Avtrain and Spright have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate for drone pilot and operator training and certification.
The training will take place at the Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI) facility located in Shannon.
Avtrain is Europe's leading Drone Pilot & Operator training and certification organisation, offering consultancy services for large scale projects.
Spright, a division of American company Air Methods, is an unmanned aeromedical solutions provider that is creating a drone-based, healthcare-specific delivery network for people who are impacted by a lack of immediate or timely access to healthcare resources such as blood products and medicines.
Regulatory oversight of the project will be under the remit of the Irish Aviation Authority for the grant of their EASA operator certification.
In Association with
The two companies announced the project at Farnborough International Airshow, in the presence of enterprise minister Leo Varadakar.
The planned project will commence shortly, with first flights planned for the autumn 2022 at FMCI.
The collaboration will include certification of pilots, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), use-case proof of market, business development, and airspace utilisation.
Julie Garland, founder and CEO of Avtrain, commented: “The collaboration between Spright, Avtrain and FMCI, along with other strategic industry partners, will push the boundaries to the next level and Ireland will be at the forefront of innovation and excellence within this developing sector.”
Steven Flynn of Spright said: “We are excited to collaborate for the advancement of the UAS industry, and to begin bringing real world UAS deployments to local communities.
“The future vision for the UAS industry is to bring greener, more efficient solutions that solve supply chain issues around the globe. This project promises to advance Ireland as a technological innovator leading the world forward.”
Russ Vickers of FMCI stated: “This project is a prime example of our vision for a collaborative ecosystem for UAS in Ireland. The growth in this ecosystem is gaining momentum and we are delighted that Spright and Avtrain have chosen FMCI as their home for collaboration.”
Photo (l-r): Steven Flynn, Russ Vickers, Tom Kelly of Enterprise Ireland, and Leo Varadkar.
