Empire Drone Co (Volatus Drones)
FAA Part 137 (Jan 2020) drone crop spraying ~24 ac/hr. Founded 2018.
Empire Drone Co (Volatus Drones) provides drone pesticide and fungicide spraying for row crops grown in the region across New York. Headquartered in Fulton, the operation reaches farms across the Southeast region. New York requires both a federal Part 137 ag aircraft operator certificate and an New York State DEC-issued aerial-category pesticide applicator license for any commercial spray.
Operations are based in the Southeast region.
Services offered
Certifications & compliance
The operator told us each of these. Anything we matched against a public record is shown with the date we checked it, at the top of this page.
States served (1)
Aerial pesticide licensing in states served
Every state requires a pesticide applicator license with the aerial category endorsement on top of FAA Part 137. The agencies that issue these licenses in Empire Drone Co (Volatus Drones)'s service area:
- New York: aerial pesticide work runs through New York State DEC under Category 11: Aerial Application.
Full agency, exam and renewal-cycle details by state are catalogued on the state pesticide licensing reference.
Verify and resources
Primary-source references for verifying credentials and looking up state-specific rules in Empire Drone Co (Volatus Drones)'s service area.
Frequently asked questions
Ask Empire Drone Co (Volatus Drones) for four documents to confirm credentials: the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate number, the Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate, the state aerial-category pesticide applicator license and a certificate of insurance carrying chemical drift coverage. In New York the state credential is issued by New York State DEC; you can ask the operator for the applicator license number and verify it with the agency directly. The Section 44807 exemption number is the fourth piece, applicable to any drone over 55 lbs gross weight.
Typical drone spraying rates of $12 to $22 per acre in the region covers the application itself. That is drone calibration, GPS-guided mission planning, mixing and loading product into the tank, the labor and machine time to fly the field, plus a written FIFRA Part 170 application record: date, time, product, EPA reg number, rate, weather, field ID. The pesticide, the surfactants and the adjuvants are yours to supply. Four things get billed on top. Travel past the operator's standard radius. After-hours or emergency turnaround. Steep terrain or heavy obstructions. A minimum charge below a stated field size. Get the inclusions and the exclusions in writing before anyone flies.