From Cockpit To Controller: Former Pilot Finds A New Way To Fly

In his new job as a commercial drone pilot, former Army helicopter pilot Tony Zimlich directs a drone-powered field site inspection of a Pennsylvania solar farm. In his new job as a commercial drone pilot, former Army helicopter pilot Tony Zimlich directs a drone-powered field site inspection of a Pennsylvania solar farm. On a recent sunny afternoon at a solar farm outside Philadelphia, Pa., commercial drone pilots Tony Zimlich and Gunner Goldie are preparing for flight. Dressed in hard hats and matching yellow vests, they run through a series of safety and equipment checks, and survey the surrounding terrain and airspace, before picking up what looks like a pair of oversized video game controllers. Then, with a streak of beeps and whirs, their drone -- about the size of a milk crate -- rises steadily into the sky above.