Women in Drones: The Sky Isn’t the Limit
The number of women in tech has always been significantly small. With drone capabilities evolving on a daily basis, we’re hoping the industry will continue to develop in regard to the gender gap.
According to 2023 FAA data, women made up 7.9% of all certified remote pilots. But as of the new 2024 data, they make up 8.39%.
It is estimated that the percentage of women drone pilots in the UK is just 4%.
Influential Women in the Industry
Annalisa Russell-Smith FRAeS, Chief Strategy Officer, Flyby Technology
Professional drone pilot from West Sussex, Annalisa Russell-Smith is following in the footsteps of pioneers Amelia Earhart and Amy Johnson as the aviation industry enters a whole new age.
She became the first qualified female Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) pilot in the UK back in 2020 during our BVLOS development trials with the NHS.
“Drones are now often used for filming, surveying buildings and doing aerial inspections. In the future, they will become high-technology aerial workhorses and will be used in truly visionary, life-changing and life-saving ways. Drones will have a positive impact on millions of lives and the way they can be used will be limited only by our imagination.
“I could soon be flying drones remotely anywhere in the world from the UK and that’s incredibly exciting.”
Gemma Alcock, CEO and Founder of SkyBound Rescuer
“As a woman in a male-populated industry, you will often be instantly underestimated before you even start to speak”
“I am the founder and CEO of SkyBound Rescuer, which is a leading organisation of specialists in the use of drones for public safety, intending to optimise drone performance for Emergency Services through our research-driven approach to problem-solving. SkyBound Rescuer works with Emergency Services to develop their drone capabilities by researching best practices, and we work with the drone industry to create better products and services for public safety in the UK and abroad.”
Huy Tran, Director of Aeronautics at NASA Ames Research Center
Huy Tran oversees air traffic management, airspace simulation, autonomous systems, computational fluid dynamics, vertical flight technology, experimental fluid mechanics, and wind tunnel operations research.
She was the lead inventor of the Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA), the primary heat shield for the Stardust SRC, Mars Science Laboratory, Space-X Dragon capsule, Mars 2020 and future Mars Sample Return mission.
Sally French, Founder of TheDroneGirl.com
In 2013, Sally French founded The Drone Girl, a website focusing on drone news, reviews, tips, and celebrating women in the industry. Since then, Sally has been quoted in The New York Times and Consumer Reports and has appeared at SXSW, Harvard Business School, and other drone conferences. Fortune Magazine named her one of the “4 top women shaping the drone industry.”
These are just a few of the remarkable women in the drone industry. We hope that raising awareness will increase the number of influential women in this field, continuing to propel the future of drones and pilots globally.