About Us
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you every step of the way.
DroneTrust has been providing certified drone training in New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and the United States since 2018. It is our mission to grow an industry of safe, knowledgeable and trusted drone pilots by providing quality training.
We provide drone training courses in a cost-effective and scalable way, so all drone pilots can learn the rules and up-skill to maximise their drone experiences and income-earning opportunities.
Our courses are CAA-certified and delivered online via an accredited aviation training organisation, Flight Test NZ (Part 141 certificate TR52489).This means you can learn at your own pace and at your own place. This makes it a convenient, affordable exercise, and throughout that time, you can be confident we are here to support you and help you achieve your desired outcome. Watching you succeed is our business. Note that the final practical assessment will need to be conducted at an appropriate designated outdoor location under the supervision of one of our certified examiners.
Meet the Team
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Steve
Steve has a wide-range of aviation experience throughout his career, working with aviation authorities around the globe. A lifelong love of flying lead him to pioneer organisations offering pilot licencing, flight testing, and – ultimately – UAV drone training. Just as busy on the ocean as in the air, Steve has served as a duty officer for the Coastguard and in 2015 became qualified to command a rescue vessel.
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Bevan
Bevan has extensive aviation industry experience as an airline pilot and licensed avionics engineer, working in military helicopter maintenance, building aircraft for Boeing, as a manned aircraft flying instructor, and commercial drone operator and flight examiner. He's one of two individuals in NZ authorised to certify drones heavier than 15kg. He also has experience with extended and beyond visual line of sight operations.
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Michael
Michael is a highly experienced and decorated military pilot in heavy jet, fast jet, transport and training aircraft, and has done extensive experimental flight testing of manned and unmanned aircraft. He has run his own drone services and drone research and development business for over 5 years and is regarded as a world expert in regulatory matters pertaining to the future of aviation.
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Craig
Craig Simpson, a skilled entrepreneur, excels in merging technology with societal benefits. He founded Aerolab and GridFree, focusing on agricultural drones and sustainable solar energy, respectively. With experience in leadership roles at companies like Spark and Fronde, Craig is known for his ethical leadership and emphasis on team well-being.
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Simon
Simon spent his corporate career running IT and Analytics functions for some of NZ’s largest organisation including Spark, Air New Zealand and Flight Centre. He then transitioned into freelance consulting before founding Data agency Decisive and Innovation consultancy Joots. For the past three years Simon has deployed his technical skills as a Director of Aerolab, spearheading the Agricultural analytics programmes of work.
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Peter
Peter is an experienced executive leader with a strong background in commercial strategy, insurance, sales, risk management, and compliance, particularly in settings undergoing significant change. Peter’s experience also extends to senior leadership, governance and Board roles that are now being leveraged to provide compliance and risk management frameworks for the agricultural drone sector and overall certification for pilots and organisations.
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Adam
Adam is a tech entrepreneur and investor with an affinity for understanding business problems and implementing modern solutions that use the benefit from the exponential growth of modern technology. As Head of Technology and a key shareholder, Adam is leading the innovation at Drone Trust – from seamless ecommerce to dynamic learning platforms and smart automation that keeps us flying high.
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Rachel
Rachel is an experienced marketer with a strong affinity for start-ups and small businesses across a range of industries, including tourism, off-grid solar, and agriculture. Splitting her time between the family business, GridFree, and now DroneTrust, she has a can-do approach to everything in the marketing sphere and beyond.
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Di
Di has 10 years work experience in aviation. Her current roles are Safety & Systems Manager for Flight Test NZ as well as an administration role in Drone Trust. Many of our customers will know Di as a dynamic team member and the person in the back ground that keeps things moving.