Vigilant Aerospace Systems CEO Kraettli L. Epperson participated in a breakout panel at TRAM Summit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October 3rd. The session was titled “Zero to 100: Accelerating Drone Deployment by Leveraging New Technologies.”
The panel focused on turning complex aviation data and enabling technologies into operational tools. The discussion addressed how operators and regulators move from early deployments to scaled operations. It also covered how emerging systems become more accessible and more reliable.
Panelists and Moderation
The panel was moderated by Bronwyn Morgan (Xeo Air & Airversity).
Other panelists included:
- Don Berchoff (TruWeather Solutions)
- Lisa Peterson (Aura Networks)
- James Spencer (Agile Ecosystems)
What Vigilant Aerospace Contributed to the Discussion
Epperson’s contributions centered on what it takes to scale beyond visual line of sight operations. He emphasized that operators pursuing waiver-based growth need credible safety architecture. He highlighted “detect-and-avoid” (DAA) capabilities as a competitive and regulatory requirement as operations expand.
Epperson also outlined a practical short list for operators building toward higher-tempo flight activity:
- DAA capabilities aligned to operational needs
- Uncrewed traffic management (UTM) access for early adoption and coordination
- Remote ID equipment to support compliance and identification
Epperson addressed compliance, focusing on how companies prove they meet safety requirements. He emphasized that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the decision-making authority for operational approval, and that ASTM and RTCA standards are commonly used for technical benchmarks. In practice, those standards can serve as a “means of compliance,” meaning a recognized way to demonstrate performance and safety in a format the FAA is more likely to accept.
On integration, he advocated for open interfaces and widely used data patterns. He specifically cited common integration approaches using application programming interfaces (APIs). He also referenced standard data structures such as JSON.
Finally, he discussed what helps accelerate technology deployment without diluting ownership, focusing on non-dilutive research and commercialization pathways. Examples included federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, and state programs such as the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).
Panel Takeaway
The “Zero to 100” discussion reinforced a consistent industry challenge. Scaling drone operations is rarely blocked by a single technology. It is blocked by integration, compliance, and sustained infrastructure. That includes surveillance, communications, and standardized safety cases.
TRAM Summit’s agenda positioned this session alongside topics like cyber resilience, UAS testing, counter-UAS transition, and production maturity. That framing reflects the broader shift from demonstrations to repeatable operations.
About TRAM Summit
TRAM Summit is a Tulsa-based conference focused on advanced mobility, including uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM). It is hosted by Tulsa Innovation Labs and is part of the region’s broader TRAM Cluster effort to build an advanced mobility ecosystem.
The summit is designed to connect industry, government, investors, and researchers around deployment, testing infrastructure, workforce, and commercialization needs for next-generation aviation and autonomy.
Vigilant Aerospace is the leading developer of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones). The company’s product, FlightHorizon, is based on two NASA patents and uses data from multiple sources to display a real-time picture of the air traffic around a UAS and to provide automatic avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions. The software is designed to meet industry technical standards, to provide automatic safety and to allow UAS to safely fly beyond the sight of the pilot. The software has won multiple industry awards and the company has had contracts and users at NASA, the FAA, the U.S. Department of Defense and with a variety of drone development programs. Visit our website at www.VigilantAerospace.com