Drone Pilot – Lighter-Than-Air Field Ops (Part 107)

Buoyant Aero (YC S21); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 83,000 - 131,000; Part time

Job summary

Buoyant Aero is actively seeking experienced drone pilots to support experimental lighter-than-air aircraft operations in the San Francisco Bay Area. This contract/field role emphasizes hands-on flight operations, marine-based tasks, battery swaps, and troubleshooting of unconventional aircraft systems.

Candidates must hold FAA Part 107 certification and possess 5+ years of professional drone piloting experience, with a background in fixed-wing or nontraditional aircraft and familiarity with

Qualifications

• FAA Part 107 certification required.
• Minimum 5+ years of professional drone piloting experience.
• Experience with fixed-wing or nontraditional aircraft is required.
• Experience with ArduPilot and/or PX4 flight stacks preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform flight operations for experimental lighter-than-air aircraft.
• Handle marine-based field operations in addition to airfield tasks.
• Lead battery swaps and on-site power management between flights.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose unconventional aircraft systems in real-time.

Skills

Drone piloting

Flight operations

Troubleshooting

5+ years experience

Unconventional aircraft experience

Tools

ArduPilot

PX4

Job description

Buoyant Aero is actively seeking experienced drone pilots to support experimental lighter-than-air aircraft operations in the San Francisco Bay Area. This contract/field role emphasizes hands-on flight operations, marine-based tasks, battery swaps, and troubleshooting of unconventional aircraft systems.

Candidates must hold FAA Part 107 certification and possess 5+ years of professional drone piloting experience, with a background in fixed-wing or nontraditional aircraft and familiarity with