Thermal drone search · Lake County, FL
Your pet is out there.
Thermal can find them.
A frightened animal hides and goes still. Thermal reads body heat instead of daylight, so it picks up what a ground search walks straight past.
- FAA Part 107 certified
- Fully insured
- We fly after dark
- Family owned
A lost animal keeps moving, and every hour widens the area we have to cover. Thermal also works best after sunset, once the ground has cooled and a warm body stands out against it.
Why thermal
A ground search looks for movement. Thermal looks for warmth.
That difference is why a drone can clear in twenty minutes what a group on foot cannot clear in a night, and why a dog curled under a palmetto stays invisible to one and obvious to the other.
It sees heat, not light
Cover, shadow and full dark stop a flashlight. They do not stop a radiometric sensor reading the temperature difference between an animal and the ground it is lying on.
It covers ground quickly
Pasture, scrub, tree lines and the edges of a pond get swept in one flight instead of walked one at a time, so the search keeps pace with how far an animal can travel.
Night is the best time
Once the sun is down and the ground has given up its heat, a living animal is the warmest thing in the frame. We are certified and equipped to fly after dark.
What happens
What happens when you call
You tell us where and when
Last seen location, how long ago, the animal and anything about the ground around you. We will tell you honestly whether a flight makes sense tonight or at first light.
We plan a search area
We work outward from the last sighting, prioritising cover, water and the lines animals naturally follow, and check airspace before we launch.
We fly a grid and watch the feed
The thermal payload runs a methodical pattern while we watch for a heat signature the right size and shape. You are welcome to stand with us and watch the screen.
We walk you in
A drone cannot pick an animal up. When we spot something we hold position overhead and guide you to it on foot, which is almost always the fastest safe way to close the distance.
Straight answers
What thermal cannot do
You are having a bad day and the last thing you need is a sales pitch. Here is where this tool struggles, so you can decide clearly.
- Heat of the day is the worst time. When the ground is hotter than the animal, contrast collapses. Dusk, night and early morning are far better.
- Heavy canopy blocks it. Thermal cannot see through a thick oak canopy or a metal roof. Dense woods can hide an animal from above completely.
- A heat signature is not a name tag. We find raccoons, deer, cattle and armadillos constantly. We will tell you what we think we are looking at, not what you hope it is.
- Finding is not catching. A scared animal often bolts from people. Locating is the part we can help with; the recovery still takes patience on the ground.
- We cannot promise a find. Nobody honest can. We can promise a careful search and a straight account of what we covered.
Cost
Published rates, no haggling at the worst moment
You should not have to negotiate while your dog is missing. These are the same rates published on our thermal services page.
Travel well outside our usual counties is quoted up front, before we commit to anything. Military and first responder families, ask about Wings of Honor.
Where we fly
Lake County is home base
Clermont, Leesburg, Mount Dora, Tavares, Eustis and Groveland are short runs for us, which matters when the clock is the enemy. We also cover the counties around us.
- Lake County
- Orange County
- Seminole County
- Osceola County
- Polk County
- Sumter County
- Marion County
Outside those? Call anyway. If we cannot get to you in time we will say so plainly rather than waste your evening.
Every hour counts
Call us now
You will reach one of the owners, not a call centre. Tell us what happened and we will tell you honestly whether we can help tonight.