The Rotary Club of Edina will welcome Mike Johnson as the program speaker at the Thursday, March 1, meeting. Johnson will speak about "Drones—What Can They Really Do?" He is the senior vice president of operations for SkySnopes. Johnson is the son of Rotarian Doug Johnson.
Mike Johnson is a 2000 graduate of Edina High School and is the son of Edina Rotary member Doug Johnson. After EHS, he attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and became an Air Force C-17 pilot after training on multiple aircraft.  Eventually becoming an instructor pilot, Johnson led missions and deployed across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific Rim, and the Middle East in support of the President of the United States, Department of Defense, and humanitarian assistance missions. Following two operational tours in the C-17, he transitioned to the RQ-4, Global Hawk, unmanned aircraft in Grand Forks, ND.  There he served as the 69th Reconnaissance Group, Chief Evaluator Pilot and Flight Standards Director for five RQ-4 locations around the globe. 
 
Johnson separated from the Air Force in 2016 and joined the SkySkopes team and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations, where he leads a team of professional pilots who focus on providing innovative solutions to the energy industry. 
 
In his talk at the meeting, Johnson will address questions about drones. With all of the hype about the emerging drone industry, he'll share what are drones actually doing now and what can we expect in the future.  Amazing things are happening everyday as individuals and companies discover the utility of drones in daily tasks. Farmers are monitoring plant health to increase yields, wind turbine blades are inspected for damage, utility companies are using drones for storm damage assessment, and the list goes on. The future holds even more promise and eventually we may even see delivery to our front door using drones.
 
The Rotary Club of Edina meets at 12:15 p.m. Thursdays at the Edina Country Club. All are welcome. Cost for lunch and the program is $20 for adults, $12 for children. Cash, check and credit card payments are accepted at the door.