FPV Drone Operator

Air Pixels; Mahwah (NJ); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dental Insurance

Health Insurance

Paid time off

Vision Insurance

Job summary

AITAN is expanding its US engineering team in the New York metropolitan area. This hands-on FPV role tests, pilots, and demonstrates quads, sensors, and software builds in real-world field sites.

You will be based at the NJ test facility with travel to field and flight locations; expect strong collaboration with engineers to turn flight learnings into product improvements.

Qualifications

• This role requires 2+ years of hands-on FPV experience.
• FAA Part 107 certificate, or willingness to obtain within 90 days.
• U.S. citizenship is required for this position.
• Willingness to travel to field/test sites.

Responsibilities

• Fly FPV aircraft (manual/acro) for test flights and demonstrations.
• Execute structured flight test plans and document results.
• Contribute to R&D at NJ facility: prototype builds, hardware/software integration, bench testing.
• Build, repair, and maintain quads; soldering, component swaps, firmware configuration.
• Review DVR footage and flight logs to support engineering feedback.
• Support field operations and demos, including travel to off-site locations.
• Operate with hands-on testing focus, not GPS-based filming.

Skills

FPV flying

Soldering

Electronics troubleshooting

Flight testing

Demo/teaching

Travel readiness

INAV familiarity

ExpressLRS familiarity

Education

FAA Part 107 certificate

Tools

INAV

ExpressLRS

Job description

AITAN is building the operating platform for multi-drone warfare, a battle-proven system that augments, deploys, and orchestrates autonomous drone fleets across any mission, any environment, and any vendor. With over 500,000 hours of frontline operational use and TRL-9 validation, our software is not a prototype. It runs in combat, every day, shaping outcomes in some of the most contested and complex environments on earth.

We unify drone control, edge-AI processing, and mission execution into a single operational loop, from detection to decision to strike. Our platform gives a single operator the ability to command and coordinate an entire fleet in real time: persistent aerial surveillance, automated target recognition, shared tactical picture, and seamless handoff from ISR to kinetic response, without manual delay.

We are expanding our US engineering team in the New York metropolitan area. Our office is easily accessible from New York City. If you want to work on technology that matters, not in a lab, but validated in the field, this is the role for you.

The Role

This is a hands‑on flying position: piloting FPV aircraft in manual/acro mode for testing, integration, and live demonstrations; putting new airframes, payloads, and software builds through their paces; and telling our engineers exactly what the aircraft is doing and why.

You will be based at our New Jersey test facility with regular travel to field and flight sites. On non-testing days, you will work R&D at the facility alongside the engineering team, building and tuning aircraft, integrating new hardware and software, and turning what you learned in the air into product improvements.

What You’ll Do

• Fly FPV aircraft (manual / acro mode) for test flights, system integration, and customer demonstrations
• Execute structured flight test plans and document results; notice and report subtle performance issues in aircraft, radio links, and video systems
• On non-testing days, contribute to R&D at our NJ test facility: prototype builds, hardware / software integration, bench testing, and iterating with engineering on findings from flight tests
• Build, repair, and maintain quads: soldering, component swaps, firmware configuration, and tuning
• Review your own DVR footage and flight logs to support engineering feedback
• Support field operations and demos, including travel to off-site locations
• Expert FPV flying in full manual / acro mode (goggles + line-of-sight); this is a hands‑on testing and R&D role, not a cinematic or GPS‑assisted camera drone position
• 2+ years of hands‑on FPV experience (professional or serious hobbyist / competitive racing / freestyle counts)
• Comfortable building and repairing 5‑inch‑class and similar quads
• FAA Part 107 certificate, or willingness to obtain within 90 days (we'll cover it)
• U.S. citizenship - required for this position
• Willingness to travel to field / test sites

Strong fit if

• You have military experience, especially UAS operations (Army 15W, SUAS operator, Raven / Puma / Switchblade, or Group 1-2 UAS platforms)
• You have experience flying in degraded conditions: no GPS, contested RF, and night operations
• You have soldering and electronics troubleshooting skills, with INAV / ExpressLRS familiarity
• You have instruction or demo experience - you can teach others to fly and represent the product live

Benefits

• Dental Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision Insurance

Compensation

Compensation: $80,000 – $100,000 base salary

Location

Location: Northern New Jersey test facility (field travel required)