Who Is Rapid Aerial Imaging?

Rapid Aerial Imaging was one of the first UAV operators in the US to be granted Commercial Drone Operating Authority by the FAA. While that was a significant accomplishment, being THE first UAV Operator to assist the FAA and NTSB in an aircraft accident investigation is a once in a lifetime achievement. RAI opened the eyes of the DC bureaucrats to the value of using UAVs to investigate transportation-related accidents in a timely manner. Additionally, our investigation video and imagery was used by the NTSB while meeting with Boeing to discuss accident investigation techniques.

In another first, our Chief Pilot frequently delivers training sessions to companies implementing their own drone programs. Private industry are not the only students he's taught - then Depart of Defense, Pentagon Protection Force Agency has deployed their own counter-drone program. In the fall of 2022, Rapid Aerial's Chief Pilot was asked to lecture for a new program at MIT - "Using Drones to Solve Problems In An Urban Environment", while teaching students advanced flight techniques with a Matrice 300 RTK.

RAI utilizes Multirotor UAVs for various mission profiles - whether it is aerial mapping, 3D modeling, agricultural crop assessment, construction/industrial projects or applications requiring thermographic or orthomosaic solutions.

RAI's Chief Pilot has been a longtime aviator of fixed-wing aircraft (single and multi-engine) and is a Certified Flight Instructor (CFII) with 32 years and over 3,000 hours of flight time in the cockpit. All RAI flight operations are planned and supervised by our Chief Pilot, including risk mitigation planning.

With our ultrahigh-definition video and photography capabilities, RAI creates aerial imagery for a variety of industries. We have provided high-definition/high-resolution content for feature films and television commercials, delivered turnkey, fully edited video to commercial and residential realtors, provided builders and businesses in various industries with complete marketing videos for their services - including soundtrack and voice-over. RAI has gathered news, covered events for Fox Sports, the NHRA and investigated aircraft accidents. We have performed periodic roof inspections for major universities saving them time and money, done agricultural surveys for The Ohio State University and Volumetric Surveys for the Columbus Airport Authority. Other projects include energy pipeline construction documentation (Vectren Energy) and construction phase documentation for remote construction projects.

RAI consistently delivers best-in-class service and media day after day, on time and on budget!

Our highly skilled professional photographers, videographers, creative talent, and project managers all work behind the scenes to make your project come to life. Our UAV team of pilots are Part 107 FAA-certified to operate UAVs commercially. Most importantly, RAIs flight operations standard liability coverage of $1M can be increased to $25M for projects requiring increased limits. In addition to flight operations insurance, RAI carries General Commercial Business liability of $2M as well as auto liability coverage. You can trust Rapid Aerial Imaging with your project from concept to delivery.

RAI has delivered projects across the United States. We are FAA compliant, insured, and we retain licensed and trained UAV pilots in accordance with all FAA requirements. Whether you are in the Heartland, the left coast or the right coast, our projects have made an impact across the country. If your project requires best-in-class imagery, RAI is ready to deliver.

RAI Operates The Industry's Best Equipment

We invest in the best equipment available to provide best-in-class imagery. UAVs and aerial imaging are constantly and rapidly evolving technology - UAV models often become obsolete after a year or two on the market.
Here is some of the equipment RAI operates -

Mavic 2 Zoom
Mavic 2 Pro (Hasselblad camera)
Mavic Enterprise Dual, Thermal and Visual Imagery
Phantom 4 Pro, Global shutter, good choice for mapping, 3D modeling
Matrice 300 RTK with H20T thermal and RGB sensor, H20, L1 LiDAR, XT2 Thermal and P1

Services We Offer
Aerial HDR Imagery starting at $199
Aerial Mapping, 3D modeling, and surveying starting at $699
Complete turnkey video editing starting at $399
Commercial Ground + Aerial HDR Photography starting at $399
Residential Interior/Exterior Photography starting at $199
Specialty Projects - Sporting, community and private events, construction phase documentation, pipeline surveys, accident investigations, commercial real estate, sales & marketing videos for industrial applications starting at $599
Drone services by the hour, half-day, full day or week.
Mavic 2 Pro or Zoom, Phantom 4 Pro - $150/hour, 2 hour minimum
½ day - $475
Full day - $850
Weekly (5 days) - $2,900
Mavic Enterprise Dual - $175/hour, 2 hour minimum
½ day - $555
Full day - $925
Weekly (5 days) - $3,500

Mileage (current IRS rate) and expenses are in addition to time-based UAV service (hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) fees