Hylio CEO: FAA drone exemption will increase labor efficiency in crop production

Hylio CEO Arthur Erickson joins us on Market Day Report to discuss the FAA’s recent exemption for drone operators in crop production as the technology becomes more autonomous.

A recent exemption for agriculture drone operators by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will now allow Texas-based drone manufacturer Hylio to fly multiple drones over agriculture fields at the same time with one human operator. It’s a move the company says will greatly benefit crop farmers who use the technology.

Hylio CEO Arthur Erickson spoke with RFD-TV’s own Tammi Arender Wednesday on the Market Day Report to tell us more about the FAA’s ruling and how the exemption allows for increased labor efficiency in agricultural row crop production.

“So this is one of those things where the industry, the technology has been there. We’ve been able to swarm control multiple drones from one ground station for years. The FAA just hadn’t caught up yet. So the FAA is great—they have a lot on their hands with the Boeing stuff and whatnot, but they still move very fast in this industry. So, I’m very thankful. We’re allowed to now swarm heavy drones up to three units with one pilot at once. So, the math is simple. It used to be that you could only fly one drone with one pilot. Therefore, for three drones, you need three pilots out there. It’s not very efficient from a labor perspective. Now with one pilot doing three drones or operating three drones at once, you can have, 50 acres per hour times three -- or 150 acre per hour productivity out of those drones with a single operator. So, it greatly improves the economics of using drones and the productivity, on a top client basis.”
Hylio CEO Arthur Erickson

Erickson’s company, Hylio, designs, manufactures, and then sells drones that autonomously and precisely apply crop inputs, both liquid and solid seeds and granular products. As their drone technology continues to improve and becomes more autonomous, the need for human operators has decreased.

“So right now, you still have humans that are refilling the payload and swapping batteries, but we’re seeing a trend towards just taking the human completely out. So eventually in three to five years, you’ll have these fully autonomous systems where the drones just land in a box, [and] essentially, recharges, refills, [and then] goes out and sprays all day without any human intervention. That’s the general direction we’re going.”
Hylio CEO Arthur Erickson

Marion is a digital content manager for RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel. She started working for Rural Media Group in May 2022, adding a decade of experience in the digital side of broadcast media and some cooking experience to the team.
Agriculture Shows
Farm Traveler is for people who want to connect with their food and those who grow it. Thanks to direct-to-consumer businesses, agritourism, and social media, it’s now easier than ever to learn how our food is made and support local farmers. Here on the Farm Traveler, we want to connect you with businesses offering direct-to-consumer products you can try at home, agritourism sites you can visit with your family, and exciting new technologies that are changing how your food is being grown.
Featuring members of Congress, federal and state officials, ag and food leaders, farmers, and roundtable panelists for debates and discussions.
Journey into lives of two hard-working farm families to see the risks, rewards, and funny shenanigans that take place every day. From cat-fishing and watermelon smashing and pig chasing and go-cart racing—there is never a dull moment on these family farms. We’ll also get a modern look at the newest cutting-edge farming techniques that are revolutionizing the industry and providing a greener and more sustainable way to grow.
RFD-TV has partnered with a handful of agricultural social media influencers whom we have dubbed The New Crop. These folks have taken to the internet to tell their stories and to raise awareness of where our food comes from and all that goes into feeding the world population.
The goal of “Where the Food Comes From” is as simple as its name implies — host Chip Carter takes you along on the journey of where our food comes from — and we don’t just mean to the supermarket (though that’s part of the big picture!). But beyond where it comes from, how it gets there, and all the links in the chain that make that happen.