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76 H aving been raised on stories from his grandfather who flew missions for the US Navy during World War II, Matt Dunlevy – the founder and CEO of SkySkopes, North Dakota’s first FAA-certified UAS flight solutions provider – was fascinated by aircraft and aerospace engineering from a young age. “My first hobby as a kid was constructing plastic model aircraft, and I moved on to gas-powered remote- controlled aircraft not long after,” he recalls. “I loved the concept of aerial vehicles being operated and used remotely; back then I didn’t think it would become a career, but my passion for all things aviation has never waned.” A few years later, Dunlevy began studying at the University of North Dakota (UND), initially intending to go into commercial aviation. But having already piloted aircraft recreationally for many years, his interest in tinkering with them drew him to enrol in the mechanical engineering programme at UND, with a focus on aerospace. Towards the end of his university studies, he had read a lot about entrepreneurship, sat in on business-focused classes and developed an ambition to found his own company. He also became involved with the UND’s Center For Innovation, which he recounts as having been “a very interesting place, especially concerning unmanned aircraft systems”. “It housed many different UAS start-ups that have gone on to do great things. I was there recently, and I saw a lot of familiar activity, only now with more AI- driven projects aimed at automating complex commercial UAV services. “Being in the center’s entrepreneurial, UAS-focused ecosystem – let alone in North Dakota, with its airfields and The head of UAS survey services provider SkySkopes shares his passion for the work with Rory Jackson Bird’s-eye view October/November 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology