Competence Group
Qualification & Training (QUT)

With the growth of the drone economy, the demand for qualified professionals is rising and entirely new roles are emerging, from pilots and flight planners to maintenance and service personnel. The Qualification & Training Competence Group in UAV DACH plays a crucial role in developing, defining, and harmonizing European standards, aiming to establish comparable training and certification programs that meet the requirements for safe and sustainable UAS operations. Sie hat das Ziel, vergleichbare Ausbildungs- und Zertifizierungsprogramme zu etablieren, die den Anforderungen für einen sicheren und nachhaltigen UAS-Betrieb entsprechen.

Head

Andreas Ritter

UAS365 GmbH

Head of UAS Operation

Andreas is the Head of UAS Operations at UAS365 GmbH, leveraging his extensive aviation background as a former Lufthansa Group captain and flight operations director. He combines decades of airline experience—including serving as Lufthansa’s Head of Flight Operations Procedures & Technology—with a focus on applying manned aviation standards to unmanned aircraft training and operations.

Deputy Head

Nico Ninov

Nicopter GmbH

CEO

Nico is the founder/MD of nicopter GmbH (established 2016), a company specializing in drone pilot training, and has developed one of Europe’s largest networks of certified drone operators. He previously spent over a decade as a Business Development Manager at ABB in Switzerland, and his core competencies include unmanned aerial systems, drone pilot training, and strategic business development in the aerospace sector.

Mitglieder

Tillmann Kohlrausch

Expert

DB Fahrwegdienste GmbH

tilman.kohlrausch@deutschebahn.com

Kevin Weller

Strategic Planning Consultant

DroneMasters Academy GmbH

kwe@dronemasters.academy

René Achten

Lead Auditor & UAS Specialist

Luftfahrtamt der Bundeswehr

rene.achten@uavdach.org

Chris Janke

CEO

DroneMasters Academy GmbH

jankec@erau.edu

Carsten Rusch

Key Account Manager

Rheinmetall Technical Publications GmbH

carsten.rusch@rheinmetall.com

Rob Akron

Pilot

Vereinigung Cockpit e.V.

rob.akron@vcockpit.de

Henrik Lührs

CEO

EDUCADEMY GmbH

henrik@aircademy.eu

Susanne Ramsthal

CEO

LPLUS GmbH

ramsthal@lplus.de

Matthias Vyshnevskyy

Chief Engineer

Skyeton Germany GmbH

m.vyshnevskyy@skyeton.eu

Max Scheck

Pilot

Vereinigung Cockpit e.V.

max.scheck@vcockpit.de

Mario Finkbeiner

UAS Specialist

Deutsche Bahn

mario.finkbeiner@deutschebahn.com

Karsten Hofterheide

CEO

AuG Kiel GmbH

hofterheide@drohne-wea.de

Rodney Leitner

CEO

HFC Human-Factors-Consult GmbH

rodney.leitner@human-factors-consult.de

Christian Kaiser

CEO

Copting GmbH

ckaiser@copting.de

Joseph Metz

CEO

U-Rob GmbH

joseph.metz@u-rob.com

Alex Fraess-Ehrfeld

CEO

Airborne Robotics GmbH

alex@airborne-robotics.com

Christophe Struck

Training Manager

CNFPC

christophe.struck@cnfpc.lu

Michael Radeck

Drone Pilot

Michael Radeck

michael.radeck@email.de

Maximilian Johenneken

Software Developer

Drak & Johenneken GbR

maximilian.johenneken@h-brs.de

Helmut Roderus

Professor

Hochschule Ansbach

helmut.roderus@drohnenakademie.bayern

Stefan Arbes

Training Manager

DB Fahrwegdienste GmbH

Stefan.Arbes@deutschebahn.com

Dieter Klein

Sen. Advisor Aviation Services

Wingcopter GmbH

dieter.klein@uavdach.org