I’m often the one doing the interviews, but I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Desiree “Drone Diva Desi” Ekstein, where she interviewed me for the Women and Drones Coffee Connection series. Our 22-minute conversation covers both our individual drone journeys and the vibrant evolution of the UAS community.
Watch the latest episode of the Women and Drones Coffee Connection, featuring yours truly, below:
Meet Desiree Ekstein (“Drone Diva Desi”)
Longtime Drone Girl readers likely also know Desiree Ekstein, a trailblazing figure in the drone industry. She is one of the first women to earn the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and an AUVSI TOP‑Level 3 instructor and pilot. She wears many hats: FAASTeam DronePro Lead for San Diego, UAS Safety Advisor for Women and Drones, adjunct instructor at MiraCosta College, and host of the Coffee Connection series.
She has put her entrepreneurial spirit into founding On the Go Video.biz, led Girls Take Flight to inspire young women in STEM, built a fleet of more than two dozen drones and has done critical work like photographing historical sites via drone with 3D mapping.
Desiree is also an accomplished author. Her book ELEVATE YOUR STANDARDS: Building an Operations Manual for your Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Company first published in December 2021. With it, she delivers checklists and SOP guidance aimed at helping operators professionalize their drone workflow.
A conversation with shared roots in storytelling, safety & STEM
In our chat, I recount my journey as one of the earliest journalists to integrate drones into storytelling, starting with documenting fire department operations.
I shared my experience reviewing drones (often getting previews of the earliest tech). We also relived great moments in drone history, like the reveal of the DJI Mavic Pro (finally, a small portable drone!) and the debut of obstacle avoidance tech in consumer drones (hello DJI Phantom 4!). I also share personal drone memories, like the moment when Romeo Durscher first showed me (in a super secret field in San Francisco) how the DJI Phantom 4 worked ahead of its debut.
From using drones for emergency response to filming action sports, we both reflected on how far drone tech has come — and how essential safety, training and inclusivity are in that evolution.
Subscribe to the Women and Drones YouTube channel to watch the full 22‑minute Coffee Connection (and get more episodes with other guests every week!). And while you’re at it, subscribe to my own YouTube channel, too!
The post Coffee Connection: Career reflections with Desiree Ekstein appeared first on The Drone Girl.