Gregory man among SD's few with commercial drone approval - Daily Republic
He even likes to fly when he stays on the ground, and now he's a pioneering his own path again as one of the few commercially licensed drone operators in South Dakota, with his Gregory-based business, M-Kopter Aerials. "When I saw the opportunity of what could be done with this kind of aircraft, that's when this sort of became a reality," said Klarenbeek, who started the business in January. For a period earlier this year, Klarenbeek was the only operator in South Dakota who had a commercial exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration. Klarenbeek, now 26, said the ability to make the business into his own has been part of what makes it fun. "I realized that I like living in a small town, and Gregory is a lot like where I grew up," said Klarenbeek, who is originally from Inwood, Iowa. "This allows me to do a little bit of everything, and when you're a pilot, you have a lot of down time waiting for passengers, so I started filling out the paperwork to get a commercial exemption for drones. Klarenbeek's drones can take video and still photographs that can be used for building inspections, project planning, environmental and land use projects and private property photos. Through an agreement with the Gregory/Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Klarenbeek provides a free aerial photo to members of the organization who have paid their dues. Source: www.mitchellrepublic.com
