--- title: 'Flight Test Operator at Pyka' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/flight-test-operator-pyka-california-cz98e1qm0rse' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-09' --- # Flight Test Operator at Pyka - **Company:** Pyka - **Location:** California - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-13 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/pyka/b8d8b85f-15e1-44c4-a6d3-b917d30c313d ## Job description ## About Pyka Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation. To get there, we’re taking a different approach than most. We're applying our technologies to every industry where autonomous electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. In doing so, we're building game-changing products manufactured at scale, while perfecting the safety, reliability, and capabilities of our autonomy engine and electric propulsion systems. We design, develop and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. Today, we supply autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection to real-world customers across four separate continents and have secured industry-first regulatory approvals from the FAA. Our cargo aircraft enables remote connectivity, enhances express delivery networks, and ensures fast and reliable shipping of critical supplies to areas in need. Our crop protection aircraft offers agricultural services providers and farmers an autonomous tool to make aerial application safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Both vehicles are highly economical to operate, easy to deploy, and significantly reduce CO2 emissions in their respective industries. What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day. ## Role Overview Pyka is looking for a Flight Test Operator to test and scale the operations of its advanced autonomous aircraft. You will test our new hardware and software features to ensure the success of Pyka’s customer operations around the globe. Your work will focus on testing the continuous operation of Pyka’s aircraft and ground infrastructure. This is a multidisciplinary role that interacts with many internal teams, so written and verbal communication skills are critical. Your work will be instrumental in Pyka’s growth as we build the best safe product for our customers. You will focus on operating at Pyka’s local California test sites, and may deploy to our international customers to support as needed. ## Responsibilities - Execute continuous operations at Pyka’s test sites by identifying and troubleshooting issues, with the remote help of Pyka’s engineering teams - Conduct reliability test campaigns with Pyka’s autonomous aircraft and ground support infrastructure - Provide detailed technical feedback to operations and engineering teams to improve Pyka’s product for customer deployment - Fly and test new hardware and software features - Conduct diverse fleet site maintenance activities, involving the aircraft itself and ground infrastructure - Serve as Pilot In Command or Ground Control Operator of experimental / developmental unmanned aircraft - Option to deploy customer test sites to support Agricultural and Cargo Operations Required Qualifications - 1-3 years of experience flying fixed wing UAVs / model aircraft or large multirotors - Experience with ground control and mission planning software - 1–5 years of experience working with and troubleshooting mechanical and electrical systems - Basic high voltage safety knowledge and comfortable working on 120 VDC, 20 ~ 30 kW systems - Knowledge of aircraft systems, maintenance, and manuals - Independent and motivated, able to self-direct and manage time - Extreme thoroughness and attention to detail - Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Located in Solano or Contra Costa County - Part 61 pilot certificate - We understand that candidates bring different strengths and experiences, and you don’t need to meet every qualification to be considered. If this role excites you, we’d love to learn more about you. You may be a great fit even if your background doesn’t align perfectly with the list. ## Compensation & Benefits - Flight Test Operator: $34.50–$39.00, Flight Test Operator II: $40.00–$45.00 + Equity. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Hourly wage ranges are subject to change. - Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance, FSA with employer matching, and 401(k) - Paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave - Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks at the Alameda office - Opportunity to work on and fly large autonomous aircraft Export Control Requirements This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls.  Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items. Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions. -- We do not work with external recruiters; if you are an external recruiter, please do not reach out. ## About Pyka ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Pyka designs, develops, and manufactures autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: Alameda, California, USA - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: Michael Norcia (Co-Founder, CEO), Chuma Ogunwole (Co-Founder, COO), Nathan White (Co-Founder, Head of Flight Operations) ## Core Business - Primary industry: Autonomous electric aviation, aerospace, agriculture, defense & logistics - Target customers: B2B, government (AFWERX, Department of Defense), agricultural service providers, commercial cargo operators - Mission or purpose statement: To provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. ## Products & Services - **Pelican Spray**: A fully autonomous electric crop duster for aerial application, designed to make crop protection safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Certified for commercial operation in New Zealand, Costa Rica, and the US (FAA 44807 Authorization). - **Pelican Cargo**: The world's largest zero-emission autonomous cargo UAS, designed for remote connectivity, express delivery, and shipping critical supplies. Delivered to AFWERX (US Air Force innovation arm) for contested logistics use cases. - **Pelican 2**: Next-generation autonomous aircraft unveiled in February 2025, featuring significant design improvements and securing FAA authorization for commercial operation in the US. - **Proprietary technology ecosystem**: Flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of $95.12M (Series B of $40M raised in 2024/2025; Series A of $37M; Seed+ $8M; initial Y Combinator round $3M) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Y Combinator (S17 batch), EmbraerX (partnership for Brazil operations), AFWERX (US Department of Air Force), GO-Biz (California tax credit award), SLC Agrícola (major ag customer) - **Growth Signals**: - Secured world's first approval for autonomous night spray operations in Costa Rica - Receiving orders across four continents (Americas, Europe, etc.) - Delivered Pelican Cargo to AFWERX for exploration of contested logistics use cases - Awarded $7M California Tax Credit to expand manufacturing - Surpassed 75 employees (from 50+ milestone) - Signed first major US customer for Pelican Spray ## Competitive Advantages - First-mover regulatory advantage: World’s first autonomous electric aircraft certified for commercial work (2019), first FAA 44807 authorization for commercial autonomous electric crop spraying in the US, and first approval for night autonomous spray operations. - Dual-use technology platform serving both commercial (agriculture, logistics) and defense (AFWERX) markets. - Vertically integrated technology stack (proprietary flight control, avionics, motors, batteries, and airframes) creating deep moats against competitors. - Real-world operational deployment across multiple countries and continents, not just prototypes or test flights. - Strong safety record with regulatory approvals from FAA, New Zealand CAA, and Costa Rican authorities. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling production of the Pelican 2 and Pelican Cargo aircraft lines - Expanding into defense and dual-use applications (contested logistics for US Air Force) - Growing commercial operations in agriculture with major customers like SLC Agrícola in Brazil - Expanding global regulatory approvals to open new markets - Building out manufacturing capacity with GO-Biz support in California - Achieving economies of scale while maintaining vertical integration ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Pyka started in the founder's parents' garage with a "shoes optional" early culture, and retains a startup ethos focused on building game-changing products. Employees report working on things that make people's lives better now. - **Engineering focus**: You'll work on cutting-edge autonomy, electric propulsion, and aerospace hardware/software. The tech stack spans flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and carbon-fiber composites. - **Impact**: "What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day." - **Remote/Hybrid**: Some roles are remote (e.g., Flight Support Engineer - Night Shift, Brazil remote), while engineering and manufacturing roles likely require presence at the Alameda/Oakland facilities. - **Location**: Based in Alameda, CA (with manufacturing in Oakland), offering a Bay Area aerospace startup experience. - **Stage**: Series B with ~75 employees—ideal for someone who wants to join a growth-stage company with proven product-market fit and clear regulatory path to scale. - **Current open roles** (via Lever): Senior Account Executive (Brazil), Deployed Flight Test Engineer, Flight Demo & Training Specialist (Multiple Levels), Flight Support Engineer (Night Shift, Brazil remote). ## Sources 1. [flypyka.com](https://www.flypyka.com/about-us) 2. [flypyka.com/careers](https://flypyka.com/careers) 3. [jobs.lever.co/pyka](https://jobs.lever.co/pyka/) 4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/pyka) 5. [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/pyka) ## Other roles at Pyka - [Senior Buyer/Planner](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-buyer-planner-pyka-alameda-15bcgn3vf49q) — Alameda, CA - [Fleet Software Engineer (Multiple Levels)](https://feeny.ai/job/fleet-software-engineer-multiple-levels-pyka-alameda-7wx9mraw5qpn) — Alameda, CA - [Senior Software Engineer, Dropship and Cargo](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-dropship-and-cargo-pyka-alameda-jte97h9mhk9b) — Alameda, CA - [Electro-Mechanical Assembly Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/electro-mechanical-assembly-technician-pyka-alameda-w135nz8sxsh3) — Alameda, CA - [Head Of Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-supply-chain-pyka-alameda-f1sq4bgxan3c) — Alameda, CA - [Flight Demo & Training Specialist (Multiple Levels)](https://feeny.ai/job/flight-demo-training-specialist-multiple-levels-pyka-california-dkzneb61er2b) — California - [Flight Operations Specialist (Brazil)](https://feeny.ai/job/flight-operations-specialist-brazil-pyka-mato-grosso-xg3j92bqwf5j) — Mato Grosso - [Flight Operations Associate, Temporary](https://feeny.ai/job/flight-operations-associate-temporary-pyka-alameda-z2g76e6svvdv) — Alameda, CA - [Flight Test Engineer (Multiple Levels)](https://feeny.ai/job/flight-test-engineer-multiple-levels-pyka-california-7etcrde0jg0a) — California - [Deployed Flight Test Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/deployed-flight-test-engineer-pyka-california-3q73g8cs6prv) — California