARTdrones. He currently teaches entrepreneurship at Marywood University and has successfully founded and started multiple companies.

Bob is a FAA licensed Commercial, Instrument and Multi-Engine pilot and previously worked as a Certified Flight Instructor and corporate pilot. His interest in aviation started at a young age flying RC model planes. He now has over 30 years experience and 3,000 hours flying many types of single and multi-engine fixed-wing and helicopters including turbine jet aircraft. Bob’s passion throughout his aviation career has been in educating and helping others experience the joy of flying. Bob served in the U.S. Marine Corps, 5th Force Service Regiment within the Battalion Legal Department and began flying in between his regular assigned duties. He has a BA from National University and a Masters Degree from USC. He is located in Newport Beach California and handles Orange County and the Inland Empire as an instructor for DARTdrones.

Chris Grazioso is from Abington, Massachusetts and for the past twenty eight years, has worked in the EMS field focusing on EMS Special Operations and Emergency Management. He is also a member of a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team and started using drone technology in their operations. Currently, they can be used for real time damage assessments and infrastructure inspections; GIS, mapping, and pictrometry; or just provide an eye in the sky for command staff on the ground. As the technology evolves and drones get more powerful and fly longer, they’ll be able to deliver relief supplies and medical supplies or deliver a rescue line across swift water without endangering a rescuer’s life. The only other way  those things can be done is with an expensive helicopter or airplane.

Chris has been interested in aviation his entire life and received his pilots license in 2010. He flies with family and friends all over New England. He’s also made two literal cross country trips, flying with a friend from Boston to Florida and Boston to Alaska in a Piper Warrior. He usually flies Warriors and Cessna Skyhawks but also has his  high performance and complex endorsement and occasionally flies Piper Arrows and Cessna Skylanes.

Christina Martinez is a commercial pilot and CFII.  After earning her private pilots license in high school, she graduated from University of North Dakota with majors in Commercial Aviation and Air Traffic Control.  While in college she was on the “Blimp Crew” which included flying a 23 foot Oscar Meyer Wiener hotdog in the hockey arena.  After a decade in the corporate finance world, Christina decided to return to the aviation industry.  She has over 1,000 hours of flight time and owns her own small drone business.  When not flying, Christina volunteers training assistance dogs and loves to travel with her husband and two daughters.

Colin Romberger graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University as one of the first 5 students to earn a Master’s Degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems, with a focus in Flight Operations and Systems Design. Colin also holds multiple FAA Airman Certificates for manned aircraft operations. Colin was a sky diving instructor for multiple years with over 1500 recorded jumps and runs a sUAS services company focusing on mapping and inspections. At DARTdrones, Colin is responsible for ongoing instructor development initiatives as well as the coordination of sUAS Operations Consultation Services tailored to the specific use cases and operating environments of our corporate clients. He has consulted with numerous companies and organizations on their use of sUAS for a cross section of purposes.

Eduardo is a certified Private Pilot, and has most of his hours on a Cessna 172. He has been flying remote control airplanes since the age of 8, and participated in several R/C competitions in the southeast. He has built and flown the first DJI’s 450 and 550 when they first came out to the market, and he has volunteered as remote control airplane and drones instructor at the local R/C flying field since 2008. Currently he flies turbine powered jets and the Phantom 4. Eduardo proudly serves in the U.S. Army National Guard as a Signal Officer, and he works for a Software Development company. He is the lead UAV Pilot for AeroRobotics, an engineering competition team at Kennesaw State University. He is pursuing a Master of Science in Software Engineering there. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Eduardo lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two kids.

Jason holds an Instrument, Private Pilot certificate in Single engine Aircraft and also holds a Remote Pilots license. He has been a general aviation pilot since 2012,and In his spare time he enjoys flying his Cessna 172SP around the Southeast and working on video projects with his Phantom 3 Pro. Jason is originally from California, and now lives in Atlanta, GA. A graduate of University of Florida with a BS in Business Administration, he works for a Fortune 500 company in a Sales & Marketing leadership role. Jason is also a volunteer for the Make a Wish organization and has been delivering wishes to terminal children for over a decade.

Jimmy Burkhart is a CFI helicopter pilot with advanced training experience in both sea level and high altitude flying, focusing on power management, ADM (aeronautical decision making) and SBT (situational based training). Jimmy attended the University of Colorado where he focused on business marketing and also attended Utah Valley University for Aviation Science. Applied training has included multiple industries: tourism, photography/film, and commercial gas industry. He now looks forward to laying the foundation for the drone industry.

Josh is a helicopter pilot and certified flight instructor with drone and small engine airplane experience. Josh is from Walpole, MA and is currently pursuing an aviation science degree at Bridgewater State University. He worked at T-Mobile wireless as a sales manager and corporate trainer for 11 years. As an avid outdoorsman, Josh is looking forward to drone use in the filming of downhill and freestyle biking and snow sports.

Juan was born in Bogotá, Colombia. At the age of fourteen, he moved to North Carolina where he excelled in school. Juan majored in Flight Management at Lewis University in Illinois. He is currently a certified Commercial, Multi-Engine Instrument Rated pilot. In his free time, Juan enjoys playing soccer, cooking and racing.

Kevin is a Pulitzer Prize sharing photojournalist with more than 25 years of experience with numerous newspapers in the New York City area including: The New York Times, New York Post, and New York Daily News, among many others. His aerial photography is consistently published in Newsday on Long Island. In 2009, he started taking flying lessons and purchased his first airplane. He received his Private Pilot certificate in 2011 and has logged more than 725 flight hours in aerial photography, with more than 500 hours as Pilot in Command. In 2014, he started practicing on drones, particularly the DJI Phantom series, as he saw this was the future of aerial photography. Kevin is an active member of the United States Air Force Auxiliary where he holds the grade of First Lieutenant and is mission rated in airborne photography. He lives on Long Island’s South Shore with his wife, their pug, and four cats. When he’s not flying or taking photos, Kevin likes to kick back by jamming on his Les Paul guitar or attending summer concerts at the Jones Beach Theater.

Keith Phillips holds an FAA CFII certificate in helicopters and is currently pursuing fixed-wing ratings as well. He began his career in the military as a UH-60L Blackhawk Helicopter Mechanic and Crew Chief.  He then moved on to piloting and later instructing in the CH-47 Chinook before moving to the Georgia Army National Guard where he serves as Pilot-In-Command and Instructor Pilot in UH-60L Blackhawks.

During 3 Operational Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan he benefited from the situational awareness added by having Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) observing the battle space during times when manned assets were not available.  He and many other military aviators and ground forces have found UAS to be an invaluable asset on the battlefield.  Many civilian businesses are finding them to be invaluable to their operations as well.

Larry brings a wealth of manned and unmanned aviation expertise to DARTdrones. He is a U.S. Air Force retiree having retired in 2004.  His military experience includes over 5,000 total flight hours and over 3,000 instructor hours.  He is an active FAA-certified flight instructor at a local university flight school.  He has experience in military and civilian aviation in a variety of unmanned platforms including the Predator and Reaper.  Larry’s particular fields of expertise are instruction and integration of the unmanned aviation platforms into the National Airspace System.  He currently resides in Newport News, VA and is married with one daughter.

Mark has had a lifelong passion for general aviation. He has held a private pilot certificate for over 35 years and has been immersed in the drone industry full time since 2014. Mark is very proficient on the DJI Inspire 1 and Phantom 3 Advanced UAV flight systems. He is an active member of both the AOPA, Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association and the UAVSA, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Association. A graduate of Western Michigan University with a BS in Business Administration, he has worked extensively with a number of Fortune 500 companies in sales & marketing leadership roles.

He is now the Chief Pilot for a drone company in Charlotte, NC called CharlotteUAV. CharlotteUAV is a fully licensed and insured drone service company that provides industrial-grade software and hardware solutions for aerial data collection.

Rick Mills served as Superintendent of Manatee County Schools from 2013 to 2015 and ten years in Chicago Public Schools in various leadership positions from 2001 to 2011. While serving in Chicago, Rick was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley as Chair of the Chicago Memorial Day Parade and Weekend from 2009 to 2011.

Prior to that, Rick had a distinguished 25 year career in the United States Army where he served in a myriad of assignments to include: Cavalry Squadron Commander, Political-Military Officer at United States Central Command, Plans Officer at United Nations Jerusalem, Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy and Tank Company Commander, 2^nd Battalion 5^th Cavalry. Rick retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2001 with decorations including the Legion of Merit, Ranger Tab and Parachutist Badge.

Rick has been a private pilot since 1990. He recently became active in the drone community and is in the process of establishing DroneAscent LLC. On an interesting note, Rick also had the honor to fly in an F/A-18 while the Navy Blue Angels were participating in the 2010 Chicago Airshow.

Nick was born and raised in the ski resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho where he grew to love the beauty of the mountains and outdoor sports.  When he is not lucky enough to be enjoying the mountains, he enjoys working and playing with anything and everything electronic.  He currently lives near Boise, Idaho and works as an IT Tech for a local school district.  He has loved everything RC since a young age and began flying RC planes and helicopters about 10 years ago while he was studying for his Commercial Helicopter Certification.  He loves the advances in technology that has made the Phantom 3 into an affordable aerial photography platform that can deliver professional results.  He is very excited to explore the limitless uses of drone technology.

Robert Patterson started his journey into aviation at a young age, completing his first solo in a Cessna 152 on his 16th birthday. Today, he is recognized by the FAA as an Airline Transport Pilot, Certificated Flight Instructor, Advanced Ground Instructor, and Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic. In his over 1,600 flight hours, Robert has had the opportunity to pilot aircraft as diverse as hot air balloons, King Air turboprops, Cessna Citation corporate jets, and even a Waco YMF open cockpit biplane. Since 2006, he has volunteered his services as a mission pilot for the Civil Air Patrol, USAF Auxiliary, where he currently serves the Kentucky Wing as a check pilot.

Outside of flying, Robert works in the IT industry as a technology consultant for businesses in various industries in and around the Louisville Metro area. Robert believes that his students learn best that which he is most passionate about, and he looks forward to sharing his passion for aviation and drone technology with you in a DARTdrones course soon!

Bob has been flying since he was 14 years old, soloing an airplane before he could even drive a car. He is a CFII, Commercial and ATP rated pilot with type ratings in Turboprop and Jet aircraft. Bob has been flying and training pilots for the last 22 years, in the U.S., Europe and India. He has flown for commercial airlines, freight airlines and corporate flight departments. Bob was born and raised in Glen Ellyn, IL and is very excited to be the first DARTdrones instructor to serve the Chicagoland area.

Roger became interested in drone aviation soon after retiring from a 25- year career in the fire service. During his tenure as a firefighter with the Nashua, NH Fire Rescue, he served as a member of the Hazmat & dive rescue teams. He is a sport pilot and Certified Level 1 Thermographer who enjoys flying weight shift control aircraft. Roger splits his time living in Naples, FL & Wells, ME; he enjoys training public service departments & assisting them with the implementation of UAS into their organizations as well as using drones to film at live events.

Ryan Walker was born in Plainfield, NJ and moved to South Florida when he was 9. Six days after graduating high school, he left for the Marine Corps where he served as a radio chief, a Marine Combat Instructor of Water Survival, and a Marine Security Guard at US embassies around the world. After serving just over 13 years in the Marine Corps and two combat tours to Iraq, Ryan decided to pursue a different career path and left the Marine Corps to start a career in aviation as a helicopter pilot. He used the G.I. Bill and became a Certified Flight Instructor/Instructor of Instruments as well as earned a degree in Aeronautical Science. Ryan has been flight instructing since 2013 and continues to build flight hours teaching in West Palm Beach, Fl. In his free time Ryan enjoys anything outdoors, and volunteers his time with a local organization teaching at risk and special needs kids how to surf.

Sergio is a certified private pilot and has been flying since 1985. In the mid 80’s he worked at an FBO servicing both general aviation and military aircraft. He was a licensed real estate agent and licensed mortgage broker for 15 years. He returned to the aviation industry and is currently in avionics sales. He is also a seasoned photographer and videographer specializing in the sports industry. In his spare time he enjoys flying a Piper Archer and working on video projects with his Phantom 3 Pro. Sergio is a native Texan and now lives in the Portland, OR area with his family. Sergio is not a helicopter pilot but he did stay at a Holiday Inn express once.

St.Claire holds an Instrument, Commercial Pilot certificate in Multi and Single engine aircraft. He served 14 years in the United States Marine Corps, with his last four years as a Communication Chief for a Marine Reconnaissance Unit. He serves now as a Special Investigator and Sniper Team leader for a Metro Atlanta Law enforcement agency. He has been a general aviation pilot since 2010 and is a part-time Commercial Pilot and currently working on obtaining his CFI rating. He is an advanced 3D RC helicopter pilot. St.Claire is originally from the U.S Virgin Islands, and now lives in Atlanta, GA with his family.

Tod Strickland grew up building and flying RC aircrafts.  Back in the 80’s and early 90’s they were mostly gas powered.  After HS he joined the Navy and was trained as a Nuclear Weapons Technician.  He is a Plank owner of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and spent most of his service on board.  After his four year term, he was honorably discharged and proceeded to graduate with honors at Texas State Technical College in Waco, Tx with a degree in Instrumentation.

He started flying drones about a year ago. He also started taking flying lessons and holds a GA private pilot license as well as high performance, complex, and tailwheel endorsements.

Tod has been the founder and CEO of Global Systems Integration Services in Houston for the past twelve years.  He has traveled world-wide for his clients to do start-up, troubleshooting, and commissioning for complex  process automation systems.

Alex Abatie brings over 20 years experience as a photographer and design director to the world of sUAS. He owns and operates Hawkeye Workshop, an aerial photography company serving the film, real estate, and construction industries in Southern California. A longtime RC hobbyist, Alex holds Sport Pilot and Remote Pilot certificates from the FAA. His interests for the uses of sUAS include aerial photography, drone journalism, aerial cinematography, mapping and surveying, and industrial UAV applications. Alex has a passion for sharing his enthusiasm for UAVs with others, and a strong desire to assure a safe national airspace by educating future sUAS pilots.

Jack has had a love of aviation from a very early age. He holds a private pilot certificate with an instrument rating. Jack spent many of his spring breaks with his uncle who owned a crop dusting company just to get the opportunity to be around aircraft and go flying. He spent several years as the vice president of a flying club and is very excited about being a part of the growing UAV/UAS industry.

Jack also has a BS in Business Administration as well as a Masters in Manufacturing Technology. He spent over twenty years in automotive manufacturing and now owns his own business.

Karl Schwab is a DARTdrones Flight Instructor, sUAS pilot focused on tower inspections, and a member of the National Tower Erector Association’s UAS Committee. Karl is a US Marine and computer programmer who worked for many different Department of Defense contractors including BAE Systems, Raytheon, United Defense, and has accrued over 27 years of Software and Systems Engineering working on Weapon/Turret, Command and Control, Embedded Missile and other various types of systems. He is a pilot licensed commercially in both Multi and Single-Engine Airplanes with over 1,300 hours of flight time and has an instrument rating. He currently designs and implements multi-camera sensor systems for drone platforms and utilizes his Part 107 commercial privileges almost daily.

Kent is a 27 year Navy Veteran serving on board submarines as a reactor operator. He has also worked in the civilian sector as an Engineer in the nuclear industry. His passion is flying. Kent is a private pilot working on his instrument rating. He is also an officer in the Civil Air Patrol and has worked flying drones commercially. If it deals with aviation, Kent wants to be part of it.

Randy has a passion for aviation and all things that fly, whether golf balls, Cessnas, or Phantoms.
As the son of an Air Force aviator, his introduction to flying started at a very young age at Eglin AFB in Panama City, Florida. He has held his private pilot certificate since 2002, when he also bought his first airplane, a 1977 Cessna 150M.
He is the Vice President of the board of directors for the Deer Valley Pilots Association, a 250 member strong organization advocating for the best that DVT has to offer pilots, aircraft owners, and tenants on the airfield.
He graduated from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. After a long career as an investment advisor, he retired at far too early an age two years ago.
He currently owns most of the DJI product catalog and is principal of FLYUASAZ, LLC, an aerial photography company.

Sean has been a private pilot and commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems operator since 2015 and is an active member of the Civil Air Patrol. He is a Florida local, born in Daytona Beach and living in Orlando. After joining the Navy at the age of 19, he served a six year enlistment as a Nuclear Operator on the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). Subsequent pivot points include Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nautical Horizons, LLC, Chief Seismic Navigator for offshore oil & gas, a Masters Degree in Ocean Engineering with a design thesis, and a patent for ocean instrumentation devices.

Mike is an instrument rated pilot and a self described transportation enthusiast and weather geek.  As a former light rail instructor for Harris County Metro, Mike trained new operators to safely operate trains on Metro’s new rail extensions in the city of Houston.  Mike returned to Austin and discovered Drone photography.  Taking his new hobby to the next level by combining his aviation, rail trainer, and industrial sales experience, Mike joined DARTdrones to share his passion for aviation with student drone pilots to help them become safe, competent and confident drone pilots.

Heather Hasper, is an aviation planner with more than 20 years of airport planning and aviation project management experience. Combined with her love of flying and her passion for aviation issues, her planning projects have kept her at the forefront of aviation technology. Heather previously worked in Alaska with the ADSB Capstone team, and as an aviation planner working on State of Alaska DOT airports. Heather holds an Air Traffic Controller certificate and has worked as an Airfield Manager and Air Traffic Controller in IRAQ and abroad supporting the USAF. She brings a diverse aviation background having worked on airports of all types and sizes to ensure compliance with FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
Heather is a current member of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board UAS Subcommittee. Heather is also an member of the American Association of Airport Executives where she actively participates in AAAE’s Planning & Environmental Committee and UAS committee.

Becky is an FAA certified commercial helicopter and fixed wing pilot. She is a former military pilot and graduate of the United States Navy Test Pilot School. She enjoys traveling with her husband and two daughters and owns an aerial photography business.

Joel attended University of Georgia and then Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he studied Aeronautical Science. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1988 and has been an avid aviator since. Joel currently holds a commercial certification with instrument and multi-engine ratings. When Joel is not working as a corporate attorney, he is flying part time as a charter and jump pilot. Joel is currently pursuing a CFI certificate and most recently started an aviation operations company providing both manned and unmanned aircraft services.

Michael’s interest in aviation began back in 1985 while stationed in Germany. While spending a considerable amount of time in helicopters as a passenger, he quickly became fascinated with aviation. Although several years passed, he eventually had the opportunity to obtain his Commercial Helicopter Certificate, Instrument Rating, and Certified Flight Instructor. Most of his career was spent in the field of education, until four years ago when he was offered a position as the Director of Operations for a flight school. Recently, his interest expanded to unmanned aerial systems. He believes the future of aviation will be re-shaped, as we know it and that this is a new and exciting time to become involved in unmanned aerial systems. In his spare time, he enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife hiking, biking (on their tandem), and experiencing life together.

Kevin is both an entrepreneur and a pilot. Currently, Kevin is a pilot with American Airlines; he is type rated in B737, B757, B767, DC9, A320 series, A330 aircraft and has logged over 18,000 flight hours. Kevin has served as ALPA Chairman of Council 148 and as a member of the ALPA Negotiating and Communications Committees. Most recently, Kevin was awarded a Section 333 for California Precision Ag, a sUAS start-up that intends to help California’s farmers to increase their crop yield while minimizing waste and loss by using drones to observe, measure and respond to inter and intra-field variability in crops.

Matt Bettencourt is a contract UAS instructor pilot for the U.S. Navy as well as a helicopter pilot in the Navy Reserve. He has 13+ years of aviation experience and over 3,900 hours piloting military aircraft, including over 1,900 hours instructing on unmanned aircraft systems. Matt is currently the Navy’s lead Contract Instructor Pilot for the MQ-8 Fire Scout, the Navy’s first rotary wing UAS. He also instructs in the Navy’s MH-60S multi-mission helicopter. He has helped train over 900 students in both the MH-60S and MQ-8. He holds his Commercial Pilot Certificate with single engine airplane, rotorcraft, instrument and sUAS ratings. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Systems Engineering and a focus in robotics and computers.

Jim is a manned pilot who owns a Cessna 172. He’s been involved in aviation for 40 years. He holds the Single Engine Land, Instrument Ratings as well as the Remote Pilot certificate. He began flying sUAS when he realized their potential in the public safety sector.

As a 20 year member of his police department, he holds the rank of Sergeant responsible for the training division for his department. He designed and implemented the sUAS program for his city. He wrote the SOP’s, secured the COA’s and necessary FAA waivers that allow operation in the tightly controlled airspace.

He and his three Remote Pilots have used their aircraft for water rescue, crime scene documentation, accident investigations, and lost people searches.