Who We Are
Get to know us a little better.
OurStory
From a background of flying and managing commercial helicopters, Nicole and Lucy arrived in the newly hatched RPAS arena at about the same time. Helicopters and drones occupy the same low level airspace and battle for the same aerial work. Immediately realising the potential and synergy of helicopters and drones, they each traveled the long, long road to attaining an ROC – a journey filled with daunting regulations, massive paperwork, huge new learning curves and often frustration. What was immediately apparent was that it was a nearly impossible task for small start-up drone companies with no previous aviation experience, to enter this arena and survive the gauntlet of paperwork, audits and renewals in order to obtain and retain their ROCs. The significance of drones in the future of aviation is real and two friends who share the same vision and values have become a formidable team who are passionate about making a real difference in an industry they love.
We create systems to manage the mundane so that we can all focus on what we do best.
Our Purpose
Our Values
Our clients come first. We give our absolute best to delivering products that make their lives easier. Our values shape the way we do business.
Deliver what we promise
We never assume. We check and CrossCheck. We would rather do things right than do them again. Honesty is our foundation – this is non-negotiable and you will always know where you stand.
Lighten Up
Just because our product is Compliance, it does not have to be boring. We make it fun and easy to plan and track. We have figured out the mundane details and designed processes to lighten your load.
We've got your Back
We care about each other and we care about our clients – and we show it. We deal with everyone in a personal, no-nonsense way, with humility and warmth. We are better together.
Come with a Solution
We grow because we face big and small problems head on and turn them into opportunities. We solve problems using our knowledge and creativity in the best way we can.
Be Unforgettable
We are bold and authentic and we are in this for the long haul. We share what we know. Dependability is our trademark.
Do Stuff Worth Signing
We are so proud of what we have created that we genuinely stand by our product.
Our Team
Meet the people behind the product.
NicoleJenkinson
Managing Director
The plot rarely varies – it is always love at first flight – and it wasn’t any different for Nicole. During a visit home whilst living abroad, she went for a quick flip in a Robbie 22 with her brother-in-law, and the rest is history. Nicole returned to London with the sole intention of bringing her elusive pounds home to convert money into lift. Returning to South Africa, she did everything from washing helicopters, to managing flight operations, to handling finances to get her 200 hours – a story as old as (flying) time.
After completing her license, Nicole went on to gain vast experience in aviation, and has tried her hand at everything from training, to charter to maintenance and aircraft sales. Nicole went on to flying Squirrels at the Durban Airwing for the SAPS. This was where she and Lucy met and formed an instant friendship – bonding over their common loves – golden lab puppies, flying and crazy endurance sporting events.
Always looking for new challenges, Nicole became intrigued by the world of unmanned aviation and has spent the last few years with her feet on the ground. As a partner in an RPAS start up, she oversaw SACAA approvals and managed both Operational and Training divisions within the company. It was during this time, with many, many hours spent knee deep in paperwork, that the idea of CrossChecks was born.
With an enduring love of Art and Books (and dogs, naturally), Lucy studied design and started her career as a Clothing Designer. Sometime, just before the millennium, she went up in a microlight with her cousin, Drew, and the flying bug bit hard.
In 2005, as an anniversary gift, her husband, Richard, sent her to La Mercy airfield to learn to fly microlights. This was a move that he would sorely regret for the next 15 years as Lucy gave up her 17 year design career and fat salary, trading it instead for the love of flying. She launched herself into the world of commercial helicopters.
After designing and manufacturing an outstanding ladies’ flight suit for the helicopter girls, Lucy, with her good friend and mentor, Kim Watchurst-Carter, wrote and illustrated a 250 page Helicopter Flight Training Manual that is still used widely throughout South Africa, Australia, Europe, USA and even as far afield as Russia.
Lucy found a natural niche in training and has spent a few thousand hours patiently risking her life while her students figured out how to fly the helicopter. Poor Richard.
Spending the last decade as Mother Goose with one of South Africa’s most established helicopter companies, her role inevitably grew into every aspect of commercial air operations and the regulations that guide it. Having written and continually amended all of the company’s manuals and systems and having facilitated the audits for an AOC, ROC and ATO, Lucy (still with her love of Art and Books and Dogs and Flying) is now in a prime position to put all that knowledge to very good use in an Operating System that takes the pain away. Everyone is happy.
