#052 - Meet FliteGrid, The DePIN Built by Real Airspace Security Engineers

Welcome back to the DePIN Hub Newsletter, where we clear the runway so your alpha can actually land ✈

Airspace used to be simple: pilots up top, people below.

Not anymore. Everyday drones and AI navigation are rewriting the rules fast.

This week, we break down FliteGrid, SkySafe’s new command center that was built to keep the skies safe for everyone. ⚡️

🔍 Inside this must-read issue:

• FliteGrid takes flight — we break down the DePIN for airspace security and why it’s about to change everything for drones and autonomous flight!
• Podcast drop! — our full SkySafe episode is live, packed with founder insights and real airspace engineering 🎙️
• Verified Gold is here — our top-tier verification is now live, built to spotlight DePIN’s most mature, high-traction projects!

DePIN Hub Leaderboards 🏅

Growth statistics of some standout DePIN projects based on social metrics and token price.

Introducing Verified Gold — DePIN’s New Benchmark!

Today’s a huge day for the ecosystem!

We’re officially rolling out the DePIN Hub Trust Ladder, and at the very top sits our newest badge:

Verified Gold.

Gold represents the blue-chip class of DePIN: real deployments, real revenue, real traction!

Alongside Purple Verification for early builders, the Trust Ladder is now your new guide for navigating the fastest-growing sector in crypto.

Simple. Clear. Credible.And finally standardized.

DePIN just got its benchmark, and we’re so excited to share it with you.

🎙️ When Airspace Meets Alpha — The FliteGrid Episode

FliteGrid’s CEO sat down with us for a no-BS podcast into how FliteGrid works, why airspace is the next infrastructure layer, and what happens when real airspace engineers start building in the decentralized world.

If you care about drone security or just really good founder stories, this one’s unmissable.

Feature

Meet FliteGrid, The DePIN Built by Real Airspace Security Engineers

TL;DR: As drones move from hobby toys to critical infrastructure, airspace needs a smarter backbone.

We explore how FliteGrid delivers that backbone, from real-time detection to future autonomy.

Most DePINs collect useful data; stuff like the weather, or what your car sees on a Tuesday commute.

Helpful? Most definitely!

Groundbreaking? Not exactly.

So here’s something different.

Today we’re talking about a DePIN that collects data the future airspace system literally cannot operate without. And the company behind it isn’t your usual scrappy startup.

It’s SkySafe — the team that airports, universities, stadiums, and yes, even military sites call when a rogue drone is doing something questionable.

Their tech identifies drones in real time, reconstructs their entire flight, and even figures out where the pilot is standing. You don’t build that unless the stakes are high and the margin of error is zero.

SkySafe didn’t pop up yesterday either. Their systems have been deployed across critical infrastructure for years, supporting real investigations and real airspace security operations.

Now, they’re plugging that capability straight into DePIN.

Meet FliteGrid — a nationwide network of Remote ID sensors (the legally required broadcast ID on U.S. drones) you can install on your roof or your favorite questionable ledge. Each sensor becomes one more “airspace visibility point,” feeding verified RF data into the same SkySafe Cloud platform used by airports and public safety teams. Together, these sensors build the first actual map of low-altitude drone activity in the U.S.

And if you’re wondering whether there’s an actual market for this, there is. A big one.

The U.S. has already committed hundreds of millions in federal funding toward drone tracking, airspace awareness, and UTM-related infrastructure. One grant program alone allocates over $500 million for technologies that improve drone visibility and airspace safety.

Translation: the demand is funded, and growing fast! FliteGrid is entering a market that U.S. agencies are already paying attention to.

Couple of highlights for you:

• The U.S. has earmarked over $500M in federal grants for drone tracking and airspace safety. Demand is funded.
• No one — not the FAA, not private companies, not existing DePINs — collects drone activity data at scale.
• UTM (the FAA’s upcoming air traffic management system for drones) cannot function without this dataset.
• SkySafe is positioned to become an ADSP, one of the official data providers feeding UTM.
• Every future drone network, delivery drone, autonomous quadcopter, flying Roomba, whatever — needs this dataset.

That’s the catch.

That’s why builders should care.

Drones scaled faster than the systems meant to monitor them. So SkySafe built the missing visibility layer, and FliteGrid is how it finally scales to the public.

And if you ask us, should the next decade be about drone autonomy and “robots doing stuff for us,” someone actually has to provide the data that keeps the sky from turning into a chaotic Mario Kart lobby.

SkySafe already did the military-grade version. FliteGrid is the scaled, distributed, public version. Because this isn’t theoretical, here’s how the rollout works:

• U.S. pre-orders: Q4 2025
• Sensor shipments: Mid-2026
• Network live: Q3 2026
• Token launch: 2027
• Japan + EU expansion: 2027

In short: If you’ve ever wanted to run infrastructure before the robots take over, this is your shot.

In the full blog, you’ll be reading about:

• How FliteGrid works — SkySafe’s new airspace security system designed by real engineers who protect shared skies for a living.
• Why the sky is getting crowded — and how FliteGrid brings order, visibility, and real-time intelligence to the drone boom.
• What this means for the future — from autonomous flight to airspace compliance, and why smarter detection is now critical infrastructure.

🎙️ More Fun Podcasts — The Machines Are Calling!

🤖 Inside the Brain of the Machine Economy, with Robo.ai

Robo.ai’s CEO breaks down how autonomous mobility, smart devices, and advanced AI services all merge into one intelligent ecosystem. If you want to understand where robotics and AI are really heading, then this episode is your fast pass to the future!

🌎 Mapping the Real World for the AI Age, with ROVR

ROVR joins us to reveal how their LiDAR + RTK hardware is building the decentralized 3D world model AI has been waiting for. From contributor earnings to the future of robotics, autonomy, and spatial computing, this episode is a masterclass in real-world data as infrastructure.

Parting Words 👋

This is why we let the engineers handle it.