Draganfly CEO Presents at Needham Conference Signaling Commercial Push

Draganfly is on the stage at the 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference in New York City today, with CEO Cameron Chell scheduled to speak at 11:45 a.m. ET and hold one-on-one investor meetings during the event. The company is positioning itself as a long-standing developer of drone systems and software for public safety, inspection, mapping and other commercial markets, and the presentation underscores plans to broaden deployments in those sectors.

That commercial push matters to the racing community because wider public-safety and inspection use of unmanned aircraft systems tends to reshape operational expectations and the regulatory landscape. Increased deployment for search and rescue, law enforcement and infrastructure inspection can lead to new local practices for coordination with first responders, shifts in acceptable flight profiles such as more BVLOS activity, and greater emphasis on airspace deconfliction around priority missions. Those shifts affect where and when organizers can run heats, how crew chiefs brief pilots, and what paperwork and waivers event directors will need to carry.

Draganfly’s appearance at a major investor conference also signals potential growth capital and partnerships that could accelerate the pace of commercial rollout. More commercial flights in populated areas often mean more NOTAMs, new municipal ordinances, or revised FAA guidance — all items that event planners and club operators must track. At the same time, stronger commercial players can open opportunities: greater local acceptance of UAS operations, clearer inspection contracts for race venues, and new collaboration models with public-safety agencies for demonstration events or joint training.

Practical takeaways for pilots, race directors and field operators include maintaining up-to-date regulatory awareness, solidifying lines of communication with local law enforcement and aviation authorities, and revisiting insurance and safety plans to reflect evolving public-safety use of airspace. Keep an eye on any announcements from companies like Draganfly that mention expanded public-safety deployments, since those rollouts often bring procedural requirements that ripple into hobby flying and competition calendars.

The takeaway? Expect the commercial wave to nudge the rules of the sky. Watch for new local restrictions or coordination requirements, keep your operations manual current, and use those pre-race briefings to remind teams how to yield airspace to public-safety missions. Our two cents? Stay proactive: build relationships with local agencies now so you aren’t scrambling when the next NOTAM drops.