Our goal at KITRUM is to engage our employees and foster a culture of continuous learning. Furthermore, KITRUM continually contributes to the ESG sector by helping its team members, donating to local and global charities, and planting trees.
Recently, we did a unique training program that challenged our teammates and opened up new possibilities. Here is KITRUM’s FPV drone collection journey.
The spark of idea
The FPV drone training program idea came from our talent pool: Ivan Ovcharyk, a passionate Senior Project Manager at KITRUM, set up a drone-collecting school for volunteers and friends.
Ivan has been into FPV drones for a while now and recognizes their potential for various applications, from creative videography or data collection to air defense. Experienced specialists such as Ivan have noticed that buying drone parts from abroad and assembling drones is much cheaper than buying and delivering ready-to-fly drones to Ukraine.
Ivan designed and led a training program for colleagues who wanted to improve their technical expertise. The KITRUM HR Department supported the program, which was attended by people from different departments. They were all enthusiastic about learning!
The drones mastering
A preparation part
The journey started with Ivan organizing a webinar for the Kitrum team and their pals. During the session, they learned about the history of UAVs, different drone models, and the basic anatomy of an FPV drone.
After the super informative webinar, there was a chance to build several for those more curious about drones. The HR team worked hard to find a proper spot for this practical workshop.
Gearing up the drones
Ivan got all the gear needed to collect drones for twelve teammates in two cities. He previously bought eight drones from reliable Chinese shops, choosing models known for their stability, performance, and ease of use. Safety is vital, so he grabbed accessories such as propellers, batteries, and other essential parts.
Two crews of six people gathered at locations on two Saturdays and worked together for eight hours to assemble eight drones. First, every team was divided into pairs and started working on one of the drones. The primary stage was to set the frame for future crucial details. Then, the flight controller soldering, motors, camera assembly, and other tasks were done.
The process of the master class was exciting and captured everyone’s attention. The training was attended by people who were soldering or assembling tiny parts for the first time, but in 8 hours, everyone managed to do it, and each pair assembled their own drone.
The first launch
The last step was the software installation and calibration. Ivan Ovcharyk implemented these crucial aspects. This involved configuring flight controllers, setting radio protocols, and fine-tuning various parameters to achieve smooth and responsive flight characteristics.
Each drone was named in the registration system, and the participants were able to come up with their own names for them — this part turned out to be an unexpected bonus for the participants.
There is nothing as pleasurable as the sound of a drone being launched for the first time to test the propellers when the Ukrainian song “Red Robin Tree Has Leaned On” (“Chervona Kalyna Pohylylas”) plays in the drone app’s Ukrainian firmware.
The flight testing
Testing drones is very important. After all, faulty ones may not just fail to fulfill their task. The drones assembled by the KITRUM team were tested by Ivan himself:
“I first perform a software check and set up the drone. Then, I use the Betaflight program to test the performance of the motors and gyroscope. I ensure the drone moves correctly and set the necessary parameters. If each unit shows no errors at the software test stage, I fly in real conditions. I also test the drones with a load. Only then can the drones be donated to charity.”
Beyond the drone mastering
The organizers treated the participants to delicious pizza and cola and took coffee breaks to make the training and assembly enjoyable and easy. Ivan joked, shared real-life examples, and helped them when they encountered difficulties.
Pairwork and mutual support in the whole team of participants created a sense of involvement, unity, and relaxed communication, which is necessary for our time. Everyone could feel at ease and move forward.
There is an expression that nothing brings people closer together than joint creativity. We hope that the training participants experience this precisely. The unity of our colleagues in finding standard solutions and achieving goals is one of KITRUM’s priorities. We invest in people.
Future impact
After successful assembly, the Kitrum team donated 8 drones to charity. The participants were incredibly pleased with their results, took photos together, and carried on with enthusiasm and sparkling eyes. Some of them may start assembling drones regularly as a hobby. Life will show — it’s always possible to learn new things and start self-realization in another field; the main thing is the desire to learn, openness, flexibility, and empathy.
As Ivan said,“Everyone can join such an initiative because everything is simple and precise. The only thing you can do with the supervision of an instructor who can set up and test the drone. Finding a short course or training that teaches how to do it is best for those who want to start assembling drones. Or someone who has been doing it for a long time and can share their experience. But it’s always important to hand over the drones you’ve made to professional instructors for testing before handing them to the charity.”
Our FPV drone training program is a testament to the power of employee initiative and our commitment to fostering a culture of learning and innovation. It’s not just about assembling drones; it’s about gaining valuable skills to benefit our employees and the company. KITRUM is excited to see how this newfound expertise shapes our team, and we continue to invest in the ESG sector.UAV software development is one of KITRUM’s areas of expertise. Our senior-level developers ensure the quality of solutions for numerous drone types at all stages, providing you with professional software and app creation.
