ANDREW MASTERS JOINS ANIMAL DYNAMICS AS CHIEF OF THE OFFICE OF AIRWORTHINESS
● Ex-Thales UK and Virgin Atlantic safety pioneer joins animal-inspired movement company
● Masters responsible for complete end-to-end Airworthiness and Certification at Animal Dynamics
● Role will mean working closely with regulators in shaping Unmanned Aerial Vehicle safety
Oxford, UK, 25 August 2021: Animal Dynamics, the animal-inspired movement company, has announced the appointment of Andrew Masters as Chief of the Office of Airworthiness.
He will be responsible for the complete end-to-end airworthiness and safety at Animal Dynamics – from design through to certification and continuing airworthiness of its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle range, Stork.
Masters’ close working relationships with the Civil Aviation Authority and Military Aviation Authority will be instrumental in helping Animal Dynamics to accelerate the commercial roll-out of Stork.
Designed to solve complex real-world challenges, it combines parafoil technology and bleeding edge AI software to create an entirely new aerial autonomy solution capable of carrying 135kg payloads up to 250 miles (or 400km).
Masters brings with him a wealth of experience and qualification as an accomplished Airworthiness & Safety Authority through initial, continued, and continuing airworthiness. A Chartered Engineer, with over 33 years’ experience in military and commercial aviation for global, FTSE/Fortune-listed corporations including the Royal Air Force, Airbus, Virgin Atlantic, and Thales UK. Masters was instrumental in shaping and maintaining the design of many established commercial and military products and he was part of the team that delivered the certification of the Airbus A380.
Alex Caccia, CEO of Animal Dynamics, commented: “We are deeply committed to safety as a company, and we are very confident that Masters will help us maintain the high safety standards that we have always set out to achieve in everything that we do. He has very strong credentials in aviation safety leadership, and we are delighted to have him join us.”
Animal Dynamics prides itself on designing hyper-efficient systems inspired by the deep study of evolutionary biomechanics, attracting scientists including Professor of Biomechanics in the Zoology Department of Oxford University, Adrian Thomas, who is the Chief Science Officer at the company. Animal Dynamics has raised £20m from Venture Capitalists since it was founded in 2015.
“Animal Dynamics is at the cutting edge of innovation in the aviation world. I look forward to helping them create safe and airworthy bio-inspired autonomy solutions,” says Masters. “We have a brilliant opportunity to set the safety roadmap for the future of aviation, and I am excited to be working with colleagues, regulators, and partners as we grow the business.”
Outside of work, Masters works closely with the Scouting association and he is passionate about promoting innovation amongst engineers of the future, something that Animal Dynamics will benefit from as the company looks to inspire and attract future talent.