9 Line Aerial Media, LLC.

04/07/2026

We are beyond honored to have had Wingtra come and feature our company. It’s a team effort and they’re the greatest team members you can have!

Since drone regulations in the US tightened late last year, business owners who've depended on DJI have been facing decisions about what system to switch to. Brian Layhew saw the decision coming early. And he knew that the system he'd buy had to be better than what was leaving behind. His company, 9...

04/04/2026

03/21/2026

Proud moment for us at 9 Line Aerial Media.

A few weeks ago we were down in Greenville, TX providing Wingtra instruction to the Vets to Drones organization at Veterans Outpost. Watching that group of veterans learning new skills, building confidence, and seeing what this technology can unlock was the kind of day that sticks with you.

Now the WFAA Channel 8 crew has released their story, and I am grateful they took the time to spotlight what this group is doing.

As a veteran-owned company, we do not see “supporting vets” as a slogan. Veterans are family, no matter what branch, job, or chapter of life they are in. That is exactly why we show up for organizations like Vets to Drones, and why we will keep showing up.

If you are a veteran looking for a new mission and a community that gets it, I hope you will connect with them.

A new program started in Greenville is helping veterans from across Texas find new jobs as they re-enter civilian life

03/06/2026

Last week, President Brian Arthur spent 3 days training Vets to Drones pilots on photogrammetry and search and rescue workflows using the Wingtra Ray.

This is what we love about this industry: taking real world capability and putting it directly into the hands of current and former service members who are building their next chapter.

Vets to Drones is doing the work the right way. They are giving service members access to training, credentials, and the guidance needed to launch and sustain a drone career, including how to start and run a drone company.

At 9 Line Flight Systems, we take product knowledge, safety, and training more seriously than anything else. Because the mission is never just to fly a drone. The mission is to deliver reliable results, confidently, every time.

Proud to support this class and excited for what these pilots do next.

If you are interested in Wingtra Ray training, photogrammetry workflows, or search and rescue capability, message me and we will get you pointed in the right direction.

Huge shout out to our Chief Pilot, “Goose” at 4 Fans Aerial Photography for the amazing footage and videography in this video. Best aerial photographer in Indiana, hands down!

01/25/2026

🚀 Big news from 9 Line Aerial Media – 9 Line Cityscapes is now LIVE on our website!

Imagine your entire city brought together in one living, interactive, high‑definition map. Cityscapes lets you see:

🛣️ Current and future construction, detours, and road closures
🎡 Festival & event areas, school zones and bus routes
🏛️ Key city facilities, services, and more

For city leaders and public works teams, Cityscapes brings secure GIS data and critical infrastructure into the same map your residents already understand which is a shared source of truth for planning, coordination, and communication.

For residents, it’s a simple, visual way to see what’s happening now and what’s coming next in their community, all in one place.

💥💥TAG YOUR MAYORS AND CITY IF YOU WOULD USE THIS AND BE SURE TO SHARE!💥💥

City leaders and public works teams: as you explore the demo, picture your own city in Cityscapes, with your data, your projects, and your residents. Then reach out to us for a focused walkthrough and demo of what’s possible.

👉 Explore the live 9 Line Cityscapes demo here: https://www.9lineaerialmedia.com/cityscapes

9 Line Cityscapes gives city leaders and residents a real‑time, interactive map of construction, detours, events, school routes and critical infrastructure in one place.

01/24/2026

At 9 Line Aerial Media, our WingtraRAY just got a serious upgrade. We’ve added the new Wingtra INSPECT payload—turning it from “just a drone” into a millimeter‑level inspection tool you can actually make decisions with. 👀

Powered by a 61 MP full‑frame sensor and an 85 mm telephoto lens, we can now capture down to around 0.25 cm / 0.10 in GSD at typical inspection altitudes. In plain English: we’re seeing small cracks, joints, and surface defects with the kind of clarity you’d expect from a close‑up camera, not an aircraft.

What this means for you: we can clearly see, measure, and track cracks and surface defects over time—backed by accurate, defensible visual evidence that engineers, risk managers, and attorneys can rely on when things get serious.

Because we can cover large areas per flight while keeping extremely high detail, you don’t have to choose between coverage and clarity anymore. You get both.

Here’s where this really shines: ✈️ Airports & runways: PCI, crack mapping, FOD checks, apron and taxiway conditions

🚧 DOTs & roads: pavement, bridge decks, barriers, and joints
🏙️ Municipalities & utilities: sidewalks, ADA ramps, manholes, trenches, patches, and street cuts (before and after work)
🚆 Rail & right‑of‑way: ballast, ties, and corridor conditions
🏭 Industrial sites: containment berms, slabs, loading areas, and high‑value assets
📐 Construction & engineering: pre‑pour, pre‑pave, and as‑built documentation to support pay apps and reduce disputes

OH….AND DID WE MENTION THIS DRONE IS BOTH BLUE AND GREEN UAS LISTED?!?!

For airport managers, DOT teams, public works, utilities, engineers, and industrial facility managers, our job isn’t to show off shiny hardware—it’s to give you crystal‑clear, measurable visual evidence when it matters most.

01/18/2026

The Wingtra partnership is truly something that every drone company should be fortunate enough to find. To say that we have things on the horizon this year is a gross understatement. The infusion of 9 Line and 4 Fans Aerial Photography is the real secret to the recipe though 😉

01/14/2026

9 Line was invited down to a Wingtra conference in Georgia this week! Anxious to find out what’s coming up in the world of Wingtra and what we will be able to provide our customers in 2026 and beyond!

Pictured: Brian Layhew - President, James Guetschow - Chief Pilot

12/24/2025

Wishing a Merry Christmas to all our partners, friends, and supporters! 2025 has been an incredible year for 9 Line Aerial Media – we’ve celebrated major financial growth and formed connections with some truly awesome people. Every project and new friendship made us stronger and more grateful for this community.

Thank you for putting your trust in our veteran-led crew and sharing the journey as we mapped, measured, and delivered across Illinois and beyond. Your collaboration and support fueled our momentum all year long.

Now, we’re pouring the coals to it for 2026 – bigger goals, new partnerships, and even better data on the horizon. From our family to yours, here’s to a cozy holiday season filled with warmth, laughter, and looking ahead to even greater successes!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

12/22/2025

POLICE • FIRE • EMS • SAR TEAMS

When someone goes missing, you don’t have hours to search blindly.

Our Wingtra-powered aerial SAR support helps your team:

🛰️ Cover wide areas in minutes
🧍‍♂️ Get AI-assisted human detections with GPS coordinates
📍 Share a simple link so ground teams can navigate straight to each point of interest It’s about improving search probability, faster — so your people can arrive at the subject location in minutes, not hours.

If you know someone in public safety, emergency management, or SAR, please share this post and flyer with them. Getting this in front of the right agency could shorten a search, bring someone home sooner, and one day… your share could help save a life.

Want to schedule an agency demo or learn more about how this works in the field? Please reach out!

12/18/2025

Everyone’s posting their 2025 “Wrapped” stats right now… 🚁

Acres flown. Terabytes processed. Missions completed.

At 9 Line Aerial Media, we could flex those numbers too. 💪

But as any drone pilot knows, the 💥REAL STATS💥 that matter look a little different!

We’ll save the LiDAR, acres, and deliverables for another post.

Today’s about laughing at the stuff every drone pilot secretly tracks.

What would make it onto your drone Wrapped for 2025?

12/16/2025

Next week, December 23rd could be the day DJI drones stop being purchasable in the U.S. A lot of drone programs are standing on the broken end of the roller coaster track, watching it bend toward the lava and hoping someone fixes it in time. That’s being reactive.

At 9 Line Aerial Media, we chose to be PROACTIVE. We’ve already transitioned our operations to Wingtra which is a platform that’s not only leaps and bounds ahead of current U.S. small-UAS offerings for mapping and cityscapes, but is also Blue UAS and Green UAS listed. While other teams are grounded, we’ll have props in the air and data flowing.

If you’re with a fire department, police department, or any agency that may lose access to DJI as this unfolds, you don’t have to shut your program down.

We can:
🚁 Fly the missions for you, or
🚁 Help you get stood up with Wingtra and on the right path.

If your DJI fleet is about to hit that broken track, reach out now. Drop a comment, send us a message, or email us today and let’s keep your operations in the air instead of on the sidelines.