Aerial Solutions

What Aerial Solutions does

Aerial Solutions is a family-owned aviation company headquartered in Tabor City, North Carolina, that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management in 1985. The company provides contracted aerial services — primarily Air Saw side trimming, Grapple Saw tree removal, external load (pole setting), aerial patrols, and emergency storm restoration — to enterprise clients including major utility companies, pipeline operators, railroads, and government agencies across approximately 24 states in the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Its core technology is a proprietary line of helicopter-mounted cutting equipment (Air Saw, Mega Saw, and Grapple Saw) fabricated in-house and continuously refined over 40+ years, deployed on a specialized fleet of 11 MD500 series helicopters and 1 AS350B3. The Air Saw delivers a roughly 10x productivity advantage over conventional ground crews, enabling sky-to-ground clearance in terrain inaccessible to traditional methods. The company holds ISNetworld, Powersafe, Vertical Aviation International, and Avetta compliance credentials and is staffed by mechanics with 100+ years of combined MD500/AS350 experience.

Aerial Solutions generates revenue through contracted professional services on a quote-based, per-project or recurring basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct relationships with major utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies — supplemented by event-driven emergency storm response. The company maintains field mechanics deployed nationally and an in-house R&D and manufacturing facility that supports continuous equipment improvement. In April 2026, Aerial Solutions was acquired by Imperial Capital Group as the anchor platform of its newly launched Northridge Infrastructure Solutions, funded by Imperial's 2021 $800M Fund VIII, with a stated growth-through-acquisition strategy targeting aerial utility services, field vegetation management, and engineering services companies across North America.

Name

Aerial Solutions

Legal name

Aerial Solutions

Website

https://aerialsolutionsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aerial Solutions is a Tabor City, NC-based aerial services company that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management in 1985, providing Air Saw, Grapple Saw, pole-setting, and storm restoration services to utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies across 24 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerial Utility Vegetation Management Services

NAICS

Air Transportation (481), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerial Surveying & Crop Scouting (Imaging, Mapping, Stand Counts) (AFACAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerial Pesticide/Herbicide/Fungicide Application (AFACAIAE), Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)

Keywords

• Aerial vegetation management
• Utility right-of-way clearing
• Helicopter tree trimming
• Storm restoration services
• External load operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Tabor City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Aerial Vegetation Management Services: Contracted helicopter vegetation management services for utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies. Services include aerial side trimming of rights-of-way, grapple saw operations, external load work, patrols, and emergency storm restoration. Revenue is generated through service contracts, likely on a per-project or contracted recurring basis.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Aerial Solutions provides helicopter-based aerial vegetation management for utility, pipeline, railroad, and government infrastructure rights-of-way. Its core services include Air Saw side trimming, Grapple Saw tree removal, External Load pole setting, aerial Patrols, and emergency Storm Restoration, delivered through a specialized fleet of 11 MD500 and 1 AS350B3 helicopters equipped with proprietary saw equipment. The company uses its own FAA-approved Air Saw and Grapple Saw technology, designed and manufactured in-house, to provide sky-to-ground clearance in terrain where conventional ground methods are limited.

Product overview

Aerial Solutions is a family-owned aviation company founded in 1985 that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management. The company offers a suite of aerial services for utility rights-of-way maintenance: the core Air Saw service (using proprietary helicopter-mounted saws on MD500 aircraft) and Grapple Saw service (on AS350 aircraft) for vegetation trimming and removal, complemented by External Load (pole setting), Patrol, and Storm Restoration services. The company operates a fleet of 11 MD500 helicopters and 1 AS350B3, supported by in-house R&D and manufacturing of its proprietary Air Saw equipment, field mechanics, and a dedicated maintenance facility. Services are primarily targeted at utility companies, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies across the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Saw Services Aerial side trimming of rights-of-way using an aerial power saw attached to MD 500 series helicopters. The Air Saw provides fast, cost-effective sky-to-ground clearance in rough terrain and environmentally sensitive areas where conventional methods are limited, and is offered to major utility, pipeline, railroad, and government clients.
• Grapple Saw Services Tree removal service using a hydraulic grapple saw with a 30-inch chainsaw bar and articulating grapple arms mounted on the Airbus AS350 helicopter. The grapple arms secure a section of the tree while the chainsaw cuts and removes it. Used for tree removals, canopy reductions, and mitigation of danger and hazard trees in environmentally sensitive areas.
• External Load Services
• Patrol Services
• Storm Restoration Services

Quantifiable outcome

• One hour of aerial saw work equals one or more days of conventional ground crew work
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Asplundh Tree Expert Company: The largest U.S. utility vegetation management and right-of-way services company, providing line clearance, aerial operations, and storm response to IOUs across all major U.S. regions. Asplundh is the dominant incumbent that Aerial Solutions competes against for utility helicopter contracts.
• Wright Tree Service: Major U.S. utility right-of-way vegetation management provider offering aerial trimming, line clearance, and storm restoration services to IOUs and municipalities. Closely comparable in customer mix, service offering, and geographic deployment model to Aerial Solutions.
• Lewis Tree Service: Established U.S. utility vegetation management company serving electric, telecommunications, and municipal customers with right-of-way clearing, aerial trimming, and storm response. Directly comparable to Aerial Solutions on enterprise utility contracts and field crews.
• Townsend Tree Service: Utility vegetation management provider operating across multiple U.S. regions with right-of-way clearing and storm response offerings. Direct competitor for IOU vegetation contracts in the same geographies where Aerial Solutions operates.
• Nelson Tree Service: U.S. utility right-of-way and vegetation management contractor providing line clearance and aerial services for electric cooperatives and IOUs. Comparable in operational model and customer profile to Aerial Solutions' enterprise utility business.
• Trees Inc. Utility line clearance and right-of-way management provider serving investor-owned utilities with vegetation management and storm restoration. Direct comparable to Aerial Solutions' core vertical exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Davey Tree Expert Company: Public U.S. tree care and utility services company (NASDAQ: Davey) with utility line clearance, vegetation management, and aerial capabilities. Broader than Aerial Solutions in scope but overlaps materially on helicopter right-of-way trimming for utility customers.
• Bristow Group: Global helicopter services company listed on NYSE operating mixed fleet rotorcraft for energy, government, and search-and-rescue work. Comparable on the aviation operating, FAA compliance, and fleet management dimensions that anchor Aerial Solutions' helicopter-based delivery model, though not a vegetation management specialist.

Emerging players

• ArborMetrics Solutions: Specialized U.S. utility vegetation management company focused on right-of-way assessment, audit, and inventory services using GIS and aerial data. Adjacent to Aerial Solutions on utility vegetation customers and increasingly overlaps on aerial inspection work.

Others

• Vertical Aviation International: U.S. helicopter industry trade association representing vertical aviation operators including utility aerial services. Not a commercial peer, but the industry body that codifies the FAA-aligned training, safety, and operational standards Aerial Solutions works within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerial-solutions-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aerial Solutions