Volatus Drones
Verified OperatorFirst DJI Agriculture distributor in the Northeast · Syracuse, NY
First DJI Agriculture Distributor in the Northeast, originally founded as Empire Drone in Fulton, NY (2018) by Sean Falconer and John McGraw. Acquired by Volatus Aerospace in November 2022 for approx. $650K. Sells, trains, maintains and leases DJI Agras T16, T40, T50 plus Autel, Draganfly and Wingtra platforms. Showcased at 2025 NY Farm Show.
Operations are based in the Southeast region.
Services offered
Equipment used
States served (9)
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 Volatus's service area:
- New York — Any commercial drone spray over New York fields needs Category 11: Aerial Application, issued by New York State DEC.
- Pennsylvania — aerial pesticide work runs through Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture under Category 25: Aerial Applicator.
- New Jersey — Any commercial drone spray over New Jersey fields needs Category 11: Aerial Applicator. 40 hours OJT required for Category 11., issued by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
- Connecticut — aerial pesticide work runs through Connecticut DEEP under Aerial category being formalized per HB 6289 (2024). Deadline March 2026..
- Vermont — Any commercial drone spray over Vermont fields needs Category 11: Aerial. Plus mandatory Aerial Permit from the Secretary with 30-day public comment., issued by Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
- New Hampshire — aerial pesticide work runs through New Hampshire Division of Pesticide Control under Category J: Aerial Application.
- Maine — Any commercial drone spray over Maine fields needs Category 11: Aerial Pest Control, issued by Maine Board of Pesticides Control (BPC).
- Massachusetts — requires Category 11: Aerial Application for aerial pesticide application; the licensing authority is Massachusetts MDAR.
- Maryland — Any commercial drone spray over Maryland fields needs Category 13: Aerial, issued by Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA).
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 Volatus's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Verifying Volatus Drones runs through three independent checks: Part 107 via the FAA Airmen Inquiry, Part 137 via the issuing FAA Flight Standards office, and the state aerial-category pesticide applicator license via the receiving state's department of agriculture. 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. Pair that with a current chemical-drift COI and the Section 44807 exemption number for due diligence.
Typical drone spraying rates of $12 to $22 per acre in the region is application-only — the chemical itself, surfactants and adjuvants are usually farmer-supplied. The rate covers calibration, RTK GPS flight planning, the labor to fly the field, mixing and loading from the supplied product, and the FIFRA Part 170 application record (date, time, product, EPA reg number, rate, weather, field ID). Watch for travel surcharges past a stated radius, weekend or emergency-turnaround premiums, terrain or obstruction add-ons, and any minimum-acreage floor on small fields. Confirm in writing.
Request a quote from Volatus
Tell Volatus about your fields. They reply within 24 hours, often faster during spray season. Free, no obligation, and you can also ask for 2 more quotes from verified operators in New York to compare.
- Goes directly to Volatus, not a call center.
- 3 quotes max if you broaden, never more. We never sell your info.