Instructors
Jeff Hemming
Founder of Carolina Drone Academy
Commercial Drone Pilot - Carolina Drone Imaging
SC Technical College Drone Instructor
UAS Consultant & Solution Designer
Jeff Hemming is the founder and President of Carolina Drone Imaging that specializes in high-end photography, live event filming, Drone Inspections, and security. As an FAA certificated Remote Pilot, Jeff is a passionate advocate for the UAS industry that enjoys sharing the good news of Drones and helping others learn how to use drones.
Jeff has provided UAS/Drone Consultations to government agencies, law enforcement, and commercial operations that are seeking to incorporate Drones into their operations. This training now extends to several SC Technical Colleges as Carolina Drone Academy provides the curriculum and experienced instructors, so these colleges may offer Drone Classes to their students and community. The team at Carolina Drone Academy can help your organization every step of the way. Jeff also provides engaging and entertaining speaking presentations for organizations wanting to inform and educate their membership on the safe and legal use of Drones.
Jeff has enjoyed flying as a hobbyist through the years while logging well over 600 flights. Since the latest round of FAA part 107 regulations, Jeff has flown over 375 missions in the last year on a wide range of platforms. Working together with other UAS subject matter experts, Jeff has now launched Carolina Drone Academy that specializes in providing classroom & hands-on training with drones. We prepare future pilots for the FAA Remote Pilot Certification. Our Drivers ED for Drones is a first for South Carolina as we provide hands-on stick training to become an advanced drone pilot. We also provide training on advanced drone filming and photography, Drone mapping & orthomosaics, and Cell Tower inspections.
Randy Ryan
Drone Pilot Instructor
First Responder Drone Solutions Expert
Commercial Drone Pilot (333 exemption and part 107)
Last year we celebrated Randy's 750th Drone Mission as a commercial drone pilot. Randy's Commercial Drone Pilot career began in 2014 when he received his FAA authority to operate drones in the National Airspace under the FAA 333 Exception.
Randy is a Drone Pilot Instructor at Carolina Drone Academy, and he is also part of Carolina Drone Academy's First Responder's Drone Solutions Team. He is a former law enforcement officer with certification & work experience with Incident Command Operations, FEMA procedures, and Initial Hazmat Response. Randy's field experience benefits our clients considerably as we help you design the optimal first responder Drone solution, provide flight training and design SOPs that work in parallel with your existing departmental workflows.
Along with his expert proficiency on the sticks as a Commercial Drone Pilot, Randy has 20+ years in Commercial Design and Marketing that helps him determine the perfect angle for Drone Videos and Drone Photos for his clients. Randy also owns and operates one of South Carolina's premier drone service companies, R3Aerial. Randy's personal portfolio includes work he has shot for ABC, REMAX Realty, Dr Phil, Century 21, Berkshire Hathaway Realtors, Keller WIlliams Realty, and many others. Randy also supports post-disaster response support for several different telecoms by providing Drone Inspections for Cell Tower and Infrastructure.
When Randy is not flying Drones or Drone Pilot Training, he spends his time providing Drone maintenance & Drone repairs.
Stoney Truett
Corporate Pilot
FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
A fixture in the aviation world for over three decades, Stoney Truett is a professional/corporate pilot, certified flight instructor, professional photographer and certificated Remote Pilot sUAS (aka Drone pilot.) His flying and photographic interests began in 1970 when he first began to fly and pursue photography as more than just a passing interest. Stoney made his first aerial photographs from the open canopy of a Grumman Yankee when he photographed his High School football field. Stoney began his professional photographic experience in 1972 as an independent photographer and manager of a local 16mm motion picture film processing plant.
Stoney's professional flying career began in 1985 as a Flight Instructor and has evolved through corporate aviation and flight instruction ever since. When Drones began to come onto the scene, Stoney discovered yet another tool that he could use for his aerial photographic interests. As the Chief Flight Instructor for Carolina Drone Academy, Stoney combines his aviation knowledge and experience into an educational environment to give individuals who want to become Drone Pilots the proper education and training they would need to integrate into the aviation community and environment in a safe and professional manner.
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© 2023 Carolina Drone Academy
Mailing Address:
100 Old Cherokee Rd
Suite F369
Lexington, SC 29072
Tel: 803-701-0076