Pizza delivery sparked a career

Trevor Wischnewsky decided to pursue a new job after seeing drones deliver pizza and sushi around his Texas neighborhood. He says it was super fascinating and he immediately wanted to be a part of it.

“It was super fascinating. I just immediately wanted to be a part of it.”

Meet the remote pilot in command

Wischnewsky is now an RPIC, or remote pilot in command, at FlyTrex. He coordinates fleets of hexacopter drones delivering cargo within a three-mile radius and manages traffic with competing drones from Zipline, Amazon, and Alphabet's…

The job requires serious credentials

FlyTrex requires applicants to hold FAA certification as a drone pilot and complete a weeks-long FAA-approved training course. Wischnewsky was already in training to become a commercial pilot and flight instructor when he applied.

Automation and coordination matter most

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is a testing ground for unmanned aircraft systems traffic management, or UTM, a network that lets autonomous drones share coordinates in real time to avoid collisions.

Weather is the real challenge

Wischnewsky manages up to ten drones at once and must stay calm under pressure. He once had to intervene when wind picked up suddenly, returning a drone safely and preventing an ice cream cake from…

“You're there as a safety net.”