About Us

DroneTrust provides FAA-recognized drone training designed to help pilots fly safely, confidently, and legally. Our mission is to build a community of skilled and trusted drone pilots through expert-led, high-quality courses.

Every DroneTrust course is created and led by professional aviators with decades of real-world flight experience, to help you fly smarter and safer with your drone.

Our online training courses are flexible and can be undertaken at your own pace and when it suits you.

Our courses are affordable, flexible, and built for every level of pilot. Whether you’re flying for fun or growing a drone business, you’ll gain the skills and FAA knowledge to expand your opportunities and earn more with your drone.

If you need an in-person flight examination (i.e. not in the USA) or in-person flight training, or even a virtual-coaching session, our expert staff are all highly experienced drone pilots. Many are also highly qualified pilots of conventional aircraft. They incorporate the disciplines required of manned aviation into the drone world. In addition to testing, our examiners often provide instructing services to train novice drone pilots in the skills of flying a drone.

You can count on DroneTrust to help you become a confident, certified, and trusted drone pilot.

We also offer drone training and certification courses in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

BROWSE OUR COURSES

Meet the Team

  • Steve

    Steve has decades of aviation experience and has worked with aviation authorities worldwide. A lifelong love of flying lead him to pioneer organisations offering pilot licencing, flight testing, and – ultimately – UAV drone training. He also has extensive maritime experience, and in 2015 hebecame qualified to command a rescue vessel. Steve brings disciplined flight expertise to help drone pilots train safely and confidently.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.