Welcome to May’s NAVBLUE Employee Spotlight Feature! We’ve created these stories with the goal of shining a spotlight on the pivotal role our employees play in the tech and aviation field, their journeys so far, and how NAVBLUE aims to create an innovative and inclusive workforce with their help.
Today we are sharing the story of Antoine Rogues, Principal Product Manager at NAVBLUE in Toulouse, France.
Q&A
-Hello Antoine! Could you share how you first got into aviation and what led you to NAVBLUE?
Since I can remember I wanted to be a pilot!
At the age of 14, I started to learn how to fly an aircraft, became a pilot at 15, was able to fly solo -yes, it was possible at that time!- and got my private pilot license at 17. After my high school diploma, I thought about a “Plan B”. Finally, I decided to study Aeronautical Engineering. I graduated in 2008 from the EPF Ecole d’Ingénieur in France and Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, in Canada. I found a job as an aeronautical engineer and worked at Dassault Aviation, and a few years later, I had the opportunity to join NAVBLUE to become a Product Owner.
My Plan B clearly became my Plan A!
-What does your role as Principal Product Manager at NAVBLUE entail ?
As Mission+ and Flysmart Principal Product Manager (PPM), I’m responsible for the offerability of the products.
The role goes from writing and updating key documents to helping the Deal Managers to answer RFPs. At the same time, I support various teams by performing a Business Process Review, ensuring that our offer will fit the airline operations.
Even if it’s not directly related to the PPM job, I worked quite a lot on the Delta Air Lines Mission+ entry into service. The recent mandatory use for all pilots is a milestone reached by a fantastic team! Now, I’m following the project.
-How has your experience as a pilot influenced your approach to projects or challenges at NAVBLUE?
Having the possibility to use the software you are developing in “real ” conditions is always very useful.
It helps me to make better decisions. When flying with NAVBLUE solutions I feel closer to their final user: pilots. As I hold an instrument rating, I am able to use the full scope of our charts and Mission+ when flying IFR even if I am not quite often using the “HIGH” en-route filter or displaying turbulence at FL350.
-From your perspective as a pilot, how have you seen the aviation industry evolve, and what role do you see NAVBLUE play in shaping its future?
Going from paper to digital is one of the major changes I have witnessed in the aviation industry. I remember when I was a kid on the cockpit’s jump-seat, opening one of the two big bags with Europe charts for the captain and first officer. Now it’s 2 or 3 clicks on an iPad to have your clip ready. Updates are done in 5 minutes by the pilot itself… This is quite a change!
Needle instruments to touch screens is an upheaval. The fuel efficiency improvement is amazing, a revolution… Cost reduction is another big change.
NAVBLUE is in the middle of those new trends and changes, providing information to some key users around a flight like Dispatchers, EFB Admin, Pilots, Cabin crew … We will continue to work on a better experience for our customers.
-What would be your advice to someone who would like to pursue pilot training?
Be passionate!
It takes time, and to be honest, money but at the end you discover freedom. You will be able to travel -under good weather conditions- amazing places. Once I landed on a small island in Scotland where the runway was made of sand, so open only at low tide. The landscape was incredible.
-Could you share one of your most memorable flying experiences and why it stands out to you?
My trip to the North Cape in Norway. 42 hours of flight in 9 days (without autopilot, visual flight rules only, officially at least).
It was the most scenic flight of my life. We were 3 light aircraft going from South-West of France to Norway and I was organizing logistics and flight details (customs, refueling, weather briefing, …).
In visual flight you never know too much in advance… so it requires a lot of preparation.
But in the end, the flights were so beautiful that it was worth it!
-Describe the future of NAVBLUE in a word
Integration.
Interested in joining NAVBLUE?
