Aerospace design leader and pilot with over a decade of experience building products and teams that solve complex aerospace problems through user centered design. My work flies all day everyday on 80% of GA aircraft in the US, a majority of US Department of Defense aircraft, and 75% of airlines globally.
The homebuilder cockpit community is an exciting and welcoming place for both newcomers and experienced builders.
The Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 are by far the most popular projects, but homebuilders have built hundreds of different flight decks of varying levels of complexity and realism.
One of my favorite groups is SimFest (http://www.simfest.co.uk/). They fly a 747 (homebuilt sim) around the world, stream it live, and raise money for charity.
For anyone interested in learning more, a few resources:
ProSim Aviation Research (https://prosim-ar.com/) - cockpit avionics software. Powers flight models and avionics screens for most 737 and A320 projects. Established, respected, and popular in the community.
FlightDeck Solutions (http://flightdecksolutions.com/) - Flight deck hardware. Both individual components and turn key solutions for 737/777/787/A320
Boeing certainly tests in public airspace, but only as part of a standardized certification process overseen by the US government - a process and set of regulations that are written in blood.
Eh, yes and no. The FAA requires operators to get approval for iPad EFBs individually, and does not require GA pilots to do any such thing. "Certified," however, has a special meaning in aviation. iPads are not certified hardware, period. Pilots must still use their aircraft avionics (which are certified) as their primary means of navigation. iPads can be supplemental only, for both general aviation and commercial operations.
The flight plan is programmed into the airplane's avionics, as well as on a printed hard copy in the cockpit. The app is supplemental. It can not be used as a primary navigation reference, per FAA regulations.
I've also been using the Dopp Regatta, exclusively for about 6 years now, and I love it. Super simple, extremely functional. It's the closest to perfect I've found.
As a "joyriding dipshit," I can assure you we're not spraying you with lead. General Aviation is moving away from leaded fuel in general. In fact, Shell recently announced an unleaded alternative to AvGas that can be used in a normal engine without issue. No new equipment required.
As a former Groupon employee in Palo Alto (they acquired my startup this past year) I can tell you working from home is most definitely not "fine."
My startup was based in San Francisco. Even though Groupon has an office in the city, they mandated my entire team be in the Palo Alto office from day one.
The rest of the things you mention are spot on. Besides the commute issue I had no complaints.
Location: Chicago
Remote: OK
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: UI/UX, Human Factors
Résumé/CV: www.ryanmcbride.org
Email: [email protected]