Connecting Aviators
New app features coordination for fly-outs and co-ownerships
Brewer created Connecting Aviators as an answer to his own struggles, and those of other pilots he talked to. He had been looking for an airplane partner, and it took a year to find the right person, even though the right candidate turned out to be the friend of a friend based at his local airport. With Connecting Aviators, Brewer is hoping to make the process of finding airplane partners, flying clubs, businesses, and other pilots quicker and easier.
Users create a personal profile similar to those on other social networks, although Connecting Aviators requires the use of the real names in an effort to increase security and transparency. You can also list your certificates and ratings, flight hours, and aircraft. From there you can interact through messages, make connections, and keep things entirely virtual, or use the app as a way to get together in person. A map view with all 19,000 landing facilities in the United States makes it easy to search for new pilot connections, or to find fly-outs.
Any member can raise his or her hand and say they are going flying. The flight is added to the map, and invites can be sent to connections, who can then RSVP. If you’re not a connection but want to go along, you can send a message.
Perhaps most interesting is the app’s ability to bring together pilots for co-ownerships. The concept of co-ownership is compelling to many potential owners, but finding partners is a challenge. In Connecting Aviators, a user can indicate their interest in finding a co-ownership, starting a co-ownership, or bringing in a partner to their existing airplane. Finding those interested requires simply checking the map.
Connecting Aviators is relatively new, so the user base is small, and there are a few bugs. But it promises to be a good place to find other pilots as it grows. Brewer said it will remain free to use most features of the app, and an upper tier with a small fee is available for pilots who want more functionality. It’s currently available only for Apple’s iOS, but Brewer said Android may be in a future road map.
Flying Eyes
Designed to be worn with headsets or flight helmets
By Dave Hirschman
It’s expected that a pilot who owns an airplane will, at some point, get a pair of sunglasses.
But general aviation flyer Dean Siracusa got the normal order backwards. He sold his airplane, a vintage Meyers 200, in order to buy a sunglasses company: Flying Eyes.
“I’d been a pilot for 25 years and was just tired of the headaches, the pressure points, and the noise leaks that came from wearing a headset over traditional aviation sunglasses,” said Siracusa. “I’d done the R&D and knew there was a better way. So, I took a risk, sold my airplane to finance the purchase of the specialized equipment I needed, and started a new company.”
Flying Eyes was founded in 2013 and the Texas-based firm now has eight employees, and Siracusa says it’s expanding rapidly. Happily, he now owns another Meyers 200, and he says it’s an even more pristine example than the one he owned a decade ago.
“Our breakthrough came in 2016 with a strong, flexible material that makes our frames thin enough to work with modern, ANR headsets,” he said. “Pilots could see that our products really were different and provided unique advantages in the cockpit.”
Siracusa expanded the company’s presence at aviation events so that pilots could try on different models and make sure they fit properly. Flying Eyes best-selling models carry retail prices of $190 to $230, and prescription versions are about $300.
“We’ve always offered free exchanges and money-back guarantees on our website, but giving people the opportunity to try on different models is key,” he said.
Flying Eyes sunglasses are designed to be worn with headsets or flight helmets, and pilots are far and away the company’s largest market.
Siracusa said most Flying Eyes sunglasses components are made in the United States, and he’s exploring ways to bring all production in-house.
“We cut our own lenses in Texas right now,” he said, “and we’re doing more and more of our own injection molding [of frames], too. About 90 percent of our growth has been in aviation because pilots recognize that our products aren’t just fashion, they solve real problems.”
