About RangeVector Aerial
Technical capability grounded in field judgment.
A Colorado aerial services company built around safe operations, useful deliverables, and a search professional's eye for detail.
Founder & Chief Pilot
D. Cristopher Benner
Mr. Benner is the founder and Chief Pilot of RangeVector Aerial. He is an FAA Part 107-certified remote pilot, an AUVSI Trusted Operator Program Level 3 operator, and a UAS Coordinator for a Colorado search and rescue team.
He is also a physician associate (PA-C, MMSc, FAWM) with expertise in emergency and wilderness medicine and more than 20 years of mountain search and rescue experience in Colorado and California. Mr. Benner is fluent in Spanish and can work directly with Spanish-speaking clients, property owners, crews, and families.
That combination of aviation, medical, and mountain rescue experience shapes how RangeVector Aerial approaches risk, communicates limitations, gathers time-sensitive information, and keeps the mission objective in view. Mr. Benner leads every engagement and applies the same disciplined approach to animal search, aerial overwatch, commercial inspections, mapping, construction documentation, and real estate media.
Our pilots
A vetted team, not a single operator.
RangeVector Aerial flies with a team of certified pilots. As Chief Pilot, Mr. Benner personally vets every pilot, and only hires FAA Part 107 pilots with search and rescue experience who understand the nuances of the Incident Command System.
- FAA Part 107 certified
Every pilot holds a current FAA Remote Pilot Certificate and flies every commercial mission under Part 107.
- Search and rescue experience
Every pilot comes from search and rescue, where careful search patterns, documentation, and judgment under pressure are routine.
- Incident command trained
Every pilot has completed FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) training and knows how to work within a command structure.
- Background checked
Every pilot has passed a background check before flying for a client.
- Insured
Every pilot flies under RangeVector Aerial's commercial drone insurance.
- Bound to confidentiality
Every pilot signs a confidentiality agreement covering client identities, properties, and footage.
Why incident command experience matters
On a search, at a security post, or on an active jobsite, the drone is one part of a larger operation. Our pilots know how to take direction from the person in charge, whether that is an incident commander, a security lead, or a site superintendent. They report what they see clearly and briefly, stay within their assigned role, and keep communication orderly when things move quickly. That discipline is why our crews fit into a client's operation instead of adding to the noise.
Professional standards
Trusted operator. Transparent expectations.
Clients receive a clear discussion of feasibility, safety constraints, limitations, and deliverables before work begins.
