FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jon McBride Takes New Role as VP of Technology and Training at Autel Robotics
Industry veteran has deep experience at all levels, with 35 years in remote control aircraft
Washington, United States, October 4, 2022
- Autel
Robotics is thrilled to announce that Jon McBride, a 21-year veteran of
the drone industry, has become the company’s new Vice President of
Technology and Training. This job has global responsibility – a step up
from his former senior training role at Autel where he was hugely
influential. Jon is widely known in the drone and UAV community for his
honesty, his understanding of the products, and his constant focus on
the customer.
Brings 35 years of drone, UAV and RC experience to Autel
Before he moved into the UAV industry – even before the consumer
industry itself was truly born – McBride had a long-standing passion
for remote control aircraft, beginning 35 years ago. He owned and
operated a successful RC hobby shop in Utah, drawing fans of the hobby
from all around.
As drones grew in popularity over twenty years ago, McBride became a
key figure in the development and implementation of emerging drone
technologies. In this new era, drones were no longer just for
hobbyists, but also for public safety, and specific industry
applications, with a focus on making them affordable for all – and Jon
was at the heart of it.
A key step in Jon’s career was co-founding Rocky Mountain Unmanned
Systems (RMUS), where he worked with enterprise drones, developing
much-needed training in a market clamoring for more education on this
burgeoning new technology.
Enhancing Autel
Last year, Jon joined the Autel Team as the Director of Training.
He’s spent the majority of that time traveling around the country
training customers and dealers on how to get the most out of their
Autel products, particularly the Dragonfish eVTOL series. Based on his
experience, Jon could sometimes give critical feedback to help the
engineering team improve the Dragonfish range.
“One of my reasons for joining Autel Robotics was that I had learned
that manufacturers don’t always have clear directions or training for
their products – and this is an issue throughout the industry,” he
said. “My passion is to try to educate people and develop
manufacturer-certified training.”
In the spirit of setting up formalized training, he has worked with
the Autel team to build the Autel Robotics Training Center program.
ARTC was built from the ground up to instruct users in the operation,
maintenance, and safe use of their Autel drones.
“We’re developing the content, aligning with FAA standards so we can be
the first drone manufacturer to require a certificate in order to
operate the Dragonfish,” said Mariah May, an Autel team member who
worked directly with McBride to build the training program. “We’ve had
some good feedback already that [customers] felt very prepared going
into instructor training.”
A new role for the future
McBride’s
new position expands his formal role from training to include even more
influence on new product and technology development, based on
customers’ needs and feedback.
In his words, “My new role will include understanding Autel technology,
educating and training our dealers and customer base, working directly
with engineers and R&D to improve our products, and bringing brand
reliability to the masses.”
McBride’s career has already included business ownership, military
leadership, and technological development. Now it enters an exciting
new phase. Both McBride and Autel are thrilled to have him on the
leadership team.
“I’m excited to be working together with Autel as we travel towards a
future as the best industrial drone manufacturer on the planet,” Jon
said.
About Autel Robotics
Autel Robotics is a team of industry professionals with a genuine
passion for technology and years of engineering experience. Since its
founding in 2014, Autel has always striven for customer-driven
innovation and is continually working to raise the industry standard
for drones. The company’s headquarters is in Shenzhen, the heart of
China’s tech industry; it also has R&D bases around the world
including Seattle, Munich, and Silicon Valley. For more information,
visit www.autelrobotics.com, or
follow Autel Robotics on Facebook @autelrobotics,
and Instagram @autelbotocis,
or subscribe to the Autel Robotics YouTube Channel.