Drones are quickly moving from hobby gear to essential industry infrastructure. In this Hangar X Studios episode, host and ex–fighter pilot John Ramstead talks with Jeremy Schneiderman, CEO of Drone Nerds, about the shift from consumer drones to enterprise, mission-critical systems.
Jeremy shares how Drone Nerds grew from a small retailer into a major U.S. drone partner, and how aerial data is changing public safety, insurance, energy, construction, agriculture, and defense. They cover FAA rules (Part 107 now, Part 108/BVLOS next), DJI’s edge, NDAA and state bans, and why “drone-in-a-box” remote ops could drive the next adoption surge.
Curious where UAS is headed and what unlocks scale? This episode lays out the roadmap.

Episode Highlights
Drone Nerds’ rise to ~$120M revenue.

The 2016 public-safety “aha moment.”

Drones replacing risky, slow fieldwork.

What “drone-in-a-box” is and why it matters.

Part 107 vs. Part 108 and BVLOS, simply explained.

Why DJI leads—and where rivals are closing gaps.

NDAA/state bans shaping U.S. procurement.

XTI Aerospace partnership and what’s next.

Key Points with Timestamps
[00:00:00 ] Remote ops are near.
Jeremy says Part 108 + BVLOS enable docked drones and centralized pilots.

[00:01:53 ] Drone Nerds at scale.
A $120M distributor/program manager across key verticals.

[00:04:17 ] Core value.
Safer, cheaper, faster, more accurate field data.

[00:06:01 ] 2016 inflection.
Police SAR/overwatch proved enterprise demand.

[00:06:48 ] Origin + strategy.
Consumer sales → repairs/service → enterprise programs.

[00:08:08 ] Insurance case.
One carrier scaled from 1 drone to 2,000+.

[00:09:39 ] Outsourced program management.
Consulting, hardware, software, training, repair, uptime fleets.

[00:12:20 ] Education engine.
Webinars, ebooks, Elevate UAV Summit.

[00:13:26 ] Part 108 unlocks new use cases.
Dock networks for utilities, pipelines, schools, DFR.

[00:14:11 ] Drone-in-a-box defined.
Auto-charge/launch docks for security + responders.

[00:16:31 ] Hockey-stick adoption.
Rapid growth, paced by each industry.

[00:18:15 ] New frontier.
Drones for labor tasks like façade cleaning.

[00:19:11 ] Part 107 basics.
Commercial license + waivers for advanced ops.

[00:24:29 ] Platform scaling.
Consumer → enterprise → heavy-lift frames (to ~250 lbs).

[00:25:30 ] DJI dominance.
Reliability, OcuSync, broad portfolio.

[00:27:16 ] Bans + NDAA.
Security reviews may widen restrictions.

[00:29:55 ] Why XTI acquired Drone Nerds.
Capital to expand, acquire, and scale.

[00:31:00 ] Next-year goals.
3–4 acquisitions and bigger share.

[00:32:35 ] Closing.
If you’re considering drones—start now.

Guest Bio: Jeremy Schneiderman
Founder/CEO of Drone Nerds. Since 2014, he’s built it into a leading U.S. distribution and enterprise-solutions firm, offering consulting, deployment, training, repairs, and managed services. Revenue reached ~$120M; the company is a major DJI partner and was acquired by XTI Aerospace in 2025.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-schneiderman-dronenerds/

About Drone Nerds
U.S.-based enterprise drone distributor and program partner (HQ: Dania Beach, FL). Helps organizations adopt and run mission-ready fleets via sales, consulting, training, maintenance, and uptime support. Acquired by XTI Aerospace in Nov 2025.

Notable Quotes
“Drones replace traditional field methods with safer, faster, cheaper data.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:04:17 ]

“2016 was the aha moment for public safety adoption.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:06:01 ]

“They outsource the whole program management to us.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:11:51 ]

“Part 108 lets us fly dock drones from command centers.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:13:26 ]

“Every school could have a dock on the roof.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:15:17 ]

“We’re at a hockey-stick growth inflection.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:16:31 ]

“DJI reliability is unmatched today.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:25:54 ]

“If you’re evaluating drones for your business—start tomorrow.” — Jeremy Schneiderman [00:32:35 ]