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About Us
Drone Traffic ® Helps Pilots Report and Avoid Drones
Drone Traffic is based in Denver, Colorado. Its drone-avoidance system was invented by Rick Zelenka, an engineer, patent attorney, former aerospace executive, and longtime pilot who realized the need for the pilot community to gather and share data about errant drones.
Meet Founder and CEO Rick Zelenka
Rick has over 30 years of experience in technical innovation and business growth from research, business, and intellectual property perspectives, and is the inventor of the patented Drone Traffic operational concept.
Rick is an active general aviation pilot who noticed the potential for errant drone operations presenting a flight hazard to his recreational flights. Drawing from his expertise in airborne sensors and pilot warning systems and study of the wave of crowd-sourced data sharing, Rick conceived of a system to detect and warn pilots of possibly hazardous drone operations.
Before becoming a patent attorney, Rick was a research engineer and a Boeing business executive. While a NASA engineer for over nine years, he created and flight-tested collision warning and guidance systems and adapted air traffic management research systems for airline use. He created and flight tested a millimeter wave radar system on a Black Hawk helicopter that identified ground hazards and displayed relevant warnings on a panel-mounted display. He managed an autonomous helicopter research and development group involving pilot-computer automation, sensor fusion, and signal processing; this program earned a national award. His signal processing and sensor fusion research has been published in dozens of technical papers.
Partnerships
Proud Sponsor of UAS Colorado
Drone Traffic supports UAS Colorado, a non-profit business league that advocates for the safe integration and use of unmanned aircraft systems for the public’s benefit.