London Oxford Airport has welcomed a new
tenant, hullo Aircrew, which recently moved in opposite the OxfordJet FBO.
Run by CEO
Keiron Blay
and COO Steve Payne
- both former Hangar8 and Gama Aviation executives - the business centres on a
revolutionary new platform which aims to empower pilots and flight attendants by
connecting them with operators (for flying work) through a native app, as well
as offering a whole range of additional discounted Member Services.
The app, currently being tested with a group
of pilots ahead of a scheduled final release at EBACE, acts as a ‘one stop shop’
with the capacity to handle all the paperwork and invoicing involved with
securing a new job.
“After working in business aviation for 10
years, it became apparent that resourcing pilots or flight attendants for a
company with aircraft positioning at a multitude of airports 24/7 was a bit of a
headache,” commented Blay. “Often the chief pilot would be phoning round his
personal contacts to get a candidate with the right licence that was current on
a specific aircraft type. This spawned the idea of creating a centralised
database that also acts as a pocket personal assistant for the pilots and flight
attendants.
“The hullo Aircrew app is open to everyone -
there’s no subscription fee, so we’re really disrupting the typical recruitment
agency model. We’ve designed a turn-key solution that can be used on a global
scale,” Blay continued.
Using the app, pilots can upload their day
rate, type-ratings, hours, licences and full training records to hullo’s tech
platform environment, and hullo will then send a notification to let them know
if they’re due to undertake any recurrent training. Having the buying power of a
larger operation also means hullo will be able to offer training at discounted
prices.
Furthermore, when operators put out details of
a new flying job, hullo’s platform will supply a list of relevant pilots or
flight attendants and will allow the two parties to start talking through the
app. Operators can then shortlist their favourite pilots and flight attendants
and keep working with them.
Captain David Fletcher,
co-founder and former managing director of bizav operator FlairJet and current
Embraer Phenom 300 and Airbus A330 pilot, has trialled the app: “Not only does
the hullo Aircrew app offer a sense of community for contract pilots, with all
the advantages of buying power that has, but it makes it very easy for the pilot
and operator to get together. The interface looks easy to understand and
navigate. I've been on both sides of this - as an operator and contract pilot -
and the system offers major advantages to both.”
James Dillon-Godfray,
London Oxford Airport’s Business Development Manager commented: “We are
delighted to have a company of hullo Aircrew’s calibre at Oxford. The demand for
type-rated business aviation pilots in Europe is ever-evolving and hullo’s
innovative new app makes it easier for operators to find the right crew for
their fleet and for pilots to find work, whether it’s a one-off trip as back-up
crew, a short term contract or permanent employment. Having had some 30,000
professional pilots start their flying careers at Oxford, hosting a company like
hullo fits in nicely with the other businesses we have here.”
hullo Aircrew will be showcasing its app at
EBACE from 22-24 May 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. Booth #S51.
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