Instantly gauge your drone program's maturity and get your growth roadmap. Download the FREE Assessment 👉 https://bit.ly/droneprogram-maturity-assessment 

Ready for the Pro-Level? Sign up for our paid newsletter, The Drone Strategist, on Substack! 👉 https://bit.ly/the-dronestrategist-newsletter

—————————————

In this episode, host Jason San Souci welcomes Peter Kalaitzidis, Senior Robotics and UAS Program Manager at the New York Power Authority (NYPA). Peter brings years of hands-on expertise in drone operations, safety, and data management, and he breaks down how robotics is transforming utility inspections. Peter shares how NYPA is building a massive internal pilot program, investing $37 million in robotics through 2028, and why retaining institutional knowledge is their most powerful metric for success.

Key Takeaways:

• Safety First: NYPA's top priority is safety, driven by the philosophy: "Risk the machine, not the person."

• The Power of Data: NYPA uses its proprietary Media Hub to classify hundreds of thousands of inspection photos, building the foundation for asset-specific AI models.

• Human-Centric ROI: Success is measured by retaining expert employees for extra years, preserving invaluable institutional knowledge over simple cost savings.

• Program Scale: NYPA has trained over 146 internal employees, including pilots up to 70 years old, as drone operators.

• Controversial View: Peter argues against full automation ("Skynet" mentality), stressing that the "Human in the Loop" (SMEs) is always essential for complex inspection workflows.

Episode Highlights and Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Introduction and opening questions for Peter Kalaitzidis

[00:02:55] - Peter's Journey: From US Air Force veteran to leading the robotics program at the New York Power Authority

[00:04:54] - Program Scale: NYPA has successfully trained 146 internal drone pilots, including employees up to 70 years old

[00:05:13] - Strategic Goals: The complex list of three priorities: Safety, Safety, Safety [00:06:05] - Safety Philosophy: Limiting risk by using the approach: "Risk the machine, not the person"

[00:07:11] - NYPA's $37M Investment: Allocation of funds toward Asset Monitoring, Vegetation Management, and Emergency Response

[00:10:12] - Data Management & AI: How Media Hub is used to classify high-resolution images to create utility-specific AI models

[00:14:50] - Measuring ROI: Discussing the "walk, crawl, run" mentality and focusing on preventative maintenance activities

[00:17:40] - Human Success Metric: The story of the 68-year-old pilot who worked two extra years because of the drone program, saving invaluable institutional knowledge

[00:20:28] - Controversial Topic: The argument for why "Human in the Loop" will always be essential and why full automation fails without SMEs

Follow the Guest Peter Kalaitzidis:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-kalaitzidis-508500103/

👉 Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-york-power-authority/

👉 Website: https://www.nypa.gov/

Follow the Host Jason San Souci:

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsansouci/

🔗 More from Do You Know Drones:

 👉 Website: https://www.droneopsusa.com

👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afe-advisor-llc/

👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dykdrones/#

👉 X(Twitter): https://x.com/DronesDyk

👉 Email: dykdrones@gmail.com

Follow the Podcast:

 👉 Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-you-know-drones/id1479307112

👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DoYouKnowDrones

#UtilityDrones #RoboticsInInspection #NYPA #DroneSafety #HumanInTheLoop #AssetManagement #UASProgram #DataClassification