Ad’s love of aviation started when he was young, sweeping the local hangar and cleaning aircraft in the hope of getting a ride. At only 17, Ad got his private pilot’s licence, flying before he could drive and, at 21, he was already a commercial pilot and instructor. He then flew for a UK airline amassing several thousand flying hours. Ad continues to fly and currently operates and maintains a vintage biplane.
Ad was first introduced into the world of Uncrewed Aerial Systems through a hobby, transforming self-designed model aircraft into infrared photography platforms used to capture data across archaeological sites.
In 2003 Ad joined QinetiQ as a Trials Officer and then went on to be the first pilot of the newly established uncrewed services business, bringing with him his understanding of uncrewed aircraft, transferring skills across the growing defence uncrewed aerial systems market. He worked as a technical officer and development pilot on several defence programs including the Zephyr high altitude pseudo-satellite where he was part of the crew breaking the endurance world record in 2010.
He joined forces with Jonathan, and together they developed their vision for their own drone services company, Callen-Lenz. Originally founded in 2007, Callen-Lenz quickly became a world pioneer in the breakthrough technology of drone-based photogrammetric data capture, and drone-based multispectral imaging.
In 15 short years, the company has grown exponentially from a small services business to the medium-sized company it is today, specialising in the design, development, and manufacture of UAS. Based in rural Wiltshire, Callen-Lenz is both helping transform the aerospace industry and developing the local area into a hub of cutting-edge technology and innovation.
Ad’s vision for the future of Callen-Lenz is:
- To become the UK’s centre of innovative capabilities across UAV design, development, and testing, all in-house under one roof and
- To become the UK’s leading expert in rapid platform development, delivering tailored solutions to changing customer needs.
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