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Welcome to Overhead Intelligence! This guide is designed to bring new team members up to speed on the most important aspects of OI's technology stack. Read through each section in order — by the end, you'll understand how our entire system fits together from airframe to data delivery.

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Who We Are

Overhead Intelligence (OI) is a drone engineering and geospatial data company. We design, build, and operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that carry specialized sensor payloads for survey-grade data collection. Our primary verticals include:

• Geophysical survey — airborne magnetometry for mineral exploration and unexploded ordnance (UXO) detection
• Photogrammetry — high-resolution aerial imagery stitched into orthomosaics, 3D models, and point clouds
• LiDAR mapping — airborne laser scanning for terrain modeling, forestry, and infrastructure inspection
• Custom R&D — building bespoke drone platforms and software for clients with unique operational needs

We operate across North America (including remote and rugged environments) and serve clients in mining, defense, environmental, and infrastructure sectors.

Our Drone Platforms

OI operates a fleet of fixed-wing VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) drones. VTOL fixed-wings combine the range and efficiency of an airplane with the ability to take off and land in tight spaces — critical for field operations where runways don't exist.

Primary Platform: MakeFlyEasy (MFE) Fighter

Our workhorse is the MakeFlyEasy (MFE) Fighter VTOL. This is a twin-boom pusher-prop fixed-wing with four vertical lift motors for VTOL capability. Key characteristics:

• Airframe: Carbon fiber and composite construction, modular fuselage
• Endurance: Approximately 1–2 hours depending on payload and conditions
• Payload bay: Accommodates various sensor packages (magnetometers, cameras, LiDAR)
• Launch/recovery: Fully autonomous VTOL — no runway or launcher needed

Each drone in the fleet is named after a species of goose (e.g., Tula Fighting Goose, Magpie Goose II, Hawaiian Goose). You'll see these names throughout our documentation and on the companion computers.