A memorandum of understanding to collaborate for EASA pilot and operator training and certification in Shannon has been signed by Spright and Avtrain.
This collaborative project will take place at the Future Mobility Campus, located in Shannon, Ireland and the MOU was signed at Farnborough International Airshow, in the presence of Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadakar.
The regulatory oversight of the project will be under the remit of the Irish Aviation Authority for the grant of their EASA operator certification. The planned project will commence with first flights planned for the Fall of 2022 at FMCI, based at Shannon Airport, County Clare.
The collaboration will include certification of pilots, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), use-case proof of market, business development, and airspace utilisation.
Steven Flynn, Director of Strategic Projects, 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.”
Julie Garland, founder and CEO of Avtrain “Yet again Ireland is at the forefront in Europe leading the way in the UAS industry. 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.”
Russ Vickers, FMCI said “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.”
Spright, a division of US based Air Methods, is an unmanned aeromedical solutions provider created to “save and improve lives”, by improving healthcare access and minimizing supply challenges. Spright is creating a drone-based, healthcare-specific delivery network for those who are impacted by a lack of immediate or timely access to healthcare resources. When these shortages impact the availability of blood products, medicines, diagnostics or small medical devices, the consequences can be dire. The solution is a flexible, rapid distribution network designed with 21st-century unmanned technology and with the highest levels of aviation and medical regulatory and safety requirements.
Avtrain is Europe’s leading Drone Pilot & Operator training and certification organisation, offering consultancy services for large scale projects. Avtrain is an EASA Recognised Entity, issued by the Irish Aviation Authority, for the grant of Open Category A2 and all Specific Category Authorisations, Declarations and Light UAS operator Certificate (LUC), providing independent verification of compliance to a high level of robustness.
