42.7335° N, 84.5480° W  East Lansing, Michigan

Tim
Woodard

Drone pilot and geospatial field technician. I measure ground from the air, and I've spent thirty years keeping people and places safe.

FAA Part 107  /  U.S. Coast Guard, retired

I fly survey-grade missions over landfills, mines and power infrastructure, and turn what the aircraft sees into data engineers can trust.

Before drones, I spent 22 years in the U.S. Coast Guard running inspections, investigations and operations from Alaska to American Samoa, then four years as Operations Chief of a territorial Emergency Operations Center. That background shapes how I fly: planned, documented, and calm when conditions change.

300+
commercial flight hours
22 years
U.S. Coast Guard service
4 years
running an Emergency Operations Center through storms, earthquakes and a pandemic

What I do

Survey-grade 3D capture

Topographic scans of landfills and mining operations using drone photogrammetry, mobile LiDAR and total station. Deliverables include orthomosaics, point clouds and digital elevation models.

Infrastructure inspection

Visual and sensor-based inspections of powerlines and substations, documenting corrosion, damage and vegetation encroachment for engineering and maintenance teams.

Field operations, end to end

Pre-flight planning, FAA airspace coordination, hazard mitigation, equipment transport and post-flight QA/QC, often alone at remote sites anywhere in the country.

Emergency management and security

Incident command, continuity of operations, hazmat response and safety inspections, plus an early career in information security and systems administration.

Field kit

Aircraft and sensors

  • DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
  • DJI Matrice 350 RTK
  • DJI Matrice 400 RTK
  • Zenmuse P1 (photogrammetry)
  • Zenmuse L1 (LiDAR)
  • Zenmuse L2 (LiDAR)
  • Septentrio Altus NR3 (GNSS)
  • Trimble
  • Mobile LiDAR and total station

Processing

  • DroneDeploy (certified pilot and analyst)
  • Pix4D
  • DJI Terra
  • Maptek
  • Global Mapper
  • GIS software

Survey fundamentals

  • Projections, datums and geoids
  • Accuracy standards and QA/QC
  • FAA Part 107 compliance
  • MSHA Part 46 site safety
  • Ruggedized and vehicle power systems

Experience

  1. 2024 – now

    Geospatial Field Technician

    Firmatek · nationwide, based in Lansing

    • Survey-grade topographic scans of landfills and mines with drone photogrammetry, mobile LiDAR and total station.
    • Manual drone inspections of powerlines and substations.
    • Full UAV field operations: planning, airspace coordination, hazard mitigation, data validation.
    • Direct client contact for scoping, scheduling, delivery and technical follow-up.
  2. 2023

    Founder

    RavensEye Visuals · Lansing

    • UAV photogrammetry and inspection services for utilities, construction, surveying, real estate and agriculture.
    • Power pole inspections, site planning and monitoring; orthomosaics, point clouds and DEMs.
  3. 2022 – 2023

    Safety and Security Officer

    Meijer Distribution Center · Lansing

    • Fire system and security inspections; hazmat and medical first response.
    • Incident investigations and documentation.
  4. 2018 – 2022

    Assistant Manager and Operations Chief

    American Samoa Department of Homeland Security

    • Ran the Emergency Operations Center through epidemic, pandemic, tropical storm and seismic events.
    • Briefed the incident commander, Governor's Authorized Representative and federal partners daily.
    • Supported continuity of operations planning and led exercises; led construction of the territory's fusion center.
  5. 2016 – 2017

    Systems administration and federal operations support

    Bluesky Communications, American Samoa · USDA APHIS, East Lansing

    • Windows Server, Active Directory, Google Workspace administration and VoIP support.
    • Executive assistant to a USDA district director covering eight states; purchasing, timekeeping and IT support.
  6. 1992 – 2014

    United States Coast Guard

    21 years, 9 months · retired

    • 2012 – 2014Technical Supervisor, Honolulu: led and trained a 10-person team
    • 2011 – 2012Operations Manager, Dutch Harbor, Alaska
    • 2009 – 2011Program Manager, Lake Charles, Louisiana
    • 2005 – 2009Chief of Operations, American Samoa
    • 2001 – 2005Physical Security Technician, Norfolk, Virginia
    • 1999 – 2001Port Security Specialist, Fort Eustis, Virginia
    • 1995 – 1999Telecommunications Specialist, Alameda and Alexandria
    • 1992 – 1994Search and rescue, Destin, Florida
  7. 1999 – 2003

    Information security

    Electronic Data Systems · Troy Systems, Northern Virginia

    • Senior Security Engineer and Security Analyst: security test planning, network and physical security assessments, and information assurance policy.
  8. 1989 – 1992

    United States Army

    Artilleryman · Fort Riley, Kansas · Desert Storm

Certifications and recognition

  • FAA Part 107 Small UAS Remote Pilot
  • DroneDeploy Certified Pilot and Analyst
  • MSHA Part 46
  • Incident Command System 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800
  • OSHA Hazmat Technician, Level III Responder; HAZWOPER 40
  • SKYWARN Spotter
  • U.S. Coast Guard Commendation Medal
  • U.S. Army Achievement Medal
  • Coast Guard Achievement Medals and Commandant's Letters of Commendation
  • Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation
  • Humanitarian Service Medal; 9/11 Service Medal (New York)
  • Seven Good Conduct Medals

Get in touch

For survey, inspection or field work, or to talk about a role.


Also on LinkedIn.