Fixed wing aircraft on a prairie airstrip with a gyro-stabilized sensor pod mounted under the wing

Aerhub for utilities, energy, and aerial operators

Aerial programs, designed by the people who fly them.

We help electric utilities and aerial service providers choose the right platforms, validate the data they collect, and grow programs that hold up in the field.

Book a discovery call Try the 3D Platform Planner
Gyro-stabilized sensor pod on fixed wing patrol

Platform Planner

A simplified version of our Platform Planning Tool, which we run on client KMZ and shapefile data.

Project type

Linear capture along a line, flown as one continuous pass.

Separate circuits in the project. Miles split across them, longest first.

Terrain

Gentle hills along the whole project.

Platforms used
1
Lines
1
Urban or congested
0 mi
Rugged terrain
0 mi
    A simplified planning illustration, not a flight plan. Real plans score every circuit on regulatory, environmental, efficiency, and cost factors.
    Small to large Fortune 500 programsAdvisory and planning for large T&D and vegetation programs
    30+ years experienceFlight operations, software, and geospatial experience
    Four capture platformsFixed wing, helicopter, drones, and mobile, with no single-platform bias
    Federal readyRegistered in SAM.gov for prime and teaming work

    Aerhub Technology Day

    A one-day event with live aerial technology demonstrations for utility and energy decision-makers. Date and location coming soon.

    Aviation and geospatial intelligence

    Aerial data becomes operational intelligence.

    Aerhub advises the plans and workflows behind the flight line, connecting aerial imagery, inspection data, and decision-ready outputs across programs and operations.

    Select a platform to learn more about its capabilities.

    Illustrated transmission corridor across mountains, canyon, and a town, captured by a fixed wing aircraft, a helicopter, a drone, and a mapping vehicle

    Platform profile:

    Relative to the other three platforms

    Typical ranges for utility LiDAR and imagery work. Actual values depend on sensor, aircraft, specification, and site conditions.

    Where it excels
    The limitations
    Typical sensors

    Aerhub Advisory

    Trusted Advisors for Smarter, Safer Aerial Operations

    Aerhub Advisory is the strategic advisory practice for aviation operators and businesses looking to scale, modernize, or strengthen their operations. Unlike generic consultancies, we are aviation-native operators who have built and led aviation businesses ourselves, bringing firsthand understanding of regulatory complexity, safety culture, operational realities, and sustainable growth.

    Who we work with

    Electric utilities and Oil & Gas

    Plan aerial programs for transmission, distribution, and pipeline corridors: pick platforms segment by segment, score asset criticality, and hold vendors to spec on LiDAR and imagery deliverables.

    Aerial service providers

    Drone, helicopter, fixed wing, and LiDAR operators who want program design, stronger operations, and project support or added staff to deliver utility and energy work.

    Engineering and survey firms

    Teaming on RFPs and projects where aerial acquisition, QA/QC, and multi-vendor project management need an aviation-native lead or experienced people on the ground.

    Public agencies

    Federal and state programs that need aerial acquisition strategy, project support, or a qualified teaming partner for infrastructure and land work.

    LiDAR sensor pod mounted on a fixed wing strut over mountainous terrain

    Aerial program strategy and design

    For organizations standing up, formalizing, or scaling a manned, unmanned, or blended aerial program.

    • Program standup and operating model
    • SOPs, policy, and safety framework
    • Regulatory alignment for manned and drone operations
    • Platform and sensor field evaluations
    • Contractor and team structure
    Distribution pole with automatically detected equipment labeled, including transformers, cutouts, and secondary rack, with confidence scores

    Data products and integrations

    For programs whose product is the data they collect, from acquisition plan to decision-ready output.

    • Corridor and wide-area acquisition planning
    • LiDAR and imagery QA/QC against spec
    • GIS integration and data pipelines
    • Custom tools: Platform Planning Tool, Aerhub Estimator, and Priority Matrix
    Project team planning an aerial data project around a conference table, with a schedule on screen and a helicopter on the airfield outside

    Project support and staff augmentation

    For utilities, energy companies, and aerial providers who need one accountable lead across vendors or experienced people added to the team.

    • Prime project management for multi-vendor capture
    • Embedded program and project managers
    • Aviation, GIS, and data staff augmentation
    • RFP pursuit, teaming, and proposal support
    • Federal opportunity teaming

    The Aerhub toolkit

    We bring working tools, not just recommendations.

    Every engagement can put these to work on your own data. Each was built for a real utility problem and refined in the field.

    Platform Planning Tool

    Upload your circuits or survey areas and get a defensible platform assignment for each one, with the blended plan's cost compared against a single-platform approach. Planners can override any assignment while the model's own pick stays visible.

    Try the simplified Platform Planner

    Platform Planner assigning fixed wing, helicopter, and mobile capture across six sub-transmission lines on a 3D corridor model
    Line-by-line platform assignment, shown in the simplified Platform Planner

    You provide

    • KMZ, KML, zipped shapefile, or GeoJSON
    • Your attribute columns, mapped in the tool
    • Project type: corridor or wide area

    It scores

    • Regulatory, environmental, efficiency, and cost factors
    • Hard exclusions where a platform can't fly the work
    • Fixed wing, helicopter, drone, and mobile per circuit or area

    You get

    • Mileage and area allocation by platform
    • Cost model against single-platform baselines
    • CSV, GeoJSON, and JSON exports

    Aerhub Estimator, preview

    Price an aerial survey from the flight up.

    Set the survey and see the flight plan, field days, and a planning estimate. The preview runs the same engine as the full Estimator on Aerhub's standard production assumptions.

    Survey type
    Platform
    LiDAR density (points per m², minimum)
    Imagery
    Imagery resolution (ground sample distance)
    Planning estimate Full Estimator
    Available in the full Estimator
    Per square mile Full Estimator
    Available in the full Estimator
    Cost breakdownShare of the estimateFull Estimator

    A planning estimate from standard rates and production assumptions, not a quote. Mobilization, weather, and site conditions change the final price.

    The full Estimator adds

    • KMZ, KML, and GeoJSON boundaries and routes
    • Your own rates and production parameters
    • Public price benchmark library
    • Flight plan map, line items, and capture schedule
    • Saved estimates and CSV, JSON, GeoJSON exports

    Priority Matrix, live

    Make use of your existing data. Get insights that matter to you.

    Sixteen sample transmission lines. The Priority Matrix scores what is already in your data, from inspection findings to structure counts. You set the factors your data can't weigh for you, like fire risk and outage history, and see how the priorities move.

    Your priorities

    Factors that depend on your season, territory, and risk tolerance. 0 ignores a factor; 5 makes it dominant.

    Scored from your data

    Weighted automatically when your line data is loaded. No input needed.

        Most critical first. Scores run 0–150. Change shows movement from the data-only ranking, before your priorities are applied. One line has no 2023 outage record, so that factor counts as zero for it.

        How we work

        Structured to fit the shape of the work.

        1. Discovery call

          Thirty minutes on your program, your data, and the decision in front of you.

        2. Scope

          A written scope with deliverables, timeline, and price agreed before work starts.

        3. Deliver

          We run the analysis on your data and work alongside your team, not from a distance.

        4. Support

          Optional ongoing advisory as the program moves from plan to flight season.

        Scoped engagements

        Defined deliverables, fixed terms

        For platform studies, program standup, data QA/QC, and go-to-market plans.

        • Platform planning assessment on your circuits or areas
        • Priority Matrix pilot
        • Aerial program review

        Retainer and staff augmentation

        Ongoing partnership and embedded support

        For clients who want a continuous advisory relationship or experienced people embedded in their program for a season or longer.

        • Monthly advisory access
        • Embedded project and program management
        • RFP and teaming support

        Practice team

        Cory Vinger

        CEO and practice lead

        Commercial pilot and aviation technology executive with hands-on operating experience across drones, helicopters, fixed wing, and mobile platforms. Sets Aerhub's strategy, leads client engagements, and directs the GIS and software development behind the firm's tools.

        Mitchell Banks

        Contractor, operations and programs

        10+ years in aviation operations, including building and leading aerial operations teams for Fortune 500 programs nationwide.

        Dennis Kalaygian

        Contractor, technology and platforms

        10+ years in software engineering and infrastructure. Advises on platform architecture, AWS infrastructure, and aerial data system design.

        Partner network

        Capture, processing, and AI

        Vetted partners across fixed wing, helicopter, drones, data processing, and AI. We disclose partner relationships in every proposal.

        Book a discovery call.

        Tell us what you're working on. We'll reply within one business day with times for a 30-minute call.

        Company
        Aerhub, Inc., Arizona
        Serving
        Utilities, oil and gas, and aerial operators nationwide

        Discovery call request

        What can we help with? (choose any)
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