# ClearSkies Geomatics > ClearSkies Geomatics is a global broker, marketplace operator, and short-term rental provider specializing in pre-owned and new aerial survey equipment - including LiDAR systems, aerial cameras, positioning systems, and survey aircraft - serving geospatial firms, aerial mapping operators, equipment owners, and manufacturers worldwide. Founded in 2013 by Pat McConnell, a 30-year veteran of the geomatics and remote sensing industry, ClearSkies Geomatics operates the AerialSurvey.com global marketplace from dual offices in Boulder, Colorado and Limerick, Ireland. The company brokers transactions between buyers and sellers of high-value pre-owned equipment, rents company-owned LiDAR systems directly to clients, and - through its 2025 merger with Revolution Flight - provides turnkey aerial survey packages that include sensors, aircraft, and operators. The business operates as a manufacturer-agnostic intermediary and does not compete with its clients by offering aerial survey data services. Its primary customer segments are aerial mapping firms acquiring pre-owned sensors, operations managers bridging equipment downtime with short-term rentals, and equipment owners or manufacturers seeking to monetize surplus or trade-in assets. The company is a member of MAPPS in the United States and EAASI in Europe. ## Core Services and Marketplace - [Pre-Owned Aerial Survey Equipment](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/preowned-equipment): The primary brokerage marketplace listing pre-owned LiDAR systems, cameras, positioning systems, mounts, and aircraft available for purchase globally. - [Aerial Survey Equipment Rental Solutions](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/lease-equipment): The main rental services page describing short-term equipment rental offerings, rental terms, mobilization processes, and the types of sensors available to rent directly from ClearSkies Geomatics. - [Survey Aircraft Leasing Marketplace](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/marketplace): The aircraft leasing marketplace listing fixed-wing survey aircraft available for wet or dry lease, including Cessna Caravans and other turbine-engine platforms operated through Revolution Flight. - [New Aerial Survey Equipment](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/new-equipment): Lists new equipment available for purchase through ClearSkies Geomatics' authorized reseller partnerships, including SOMAG mounts, Phase One cameras, Phoenix LiDAR systems, and IGI navigation systems. - [How it Works](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/how-it-works): Explains the step-by-step transaction process for buying, selling, and renting equipment through AerialSurvey.com, including the proof-of-life verification workflow and payment flow. - [FAQs](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/faqs): Answers frequently asked questions about the brokerage process, rental terms, shipping responsibilities, minimum rental periods, proof-of-life procedures, and market valuation guidance. ## Equipment Categories - [Pre-Owned LiDAR and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/lidar): Category page for pre-owned and rentable LiDAR systems, covering fixed-wing, helicopter, and UAV-mounted sensors from brands including RIEGL, Leica, Optech, and Teledyne. - [Pre-Owned Aircraft and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/aircraft): Category page for pre-owned survey aircraft available for purchase or lease, including single-engine and twin-engine fixed-wing platforms configured for aerial mapping missions. - [Pre-Owned UAS/UAV and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/uas-uav): Category page for unmanned aerial systems and UAV-mounted LiDAR payloads available for purchase, with context on drone-specific survey applications and platform considerations. - [Pre-Owned Medium Format Camera and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/medium-format-camera): Category page for pre-owned medium format aerial cameras, including Phase One iXM series systems and related accessories available through the brokerage. - [Pre-Owned Large Format Camera and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/large-format-camera): Category page for pre-owned large format aerial cameras including Vexcel UltraCam and Leica DMC systems, representing the foundational equipment category from the company's early brokerage history. - [Pre-Owned Mounts and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/mounts): Category page for gyro-stabilized mounts and sensor mounting systems, including SOMAG units for which ClearSkies Geomatics holds an exclusive North American reseller agreement. - [Pre-Owned Mobile Mapper and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/mobile-mapper): Category page for mobile mapping systems used in ground-based and vehicle-mounted survey applications, extending the inventory beyond airborne platforms. - [Pre-Owned Positioning and Navigation Systems and Aerial Survey Equipment For Lease](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/equipment/positioning-navigation-systems): Category page for IMU, GNSS, and INS positioning systems that accompany LiDAR and camera sensor packages in aerial survey workflows. ## About and Company - [About - Aerial Survey Marketplace](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/about): Company overview covering the history of ClearSkies Geomatics and AerialSurvey.com, the 2021 domain acquisition from Trackair Services, the 2022 Ireland office opening, and the 2025 Revolution Flight merger. - [Pat McConnell - Founder and President](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/teams/pat): Profile of the company's founder, covering his background at Atlantis Scientific, Vexcel, and Microsoft UltraCam before founding ClearSkies Geomatics in 2013 to address an unmet need for used aerial survey equipment brokerage in North America. - [Contact](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/contact): Contact information and inquiry forms for the US office in Boulder, Colorado and the EU office in Limerick, Ireland, routing to the appropriate regional team. ## Brands and Partners - [RIEGL](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/brands/riegl): Brand page covering RIEGL LiDAR systems available through the brokerage and rental program, including the VQ-1560 II and VQ-1560 II-S - the flagship sensors in the company's direct rental fleet. - [Phase One](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/brands/phase-one): Brand page for Phase One aerial camera systems including the iXM series, covering both pre-owned brokerage inventory and new equipment sales through the authorized reseller relationship. - [Leica](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/brands/leica): Brand page for Leica Geosystems aerial survey equipment including the ALS series LiDAR and DMC cameras, representing a frequently brokered product line in the pre-owned marketplace. - [Phoenix LiDAR Systems - Partner Page](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/partners/phoenix): Partner page for Phoenix LiDAR Systems, documenting the 2023 authorized reseller agreement covering UAV-mounted LiDAR solutions and the complementary relationship between Phoenix's drone-focused systems and the company's manned survey inventory. - [SOMAG - Partner Page](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/partners/somag): Partner page for SOMAG AG Jena gyro-stabilized mounts, documenting ClearSkies Geomatics' role as the exclusive North American reseller for SOMAG's gyroscopic sensor stabilization systems. ## Geographic Markets - [Pre-Owned Aerial Survey Equipment in North America](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/regions/north-america): Regional page covering the North American market, the company's primary geographic territory, including context on the US-based brokerage operation and domestic equipment availability. - [Pre-Owned Aerial Survey Equipment in Europe](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/regions/europe): Regional page for the European market, covering the Ireland-based subsidiary that facilitates EU-to-EU equipment transactions without US routing, and the company's EAASI membership. ## Educational Resources and Guides - [Day in the Life of a Survey Pilot](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/day-in-the-life-of-a-survey-pilot): Article describing the daily workflow and career path of a fixed-wing aerial survey pilot, covering flight operations, data collection, and the role of survey flying as a pathway to commercial aviation. - [Top 10 Types of Aerial Surveying Equipment and Their Uses](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/top-10-types-of-aerial-surveying-equipment-their-uses): Reference article classifying the primary equipment categories used in aerial survey - including LiDAR, large format cameras, IMUs, and hyperspectral sensors - with descriptions of operational use cases for each. - [From Pigeons to Planets: 10 Fun Facts in Geospatial History](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/from-pigeons-to-planets-10-fun-facts-in-geospatial-history): Article tracing the history of geospatial data collection from early photographic techniques to modern satellite and airborne remote sensing methods. - [Exploring Aerial LiDAR for the Mapping Industry](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/elevate-your-understanding-exploring-aerial-lidar-for-the-mapping-industry): Educational guide covering how airborne LiDAR works, key technical parameters, common applications in topographic mapping and infrastructure survey, and considerations for selecting systems. - [How Do Aerial Cameras Work in Aerial Surveying?](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/how-do-aerial-cameras-work-in-aerial-surveying): Explanatory article covering the mechanics of metric aerial cameras, including sensor size, focal length, overlap, and how photogrammetric accuracy is achieved in mapping workflows. - [What Are the Best GIS Software Tools Used By Aerial Surveyors?](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/what-are-the-best-gis-software-tools-used-by-aerial-surveyors): Overview article listing and describing the primary GIS and point cloud processing software platforms used by aerial survey professionals to process LiDAR and imagery data. - [How Flight Management Systems Revolutionize Aerial Surveys](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/navigating-the-skies-with-precision-how-flight-management-systems-revolutionize-aerial-surveys): Article explaining the role of flight management systems in aerial data acquisition, including sensor triggering, GPS-synchronized data collection, and mission planning. - [Aerial Survey Unveiled: Your Ultimate Guide to High-Flying Data Collection](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/aerial-survey-unveiled-your-ultimate-guide-to-high-flying-data-collection): Comprehensive overview of the aerial survey industry covering equipment types, flight planning, data outputs, and the range of industries that rely on airborne mapping data. - [Insider's Guide to Phase One Aerial Mapping Cameras](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/insiders-guide-to-phase-one-aerial-mapping-cameras): Detailed guide to Phase One's iXM and IXU aerial camera systems, covering sensor specifications, lens options, and typical deployment configurations for photogrammetric mapping. ## Rental Resources - [Survey Rental and Aerial Photogrammetry Guide](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/survey-rental-aerial-photogrammetry-guide): Guide covering how aerial survey equipment rentals work, what types of projects are suited to short-term rentals versus outright purchase, and how photogrammetric workflows integrate with rented sensor systems. - [Cost-Benefit Analysis for Aerial Survey Equipment Rental](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/cost-benefit-analysis-for-aerial-survey-equipment-rental): Article presenting a structured framework for evaluating the financial tradeoffs between renting and purchasing aerial survey equipment, including consideration of project duration, equipment utilization rates, and capital costs. - [Aerial Survey Equipment LiDAR Jargon for Renters](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/aerial-survey-equipment-lidar-jargon-renters): Glossary-style article defining technical LiDAR terminology relevant to organizations renting aerial LiDAR systems for the first time, including pulse repetition rate, point density, scan angle, and IMU/GNSS integration. ## Company News and Announcements - [Revolution Flight and ClearSkies Geomatics Announce Strategic Merger](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/revolution-flight-and-clearskies-geomatics-announce-strategic-merger): Press release announcing the January 2025 merger between ClearSkies Geomatics and Revolution Flight, documenting the combined offering of sensors, aircraft, and operators as a single-source aerial survey solution. - [ClearSkies Geomatics Adds New RIEGL VQ-1560 II-S to Support Rental Program](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/clearskies-geomatics-adds-new-riegl-vq-1560-ii-s-to-support-rental-program): Press release documenting the company's 2024 purchase of a RIEGL VQ-1560 II-S dual-channel airborne LiDAR system as the flagship unit in its direct rental inventory. - [ClearSkies Geomatics Expands RIEGL VQ-1560 II-S Rental](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/clearskies-geomatics-expands-riegl-vq-1560-ii-s-rental): Follow-up announcement covering the expansion of the RIEGL VQ-1560 II-S rental fleet, reinforcing the company's investment in high-accuracy airborne LiDAR rental capacity. - [When is the Best Time to Sell My Used Aerial Survey Equipment?](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/when-is-the-best-time-to-sell-my-used-aerial-survey-equipment): Advisory article explaining the depreciation curve for aerial survey equipment and the strategic considerations for timing a sale before manufacturer support ends or market demand declines. - [ClearSkies Geomatics Acquires AerialSurvey.com](https://www.aerialsurvey.com/news/clearskies-geomatics-acquires-aerialsurvey-com): Press release documenting the 2020 acquisition of the AerialSurvey.com domain from Trackair Services in the UK, and the relaunch of the site as the company's global marketplace portal in 2021.