UAS Pilot

9 Mothers•Austin, TX

2d•$50,000 - $60,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Drone Test Pilot to be the threat our systems are built to defeat. You'll fly FPV and COTS drones against our counter-drone systems so that our product is tested against realistic, aggressive flight profiles. You'll also fly live demonstrations for customers. This is not a photography or mapping role. We need someone with real stick skills who can fly fast, fly repeatably, recover when things go wrong, and tell our engineers exactly what happened in the air.

Requirements

Current FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
2+ years of hands-on FPV (5”, 7” and 10”) flying experience (professional, racing, freestyle, or military)
Strong manual flying skills: comfortable in Acro mode with no GPS assistance, at high speed and low altitude
Proficiency flying common COTS platforms
Working knowledge of ArduPilot, including firmware flashing, configuration, and basic log review
Ability to build and field-repair small drones, including basic soldering and electronics
Familiar with battery safety and procedures
Methodical and disciplined: you run the same checklist the same way on flight 200 as on flight 1, and you write things down
Comfortable working outdoors for full days in central Texas conditions, including direct sun and high heat
Valid driver's license and ability to travel for off-site demos and test events
Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR

Nice To Haves

Military UAS or FPV experience, or experience supporting defense or government UAS test events
Familiarity with counter-UAS technologies or experience flying against C-UAS systems
Blackbox analysis and PID tuning experience
Experience flying fiber-optic FPV drones or larger platforms (cinelifters, Group 2)
Multi-pilot or swarm coordination experience
Active Secret clearance or ability to obtain one
Comfort working around firearms and live-fire range safety protocols
Passion for building drones or robots as a hobby

Responsibilities

Fly FPV and COTS drones against Edda and our other systems in structured test campaigns, executing specific flight profiles (speed, altitude, approach angle, evasive maneuvering) on demand and repeatably
Emulate realistic threat behavior, including high-speed attack runs, low-altitude approaches, and swarm-style multi-drone scenarios alongside other pilots
Conduct pre-flight planning, risk assessments, checklists, and airspace coordination for every flight session
Operate safely within FAA Part 107, range safety protocols, and company SOPs in an active live-fire test environment
Fly live demos for customers, both at our Austin-area range and at off-site customer locations
Rehearse and execute demo scripts reliably under pressure, with the confidence to adapt when conditions change
Build, repair, and maintain the drone fleet, including battery, motor and prop swaps, connectors, soldering, and frame repairs
Configure and tune aircraft using ArduPilot: firmware flashing, sensor calibration, PID tuning
Capture flight logs and telemetry and hand clean data to perception and robotics engineers
Maintain flight records, aircraft registrations, and maintenance logs
Provide clear, specific debriefs to engineering after every session: what you flew, what you saw, and what looked off