About Us - Axsmith AirStudio LLC

Our Team

Trisch Axsmith

Lead Pilot and CEO

As the owner, lead pilot, and a certified thermographer, Trisch brings a unique eye for precision, storytelling, and safety to every drone imaging assignment. She is certified as an FAA Part 107 sUAS Pilot, Thermographer, Project Management Professional (PMP), and holds BS and MS degrees from RIT. With decades of professional experience in rail, aviation, industrial security, and telecom, she has the expertise your project requires.

Her creativity, combined with her technical accuracy and leadership skills, ensures drone imaging projects are delivered on time and on budget. Trisch excels at understanding each client’s goals and translating them into clear visual narratives that support decision-making, marketing, and performance improvement.

Trisch combines meticulous planning with a calm, collaborative style on every shoot, ensuring flights are efficient, compliant, and aligned with project timelines and budgets. Her background in needs assessment, data-driven improvement, and technical communications means clients receive more than striking aerial photos and video—they gain purposeful visuals designed to solve problems, reveal insights, and move projects forward.

Paul Tavolette

Chief Tech Officer and Pilot

Paul Tavolette is a software engineer and U.S. Air Force veteran who brings a rare blend of technical depth, operational discipline, and strategic business insight to the leadership team. His background in imaging analysis, mission support, and secure systems provides a strong foundation for building reliable, data-driven technology solutions in evolving environments.

During his Air Force service, Paul earned multiple imaging interpretation certifications and held top secret military security clearance, working with sophisticated imaging and analysis platforms that required accuracy and sound judgment under pressure. This experience gives him a practical understanding of geospatial data, complex visual information, and imagery interpretation.

Paul holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and an MBA from RIT, where he strengthened his skills in leadership, operations, and strategic management. His combined education and military background enable him to bridge the gap between engineering and executive decision-making, aligning technical roadmaps with long-term business goals.

Visual Observer Team

Jack, Doug, and Andrew are our trained visual observer team. They are the drone pilot’s dedicated safety net, focused entirely on watching the drone and its environment while the pilot flies the mission. They act as extra eyes and ears, maintaining continuous visual contact with the aircraft, scanning for people, vehicles, structures, and other air traffic, and calling out any potential hazards before they become a problem.

Using clear, agreed‑upon radio or voice callouts, the visual observers track the drone’s position, altitude, and direction, confirm it remains within the planned flight area, and help manage takeoff, landing, and transitions between waypoints. They also participate in pre‑flight briefings and post‑flight debriefs, so that risk assessments, contingency plans, and lessons learned are built into every mission. Together with the remote pilot in command, the visual observer team keeps operations safe, compliant, and professional—especially in complex environments like active construction sites, public spaces, and industrial facilities.