Skyborne Graduates Start New Drone Pilot Career with Flyby Technology

Skyborne Airline Academy is celebrating the achievements of two graduates who have successfully secured commercial drone pilot jobs with Flyby Technology and are currently supporting operations for an NHS trial.

In July 2020, Skyborne announced its partnership with Flyby Technology, a UK drone training and operations provider, to offer its trainees the opportunity to build a career flying unmanned aircraft. James Kirk and Adam Prince joined Flyby Technology after completing their UK Civil Aviation Authority Integrated airline transport pilot license (ATPL) programme with Skyborne. They are both currently employed as a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone pilot.

“At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Skyborne began implementing a number of initiatives to help its trainees improve their prospects of securing a job,” said Carl Haslem, Centre Director, Skyborne. “Our partnership with Flyby Technology allows graduates to use their ATPL experience while enhancing their pilot skills and expanding their knowledge to operate commercial drones.”

Both graduates are currently working on a project with Apian for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, researching the role of drone technology to increase speed of delivery and access to chemotherapy drugs between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

James Kirk, Skyborne ATPL graduate and BVLOS drone pilot at Flyby Technology, says: “Although being a drone pilot and airline pilot seem vastly different, the training I received at Skyborne has been extremely beneficial to me. In our MCC course, we learned to operate in a multi-crew cockpit which at Flyby has helped me to prepare for the pilot monitoring role and develop effective communication within the team.

Adam Prince, Skyborne ATPL graduate and BVLOS drone pilot at Flyby Technology, adds “This opportunity created by Skyborne opens up another avenue for airline pilots who are out of work or even looking for a career change. It’s a really interesting industry to become a part of and I encourage more pilots to look into this line of work.”

Jon Parker, Founder of Flyby Technology, says: “Offering full time employment to Skyborne graduates is one of the easiest decisions we’ve had to make at Flyby Technology. James and Adam excelled throughout their training, rapidly adapting their commercial pilot knowledge to drone operations. Enthusiastic and hardworking, their contributions are helping shape the future of the unmanned aircraft industry.”