Ultraview AI

Automating the air and Launch Vehicle visual inspection process

Ultraview is a drone-enabled software platform automating the aircraft visual inspection process for commercial aviation, DoD, and Space.

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RESOURCES

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Website⁠

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Pitch Deck⁠

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colby@ultraview.io⁠

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matthew@ultraview.io⁠

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The Problem

All operational aircraft, both historical and current, require regular inspections. Each hour of grounded aircraft can cost an airline between $10,000 and $100,000+ in foregone revenue per mile. When a third-party Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) provider fails to meet a delivery timeline, they must compensate the airline, incurring costs amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Every MRO process starts with a labor-intensive manual inspection, demanding between 20 and 200 crewed hours to complete. This crucial initial step must precede all other maintenance activities, setting the pace for the entire visit. These antiquated methods not only slow down operations but also raise safety concerns due to potential human error and result in inconsistent reporting, which can compromise the accuracy and reliability of maintenance records. The critical shortage of skilled labor exacerbates this problem even further.

This problem is not isolated to the commercial market. National defense relies on a strong Air Force and current mission capability rates fall well below the contracted requirements. As conflicts require increasingly agile environments, the need for a compact, all-encompassing solution becomes mission-critical.

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Product Overview

Ultraview AI is our solution to the costly and time-consuming aircraft inspection process. It's a platform as a service system that combines best-in-class software with robust hardware to efficiently capture aircraft image data for inspections. Designed for simplicity, our system allows one-button activation for pre-ingested aircraft through an integrated drone autonomy stack and flight control application, streamlining operations. The system is made of 3 core components:

Autonomous Aerial Robotics System sporting a high-resolution computer vision camera and high-resolution LIDAR for positioning, navigation, and timing.

Ultraview Software Suite consists of three core applications: flight controls, guided inspection, and our API Toolkit.

UltraAI is used at several layers of the stack, including our computer vision models for defect identification and tagging, aircraft mapping and ingestion, and optimal inspection path generation.

Fully Autonomous Inspection Drone

Ultraview's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is designed and manufactured in the US, aligning with our commitment to support the US military's fleet readiness requirements. Our decision to produce domestically is reinforced by the Buy America Act, which encourages US businesses to purchase from American companies, further solidifying our choice to manufacture within the United States. This strategic alignment not only supports national defense capabilities but also leverages legislative incentives to strengthen our business model.

We use a sensor-fusion-based approach, leveraging the industrial-grade sensor package for continuous mapping and localization.

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The drone offers a flight time of approximately 22 minutes, enabling comprehensive coverage of a narrow-body aircraft with just a single battery change. Its modular payload system facilitates the integration of various sensor types such as FLIR, multispectral, depth detection, and RGB, along with the capacity to accommodate emerging technologies.

Ultraview Software Suite

The UV Flight Control System is designed for rapid setup and mission initiation. With intelligent localization and quadrant selection, technicians can position the drone anywhere around the aircraft to commence a mission effortlessly requiring less time per inspection than traditional inspection methods. The application provides real-time feedback on the drone's health, presents its planned route around an airframe, and offers live streaming capabilities from the onboard camera, enhancing operational efficiency and oversight.

Ultraview excels in systems integration and change management, crucial for modern MRO innovation. We're actively developing integration points with major platforms like Concourse, Trax, Sabre, EmpowerMX, and Quantum Control, demonstrating our dedication to seamless customer experience. Unlike competitors who often stop at basic API endpoints, we take on such integration challenges, thus alleviating the burden on our client's IT departments and distinguishing ourselves in the market.

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UltraAI

Ultraview has leveraged the best in machine learning techniques since our inception and continues to improve with additional capabilities as the AI landscape has been evolving rapidly in recent years.

Our industry-leading UltraAI blends man and machine to unlock the unique strengths of each. We trust UltraAI for repetitive tasks, pattern recognition, and report generation, while also leveraging the critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities of the human inspectors to ensure the accuracy of the identified damages. This approach maintains the operator's responsibility for damage sign-off and facilitates the cross-training of UltraAI, continually refining our model's performance.

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Market & Customers

Target Market(s)

UV targets the aerospace Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) market including 3rd-party maintenance providers, Airlines with internal technical operations (nearly all large operators), DoD aircraft depots, and Space companies maintaining their fleets.

Aircraft MRO TAM (spend) is projected to grow to 125B by 2033

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Screenshot 2024-02-06 at 12.36.07 PM.png

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Regulatory Purview

One primary concern often highlighted is the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA)'s approval for the use of remote inspection tools, such as drones, in aircraft inspections. While the FAA is currently reviewing policies for blanket approval of Automated Aircraft Inspection (AAI) systems, Ultraview's platform has already been successfully employed in operations with maintenance providers. This is made possible through a proactive approach, where approval can begin at the local level. Maintenance facilities certified under Part 145 can (and have) worked with their local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) with an updated maintenance plan using GPR (GVI Performed Remotely) in place of General Visual Inspection (GVI). This method is already proven and requires very little additional lifting beyond what would always happen as part of the rollout and integration process.

Market Timing

Before COVID, the aerospace industry was steadily moving towards approving remote inspection systems for aircraft maintenance. However, a significant turnover of qualified mechanics, coupled with a shortage of new talent, has led to increased MRO costs and extended shop times, impacting consumers. COVID brought these innovations to a halt, but the industry has since rebounded stronger, pushing these technologies toward approval once again. Now is the opportune moment for action, and Ultraview is ideally placed to capitalize on this renewed momentum.

Recent incidents, such as the Boeing 737 Max 9 door blowout with Alaska Airlines, underscore the tangible risks associated with these systemic problems. Such events highlight the dire consequences of overlooking damage due to overstretched resources and underline the urgent need for innovation in aircraft maintenance procedures.

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Traction

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Since Ultraview AI’s formation, we have secured LOIs & contracts from several leading MROs, defense organizations, and space companies. The logos listed above are all registered for our early access program (EAP), which we plan to open in the fall of 2024.

Ascent Aviation Services

$120k ARR contract starting Nov 1, 2024

FEAM Aero:

$240k ARR contract under negotiation. Start date TBD

Robins AFB:

$75k OTA contract on the C-130 platform, Period of performance February 2024

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Business Model

With Ultraview, you get a simplified commercial engagement. Our Inspection-as-a-service model fits aerospace buying preferences and has been validated by the market.

We've implemented a single pricing strategy to accommodate both large and small MROs with competitive pricing. This approach enables smaller operations to utilize the Ultraview platform at a reduced rate, broadening our reach across global operators. As businesses expand, our pricing adapts in tandem, ensuring our solutions scale alongside their growth.

Airlines Operators: $20,000/unit/month

MRO’s: $10,000/unit/month

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Competition

Competitor Breakdown

Ultraview competes with three key players in the automated aircraft inspection (AAI) space: Donecle, a France-based Airbus spin-off; Mainblades from the Netherlands; and Near Earth Autonomy in the US.

In this nascent AAI market, the race to secure a substantial market share is wide open, especially among companies not utilizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) from nations adversarial to the US and its allies. Success hinges on showcasing superior technical proficiency and product functionality that aligns with and surpasses the standards set by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and regulatory bodies like the FAA. Currently, Ultraview and Near Earth Autonomy, both US-based entities, are leading this charge. Their positioning allows them a unique advantage to dominate the US MRO market across both commercial and defense sectors, capitalizing on their home-ground advantage and stringent adherence to regulatory expectations.

Our Advantage

Ultraview, emerging from Rizse's innovative efforts in Automated Aircraft Inspection (AAI) technology, focuses on revolutionizing aircraft inspections with autonomous solutions. Our US-made and manufactured system not only aligns with the strategic needs of the

US Department of Defense⁠

but also sets a new standard in operational efficiency and flexibility. Our advanced pose estimation and path planning system distinguishes us by requiring significantly fewer inputs to initiate flight compared to competitors, allowing for seamless operation in various aircraft configurations and dynamic environments. This flexibility is crucial, as it enables our drones to adapt to environmental changes and aircraft repositioning, ensuring uninterrupted operations.

The development of the Ultraview software suite prioritizes user-friendliness, enabling operators and mechanics of any experience level to conduct inspections effortlessly. Our in-house mapping technology and computer vision allow for the rapid ingestion of new aircraft models, creating precise waypoint systems in days rather than weeks. This responsiveness and technological edge are further enhanced by our commitment to systems integration. We are actively developing integration points with major ERP and MRP platforms like Concourse, Trax, Sabre, EmpowerMX, and Quantum Control, addressing a critical market need for seamless data flow. Unlike competitors who may rely on basic API endpoints, Ultraview's approach reduces the integration burden on clients' IT departments, demonstrating our dedication to exceeding customer expectations and leading MRO innovation.

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Leadership Team

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`Colby Harvey`⁠
| Co-founder & CEO

Colby is the co-founder & CEO leading Ultraview’s strategy, mission & vision, and execution.

Before Ultraview, Colby Co-Founded and was the CEO of Rizse, where he led the charge in pioneering the development and integration of autonomous inspection technology, launching a drone-based Platform as a Service (PaaS) for the Aerospace & Defense Industry. Before his entrepreneurial venture, he sharpened his technical expertise as a Dev-ops Engineer at Google, where he was instrumental in supporting Google Cloud Platform customers, leading on-site consultants, and both creating and significantly improving internal process documentation for optimized customer experience. His unique blend of business acumen, leadership in technological innovation, and strategic navigation in highly regulated industries make him the perfect fit to lead Ultraview.

B.Sci Aviation Management Technology, Arizona State University

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`Matthew Kammerait`⁠
| Co-founder & CTO/CPO

Matt has been innovating and driving scale across various industries for over 20 years. Most recently, he led technology Strategy, Planning, and Innovation for AAR, the largest MRO and aerospace service provider in the Western Hemisphere. Before that, he led Product, Engineering, and R&D for Startups and multi-billion dollar public companies. His passion for connecting the startup and enterprise ecosystems lies at the core of everything he does.

BA in Behavioral Psychology & Philosophy, and Masters in Business Administration, University of Wisconsin

Advisors

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Our advisory board consists of distinguished industry leaders and military veterans, each bringing invaluable expertise to fuel Ultraview's growth across various dimensions.

David Querio, CEO of Ascent Aviation Services, and Cam Murphy, CEO of FEAM Aero—the second largest aircraft MRO in North America—provide profound insights into the MRO sector, enhancing our industry expertise.

On the defense front, Brig. Gen. Max J. Stitzer (Ret.) of the US Air Force and Col. Devon Blake (Ret.) from the US Army collaborate closely with our team, advising on defense strategies to align with military needs.

Jim Sturgis and Ben Baldanza play pivotal roles in guiding us through the regulatory framework, leveraging their extensive networks to connect Ultraview with key FAA influencers, ensuring compliance and strategic positioning within the aviation sector.

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Ultraview AI

Ultraview is a drone-enabled software platform automating the aircraft visual inspection process for commercial aviation, DoD, and Space.

RESOURCES

The Problem

Product Overview

Fully Autonomous Inspection Drone

Ultraview Software Suite

UltraAI

Market & Customers

Target Market(s)

Regulatory Purview

Market Timing

Traction

Business Model

Airlines Operators: $20,000/unit/month

MRO’s: $10,000/unit/month

Competition

Competitor Breakdown

Our Advantage

Leadership Team

⁠Colby Harvey⁠ | Co-founder & CEO

⁠Matthew Kammerait⁠ | Co-founder & CTO/CPO

Advisors

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`Colby Harvey`⁠
| Co-founder & CEO

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`Matthew Kammerait`⁠
| Co-founder & CTO/CPO