Drone Pilot

Job summary

Plan and fly fixed-wing RPAS test and demonstration sorties, managing preflight checks, safe flight execution, data capture, and written debriefs for engineering. Support site setup and aircraft handling, travel for customer demonstrations, and help develop checklists and operating procedures while stopping flights when conditions or aircraft readiness are unsuitable.

Job details

Hamilton, Ontario (international travel ocassionally required) About Sentinel Sentinel R&D designs and manufactures unmanned aircraft. We build for operators who fly in contested conditions, and we are scaling production of fixed-wing systems in Canada. This is a hands-on flight role, not a desk job with occasional stick time. The role You will fly our aircraft through development, production acceptance, and customer demonstrations. You own the safe execution of each sortie: preflight, flight, debrief, and the written record that engineering uses the next day. You will work directly with airframe, avionics, and test engineers, and you will sometimes be the person who says the aircraft is not ready. Demos are not a side task. You may ocassionally travel, sometimes on short notice, to fly in front of customers and partners in Canada and abroad. The right person is energized by that: new sites, new audiences, and the responsibility of putting the aircraft in the air when it counts. We hire for judgment and fit more than for years on a résumé. A pilot who has fewer hours but is precise, calm under a slip, and honest about what they saw will outperform someone with a long logbook and loose habits. What you will do Plan and fly fixed-wing RPAS test and demonstration sorties, visual line of sight, under company procedures and Transport Canada rules Travel internationally to run customer and partner demonstrations, including site surveys, setup, flying, and teardown Run preflight inspections, weight-and-balance checks, and configuration control before every flight Capture flight data, anomalies, and handling notes in a form engineering can act on the same day Support ground handling, launch and recovery, and range or site setup Brief and debrief with the test team; stop a flight when conditions or the aircraft are not right Help write and refine checklists, test cards, and operating procedures as the fleet matures Required Valid Transport Canada RPAS Pilot Certificate (Basic or Advanced) Hands-on experience flying fixed-wing drones or fixed-wing RC aircraft (not multirotor only) Genuine enthusiasm for occasional international travel to fly demos; you should want the trips, not tolerate them Comfort operating from unimproved sites and in variable weather, within limits Clear written and verbal communication; you can describe what the aircraft did without embellishing it Eligibility to work in Canada, to travel internationally, and to handle controlled goods / security screening as required for defence work Beneficial Transport Canada Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate Experience with larger fixed-wing RPAS, catapult or runway launch, or beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations under an SFOC Manned pilot licence, glider, or ultralight time Flight-test, production-acceptance, or military / public-safety UAS experience Familiarity with composite airframes, autopilots, or ground-control stations Prior international travel for work, or comfort operating in unfamiliar places with a small team How we hire Years of experience are not the filter. We look for people who are careful with other people’s aircraft, direct when something is wrong, and willing to learn a new airframe quickly. Defence work, international programs, and time on the road are part of the job; comfort with that mission matters. To apply Send a short note on the fixed-wing aircraft you have flown, your certificate level, and why flying demos on the road interests you, plus a résumé.

What you’ll do

Plan and fly fixed-wing RPAS test and demonstration sorties, managing preflight checks, safe flight execution, data capture, and written debriefs for engineering. Support site setup and aircraft handling, travel for customer demonstrations, and help develop checklists and operating procedures while stopping flights when conditions or aircraft readiness are unsuitable.

Requirements

Applicants must hold a valid Transport Canada RPAS Pilot Certificate (Basic or Advanced), have hands-on experience with fixed-wing drones or RC aircraft, and be eligible to work in Canada, travel internationally, and complete required controlled-goods or security screening. They should be comfortable with occasional international demonstration travel, unimproved sites, and variable weather, and communicate flight observations clearly and accurately.

Listed skills

• Customer · Preferred
• Execution · Preferred
• Production · Preferred
• Control · Preferred
• Time · Preferred
• Communication · Preferred
• Configuration · Preferred
• Development · Preferred
• Fleet · Preferred
• responsibility · Preferred
• safety · Preferred
• Verbal · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Fixed-Wing RPAS Piloting
• Flight Testing
• Flight Demonstrations
• Preflight Inspections
• Weight-and-Balance Checks
• Configuration Control
• Flight Data Recording
• Anomaly Reporting
• Ground Handling
• Launch and Recovery
• Flight Briefing and Debriefing
• Checklist and Procedure Development
• Transport Canada RPAS Regulations
• Site Surveys
• Variable-Weather Operations
• International Travel

Job areas

• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Transportation
• Security & Safety